- Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said GTA 6 is unlikely to receive a Christmas discount from Rockstar Games.
- During the CNBC interview, Zelnick noted that Rockstar and Take-Two maintained GTA 5’s pricing for a very long time.
- However, retailers and storefronts could still offer holiday discounts on GTA 6 by cutting into their own margins.
If you were hoping to snag GTA 6 at a Christmas discount, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick’s answer might disappoint you. Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Pod, Zelnick discussed GTA 6’s pre-orders and pricing, including whether Rockstar and Take-Two plan to offer a Christmas discount.
Zelnick confirmed that they have no plans to discount GTA 6 during the holiday season.
The Take-Two CEO brought up GTA 5’s success on CNBC, saying, “We [Take-Two/Rockstar] preserved our pricing on Grand Theft Auto 5 for a very long time, much longer than a standard release of an entertainment property.” However, he didn’t entirely rule out a GTA 6 Christmas discount.
Zelnick noted that retailers and storefronts can still offer holiday discounts on GTA 6’s physical edition, as Take-Two cannot control their pricing decisions. But if retailers cut GTA 6’s $80 price tag for Christmas, they would be sacrificing their own margins rather than Rockstar’s or Take-Two’s.
This might seem like a Christmas discount for GTA 6 could definitely be on the horizon, but don’t hold your breath. Zelnick further stated, “There are certain situations where certain retailers will price down to drive demand for other things they sell, so I can’t tell you what will happen.”
In the same CNBC interview, Zelnick confirmed that fans are pre-ordering GTA 6’s $100 Ultimate Edition more than the $80 Standard Edition. Contributing to the factor is GTA 6’s ‘astronomical’ and ‘unprecedented’ pre-order sales, as stated by the Take-Two CEO in the August 7 earnings call.
With GTA 6 sticking to its November 19, 2026, release date, a Christmas discount would mean cutting the price just over a month after launch. That’s not how Rockstar typically handles its pricing. Even years after release, its games rarely see significant discounts outside major sales events.
Many players were hoping they would get a GTA 6 physical edition release with a disc at Christmas, but since the Take-Two CEO has also backed Rockstar’s decision to go digital, players can bid that opportunity goodbye.
