Rockstar denies GTA 6 cost over $1.5 billion, gives no figure
Rockstar publishing head Jennifer Kolbe rejected a rumour that GTA 6 cost over $1.5 billion, according to Bloomberg. She gave no real figure, and Rockstar has never published one.
By GTA 6 Everything Editorial · · 1 min read
Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar’s head of publishing, has rejected a rumour that Grand Theft Auto VI cost more than $1.5 billion to make. The denial is in Jason Schreier’s Bloomberg feature on the game’s development, published on October 14, 2026. The feature is behind a paywall, but IGN and GamesRadar+ both report the denial. Kolbe did not say what the game actually cost.
The rumour compared the game with Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, a tower that reportedly cost about $1.5 billion to build. IGN traces it to a July 2025 Gulf News article, which suggested a $2 billion budget. GamesRadar+ also points to an August 2025 estimate from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, who expected costs to pass $1.5 billion. None of these numbers came from Rockstar or Take-Two.
Kolbe’s answer sets a ceiling, not a number. Any cost under $1.5 billion fits it. Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has ever published a budget for the game.
IGN still calls GTA 6 probably the most expensive game ever made. It points to the staff growth in Bloomberg’s report: Rockstar had 2,441 employees when Red Dead Redemption 2 launched in 2018, and has 4,711 today across 12 offices. Schreier also describes the game as more than eight years in the making. The ranking is a judgement by outlets, not a figure from Rockstar, so treat it as likely rather than confirmed.
GTA VI is due on November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Sources and verification
- The Making of Grand Theft Auto VI, Bloomberg (14 October 2026)
- Rockstar Pushes Back on Rumor GTA 6 Cost More Than $1.5 Billion to Make, but It’s Still Probably the Most Expensive Video Game of All Time, IGN (14 October 2026)
- Rockstar still won’t reveal the cost of GTA 6 development, but it’s definitely not the previously rumored $1.5 billion, GamesRadar+ (14 October 2026)
- Jason Schreier on Bluesky: announcing the Bloomberg GTA VI feature, Bluesky (Jason Schreier, Bloomberg) (14 October 2026)
- Analyst says "I expect a $100 price point" for GTA 6, estimates Rockstar’s development cost is over $1.5 billion, GamesRadar+ (4 August 2025)
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