With GTA just around the corner, consoles are becoming more expensive at the worst possible time

release Grand Theft Auto VI It’s a unique moment, the kind of massive cultural phenomenon that makes people want to go out and buy a console to play it. He is the prominent modern example of what is known as a “system vendor.” There is almost certainly a large audience of people who have been waiting to buy the console since that’s all they really play on JTAThey haven’t needed to upgrade since then GTA V. But there’s one big problem: At the same time that people are finally getting excited to play GTA, the hardware on which it runs has become obscenely expensive.

Fans have been waiting for the next one grand theft auto For a long time. GTA V Originally released in 2013, it was later ported to multiple console generations, made it to PC, and with a little help from its permanent online status, became the highest-grossing entertainment product in history. That’s a lot to live up to, and the hype surrounding it GTA VI It’s unlike any game you’ve ever seen. The November 19 launch for PS5 and Xbox Series Other game publishers get out of the way For fear of getting lost in the shuffle.

When developer Rockstar first confirmed that it was working on the game Again in 2022The two consoles were available at very different prices. The PlayStation 5 launched at $499.99 for the base model, but after that husband to High pricesIt is now priced at $649.99. If you want the more powerful PS5 Pro – which might be a good idea for supposedly resource-intensive games like… GTA VI – You’re looking at $899.99. Microsoft, meanwhile It has tripled the price of current generation consoles since 2025. The lower-end Xbox Series S now costs $499.99, while the more powerful Series Both run into the hundreds of dollars compared to their launch prices.

These are sharp increases, and they contradict that Conventional wisdom is that buying a console at launch is a bad ideabecause things are now becoming more expensive over time. This is especially noticeable in a game like GTA VI. this week, Rockstar has opened up pre-orders for the gameWhich indicates that there is almost no chance of it being postponed again. So audiences who need to upgrade their console to play it will face quite the sticker shock, regardless of whether they decide to go the Xbox or PlayStation route. It’s an increase that will likely make many reconsider whether they want to invest upwards of $600 — and in many cases much more — just to play a single video game. Many will probably just wait it out and hope that things will eventually get cheaper.

There are other problems with GTA VIrelease. At $79.99, it’s more expensive than most games, and there’s some debate about that The physical copy doesn’t actually include a disc. But these are relatively small obstacles that can be a game on a large scale GTA VI He is likely to overcome. On the other hand, rising console costs can have a much greater impact on a game’s success.

Let’s put it this way: GTA V It has sold a staggering 230 million copies to date, spread across PC, PS3, PS4, PS5 and three generations of Xbox. even if GTA VI It’s been bought by everyone who currently owns a PS5 and Xbox Series The PS5 has an installed base of Just over 90 millionwhile It is appreciated Microsoft has sold about 30 million current-generation Xbox consoles. This is not an insignificant number of people, but it is also not a number that is likely to grow much in the future given rising prices. PS5 sales are completely decreasing with the new price.

Things are not likely to change any time soon. In fact, when the latest increases were announced, Microsoft noticed this “Storage and memory prices have increased more than 2.5 times and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027.” While this is almost certain GTA VI It would eventually come to the PC, and even increases in component prices resulted in an expensive gift for anyone looking for a capable device. Just look at the steam valve machine, Which starts at $1,049. If you don’t already have the appropriate device, you can turn on the following device grand theft auto It would be a very expensive proposition.

Even if it doesn’t match the initial success of its predecessor, Who made a billion dollars in just three days, GTA VI It will undoubtedly remain a huge success. There are few things that are actually too big to fail, however GTA VI It may be one of them. These toys also tend to have long tails, as do people Still buying GTA V More than a decade later — so there’s plenty of time to reach a full audience. But the situation around modern video game consoles is dire It still severely limits the number of people who can play the game at launch. It wasn’t just a long wait. It would also be very expensive.