Development of GTA 6 cost «to $2 billion», but the game will pay off in the first year with $3.2 billion in revenue, — Financial Times

GTA 6 to rake in more in its first year than the highest-grossing film of all time.

A new Financial Times report, based on analysis by video game research group DFC Intelligence, predicts that GTA 6 will earn $3.2 billion in total revenue in its first year post-launch, with about a billion coming from pre-orders alone (back in 2013, it took Grand Theft Auto 5 just three days to surpass $1 billion in sales — the fastest ever at the time).

For comparison, the highest-grossing movie of 2024, “Inside Out 2” pulled in about $1.7 billion in global box office, while the “richest” film in history, “Avatar,” earned $2.8 billion.

The anticipated revenue is set against similarly colossal development costs, which Financial Times estimates to be “from hundreds of millions to two billion dollars”.

Rockstar’s game is expected to not only be the biggest entertainment launch of 2025 but also significantly “revitalize” the video game industry, where more than 33,000 people have been laid off since 2022. And, since GTA 6 will be available only on consoles, both PlayStation and Xbox are definitely going to score big here.

The exact release date for GTA 6 is still unknown, but it’s still regularly predicted to be pushed back to 2026.

Remember, previous reports have indicated that most major publishers are playing the waiting game and not announcing their own release dates, as they await the official announcement of GTA 6 (just a hint about the game’s delay from fall 2025 could lead to a flurry of releases at the same time). Also, it was noted that Rockstar’s top management asked GTA 6 scriptwriters not to target transgenders and other minorities, meaning the upcoming game will differ from its predecessor GTA 5 and will not include thematic jokes.