Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick recently spoke about possible Christmas discounts, among other things, on Grand Theft Auto 6 during a televised interview. It’s worth noting that, aside from this kernel of insight into possible holiday plans for GTA 6, Zelnick stuck to most talking points that fans are certainly already aware of.
He reiterated that GTA 6 pre-orders were exceptional, that he believes Rockstar will exceed expectations, that the $100 edition has received the most pre-orders so far, and that the GTA 6: Extended Look on Netflix will be worth watching. Indeed, these have been his main talking points over the past few days, and for those looking to pick the game up day one on November 19, this information only reinforces that. Anyone who may want to wait for a sale, however, may unsurprisingly be waiting for a while.
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GTA Won’t Receive Discounts Directly From Rockstar/Take-Two
Zelnick discussed GTA 6 during a televised interview appearance on CNBC, where a host asked about holiday discount plans or if there would be any. Zelnick did not rule out the possibility entirely, but he made it very clear that the discount would not be coming from Rockstar or Take-Two itself. He explained that what retailers do is out of his control, noting that any discount given would come out of their margin of profit on GTA 6, but that the two companies intend to preserve the price of GTA 6 for a long time. Specifically, he said,
“We obviously established our pricing, and storefronts can do what they wish. We don’t have any ability to control, so if they reduce the price, they are reducing their margin on the sale. There are certain situations where certain retailers will price down to drive demand for other things they sell, so I can’t tell what will happen. What I can tell you is that we preserved our pricing on Grand Theft Auto 5 for a long time, much longer than the standard release of an entertainment product.”
Zelnick’s remarks bring to mind comments on Nintendo and why it never discounts games. In short, Nintendo believes its games are “the best” and a result of “Kyoto craftmanship,” a local belief that the company overdelivers the initial asking price and therefore it becomes a “fair price” always. It’s a belief in the quality of the game, regardless of if it’s 5 years old or 10 years old, although discounts can rarely happen. Given that Zelnick believes Rockstar overdelivers on GTA 6, it’ll be interesting to see if its pricing is preserved for as long as GTA 5.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
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Permadeath
Start
Scratch to reveal
Low reveal = bigger bonus
Restart
Reveal
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After all, there’s much more than the initial release of Grand Theft Auto 6 to consider. Details are scarce and essentially non-existent, but Take-Two wanting to launch a Grand Theft Auto 6 Online sometime after the core game should surprise no one. Depending on how it’s packaged, that could go a long way in supporting the price preservation and demand of the game as well.
Ultimately, it all remains to be seen. What cannot be ignored here, when discussing GTA 6’s price and release date, is the ongoing economic strain. Many households are struggling with necessities, not just entertainment products, so it remains to be seen how that impacts Grand Theft Auto 6, if at all. That said, there’s a very good chance that, for many households, it is the only and only gift planned for the holiday season—fingers crossed that Rockstar craftsmanship rings true at release and this holiday season.
Released
November 19, 2026
ESRB
Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
