Image source: Rockstar Games

The Grand Theft Auto series has become one of the most popular gaming franchises of all time, with multiple games and storylines. GTA 6 is probably going to be the biggest of them all, with an insane setting and an incredible host of characters. 

The game will release in late 2025, and fans are understandably excited. But it hasn’t been easy for Rockstar; the development process has been incredibly long and also very expensive. But exactly how much has it cost Rockstar to develop this masterpiece? 

I’m probably not the only one wondering just how much it has cost to develop something this huge, right? Well, according to speculations by BBC.com, this is going to be the most expensive game ever made, eclipsing how much the most expensive game cost by a long shot even. 

GTA 6 Budget For Development Revealed Online

The most expensive game ever developed, at the time of writing, is none other than Red Dead Redemption 2, which had a budget of $540 million. Of course, this isn’t the norm, with games like Elden Ring costing $200 million and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom having a budget ranging from $100 to $150 million. 

Image source: Rockstar Games

With such high numbers, where does the development budget of GTA 6 stand? According to the BBC.com investigation, the budget fo Grand Theft Auto VI is set at around $1-2 billion, which makes it the highest budget for any video game ever made…

Looking at what Rockstar is putting into the game and how expansive the map is, as well as the world, it really doesn’t surprise me that the budget is so steep. We all know this is going to be the game of the century, and Rockstar is trying to make it perfect to live up to the hype. With such a large budget, how much do you think the game will be sold for, though? 

GTA 6 To Include Revolutionary Technology, Could Explain Cost

One of the reasons why GTA 6 could be so expensive to develop and also take so much time is thanks to the new artificial intelligence implementations. At a Games Developer Conference in 2021, Rockstar revealed new AI tech that would improve the responsiveness and quality of interactions with npcs and animals. 

Image source: Rockstar Games

Not only that, but Rockstar is utilizing machine learning within their games as well, which could mean that as games continue to play out, the NPC’s learn and grow thanks to your decisions, and will therefore change throughout the story. This would create a far more life like environment, and it would be the first of its kind. 

Of course, this is just speculation, but it does seem plausible that developing these types of new technologies would cost Rockstar quite a lot of money to implement. But they’d definitely improve the game if done right, in my opinion. It’ll be interesting to learn more about the development process when GTA 6 finally releases for console.