A financial expert has explained how President Donald Trump's global tariffs could have an impact on the price of Grand Theft Auto VI.
On Friday (May 2), Rockstar Games confirmed that the game won't be hitting shelves until next year, following months of speculation from fans.
"Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026," they wrote on Instagram.
"We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.
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"With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.
"We look forward to sharing more information with you soon. Sincerely, Rockstar."
Fans were naturally pretty disappointed at the news, meanwhile others hoped the longer wait would mean the game would be even better than anticipated.
While Rockstar has confirmed a release, fans are still none the wiser over how much the game will cost.
GTA V, which was released in September 2013, was priced at $59.99 for a standard edition on most platforms, $79.99 for a Special Edition, and $150 for an exclusive GameStop edition.
It earned a staggering $800 million in just one day, Variety reported at the time. And it wasn't long until it hit $1 billion in revenue — three days, to be exact.
Now, people are turning their attention to whether recent political developments in the US could impact the price of the upcoming release.
As we know, Trump's war on tariffs is changing by the day, but increased tariffs could impact electronics, imports and costs associated with production and distribution.
If these are heavily impacted, costs could trickle down to consumers.
Rachel Harris, accountant and financial expert told UNILAD: "While it might sound far-fetched that Trump-era tariffs could influence the price of GTA VI, there is some logic behind the speculation.
"Tariffs on Chinese electronics and components, many of which are used in gaming consoles and accessories can lead to higher production and distribution costs globally.
"If hardware costs go up, game publishers may adjust pricing models to protect their profit margins."
One expert has suggested that GTA VI could set people back as much as much as $100.
Michael Pachter, the managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, said: "We think the company has plans to sell the game at a previously unheard of price point, and suspect that management can offer consumers an incentive to pay $100 or more per unit by rewarding them with a large amount of in-game currency to be spent in GTA Online."
Meanwhile, a leaked listing from a Swiss retailer set the pre-order price at $112, although this was later removed.
Topics: Gaming, Grand Theft Auto, Money, Donald Trump
Lucy Devine