Rockstar Games has pushed back on the viral rumor that GTA 6 cost more than $1.5 billion to develop, with head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe telling Bloomberg the eye-watering figure is wrong. Even so, the game is still widely considered the most expensive video game of all time.
The rumor compared GTA 6’s budget to the cost of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa — said to have cost $1.5 billion — and claimed the game had blown past it. Kolbe denied that, though she stopped short of confirming the game’s actual budget.
(Credits: IGN)
Where the $2 Billion Rumor Came From
The speculation appears to trace back to a July 2025 Gulf News article, which claimed that while “Dubai’s landmark is said to have cost $1.5 billion,” the game was “thought to have a $2 billion budget.” Earlier this year, Business Insider floated a $1-1.5 billion estimate based on industry analyst projections, in an interview where Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick refused to name a number but admitted the project “was expensive.”
Kolbe’s denial puts a ceiling of $1.5 billion on the official story — but industry watchers note that even the lower estimates dwarf anything else in gaming history.
Nothing Else Comes Close
The closest rival is space sim Star Citizen, whose ongoing crowdfunding has pushed its budget past $1 billion through continued sales of virtual spaceships. Beyond that, the gap is enormous: Activision pumped $700 million into Black Ops Cold War over its lifecycle, Bungie’s recent extraction shooter reportedly cost over $250 million, and leaked Xbox court documents revealed The Last of Us Part II and Horizon Forbidden West each cost more than $200 million.
GTA 6 clearly surpasses them all, and with anticipation at a fever pitch, Rockstar is betting that the biggest budget in gaming history will produce the biggest launch in gaming history.
Also Read: Rockstar Says You Won’t Have to Wait Another 8 Years After GTA 6 for Its Next Game | Ubisoft Cuts 70 Staff From Skull and Bones Dev, Shuts Down Trials Studio RedLynx
Source: IGN — read the full story there.