Gamers worldwide are rejoicing at the news that a sixth instalment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is set to drop in 2025, a massive 12 years after the release of the last entry.
Reports have surfaced claiming Rockstar Games invested around $2 billion (£1.6bn) in developing and branding the game. If these reports prove accurate, Grand Theft Auto VI would automatically become the most expensive game in history, adding to the already sky-high anticipation. However, exceeding Hollywood blockbuster budgets is an increasingly common practice in the video game industry.
Read on to uncover the staggering costs of some of your favourite video games, ranked from least to most expensive. Pre-2023 releases have been adjusted for inflation to give you an idea of their cost in today's money. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Konami's hit stealth game, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, dropped in 2015.
No expense was spared on the action-adventure saga, which had an estimated budget of $80 million — approximately $105 million (£82.6m) when adjusted for inflation.
Praised for its fluid gameplay and engaging storyline, the game has sold around six million units and is regarded as one of the best in the Metal Gear franchise.
CD Projekt's third entry in the hit Witcher franchise, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, was released in 2015.
The action-packed role-playing game boasted an estimated budget of $81 million, or around $107 million (£85m) in today's money. The hefty investment paid off, with the game widely acclaimed for its combat gameplay, cutting-edge graphics, and immersive fantasy world-building.
To date, it's sold a remarkable 50 million units worldwide, solidifying its status as the best-selling game in the entire franchise.
Developed by DICE, the first-person shooter Battlefield 4 debuted in 2013.
The action-packed game reportedly cost around $100 million to develop, the equivalent of around $134 million (£107m) in 2024 money.
Praised for its impressive graphics and engaging multiplayer mode, the game reportedly had over seven million players by May 2014.
Marvel's foul-mouthed superhero Deadpool received his very own video game adaptation in 2013.
The third-person fighter game, packed full of Deadpool's signature R-rated humour, boasted an estimated budget of $100 million, or $134 million (£107m) in today's money. But its developers, High Moon, reportedly splurged a massive chunk of the budget on a marketing campaign – a decision that backfired spectacularly.
The focus on marketing rather than production value resulted in Deadpool receiving lukewarm reviews, and it reportedly grossed a pitiful $11 million (£9m).
Another Rockstar gem to feature in our round-up is Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010.
This Western saga is estimated to have cost between $80 and $100 million to develop, the equivalent of $114 million (£90m) to $142 million (£113m) today. Renowned for its immersive gameplay, including a gripping storyline and stunning graphics, it earned both critical acclaim and commercial success upon its release.
Solidifying its status as one of the best-selling video games of all time, Rockstar reported in 2021 that the hit title had sold 23 million copies worldwide.
Max Payne 3, the third instalment of Rockstar's gritty crime noir franchise, hit shelves in 2012 following a painful three-year delay. It proved to be worth the wait, earning rave reviews. This success was partly attributed to the hefty $105 million invested in its development, a sum equivalent to around $143 million (£113m) today.
But despite boasting a blockbuster budget and debuting to much acclaim, the game has only shifted around four million units to date, which is underwhelming compared to some of the other games featured in our round-up.
The fourth instalment of Rockstar's formidable Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series hit the gaming scene in 2008.
With an estimated budget of $100 million, the equivalent of $146 million (£116m) in today's money, a substantial portion was allocated to crafting the graphics of Liberty City, meticulously designed to mirror New York City.
The game achieved a record-breaking debut, selling over six million copies in its first week alone, a new sales record for any entertainment format, including films. As of 2023, its sales have soared to a staggering 25 million copies, solidifying GTA IV's status as a timeless classic in the gaming world.
Developed by CD Projekt, the sci-fi RPG game Cyberpunk 2077 dropped in 2020.
The game, praised for its immersive open-world setting and cutting-edge graphics, is estimated to have cost around $125 million to create. In today's money, that's around $149 million (£119m).
Although Cyberpunk 2077 received some backlash for performance glitches, it's proved a roaring success, with 25 million units sold to date.
The classic Tomb Raider video game franchise underwent a reboot in 2013, with the second entry in the new saga, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, debuting in 2018.
The game boasted a substantial budget, estimated to be between $75 million and $125 million. In today's money, that's between $93 million (£74m) and $155 million (£124m).
The Tomb Raider franchise is one of the most successful in gaming history, having shifted around 95 million copies worldwide since its launch in the mid-90s.
The original Dead Space hit shelves in 2008, with a hotly anticipated remake dropping earlier this year. It's estimated the reboot cost between $120 million (£96m) and $160 million (£127m) to create.
The survival horror game debuted to positive reviews, with critics and players praising everything from the impressive graphics and redesign to the tense pacing.
Bungie and Activision's ambitious sci-fi game Destiny debuted to rave reviews in 2014.
The online multiplayer first-person shooter game boasted an estimated budget of $140 million – $184 million (£147m) in today's money – with much of the cost attributable to the visually stunning and immersive worldbuilding and storytelling.
The game sold an incredible 10 million units on its first day of release, resulting in revenues of $500 million (£398m). Unsurprisingly, a follow-up to the hit game dropped in 2017, though both its production budget and revenues were much lower.
The action role-playing sequel, Horizon Forbidden West, dropped in 2022, five years after the first entry in the saga.
Developers Guerrilla Games reportedly hired a team of 300 people to develop the game and splurged $212 million on its creation, the equivalent of around $232 million (£185m) in today's money.
The game, which is exclusive to PlayStation, has sold around 8.4 million copies to date and is set for the big-budget TV series treatment courtesy of Netflix.
Square Enix released its groundbreaking roleplaying game Final Fantasy VII back in 1997. No expense was spared in its development, and it boasted cutting-edge graphics and character models for the time, coupled with a gripping storyline that had gamers hooked.
Fast forward to today, and Final Fantasy VII is regarded as a classic, having sold over 14.1 million units to date. In fact, the game is so beloved that a remake featuring more up-to-date graphics hit shelves in 2020.
As for the total budget, it's estimated that Square Enix splurged between $114 million and $127 million, which works out at a staggering $221 million (£175m) to $246 million (£195m) in today's money.
Developed by Naughty Dog, the follow-up to the blockbuster game The Last of Us was released in 2020 following a lengthy seven-year wait for fans of the franchise.
The zombie-apocalypse survival game reportedly had a budget of $220 million, around $262 million (£209m) in today's money.
The considerable investment proved fruitful, with the game selling 10 million units as of 2022. In fact, the gaming franchise is so popular that a small-screen adaptation starring Pedro Pascal aired on HBO in early 2023.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, a collaboration between BioWare and LucasArts, holds the title for the most expensive multiplayer online role-playing game. Its estimated development cost is an eye-watering $200 million, the equivalent of $279 million (£222m) today.
The hefty budget paid off. The game achieved widespread acclaim for its immersive Star Wars universe, engaging storyline, and intense player-versus-player combat mode.
A commercial success too, the game sold two million units within a year of its release. By 2019, it had grossed over $1 billion (£795m) in sales.
In 2013, the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto V made its debut following a lengthy five-year development period. The estimated budget for the open-world crime game reached a colossal $265 million, or $354 million (£282m) in today's money. This risky investment yielded great returns, with the game grossing an incredible $1 billion (£795m) within three days of its release.
To date, the game has sold around 185 million units and grossed a jaw-dropping $7.7 billion (£6bn), with the impressive graphics and detailed world still impressing players a decade after its release.
Infinity Ward and Activision unveiled their landmark game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, in 2009.
The first-person shooter boasted a staggering estimated budget of $250 million, a whopping $364 million (£290m) in today's money, and featured cutting-edge graphics and pulse-racing gameplay that left gamers craving more.
Allocating such an enormous budget can be a major risk, but in this case, it paid off. By 2010, the game had achieved an incredible $1 billion in (£795m) retail sales.
We've already covered Red Dead Redemption, but what about its 2018 follow-up, Red Dead Redemption 2? As a prequel to the original game, this open-world Western captivated players with its stunning visuals, compelling storyline, and multiplayer mode.
Sources differ on the game's budget, with estimates ranging from $137 million to an eye-watering $540 million when accounting for factors such as marketing. In 2024 money, that's between $170 million (£135m) and $670 million (£533m).
Regardless of the cost, the investment seriously paid off for Rockstar, and the game has sold an incredible 57 million copies to date.
As we've mentioned, the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI boasts a reported budget of around $2 billion (£1.6bn). This not only positions GTA VI as the most expensive video game ever but also as the largest-budget project across all entertainment sectors, surpassing blockbusters such as Avatar and the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
The stunning cost is attributed to hyper-realistic graphics and the expansive open-world setting of Leonida, which is based on Florida.
Considering the GTA franchise has sold 405 million units to date, it's likely Rockstar will easily recoup its investment when the game finally launches in 2025. Revenues loading...
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