GTA VI Turns Out to Be More Expensive Than the Burj Khalifa: More Than $2 Billion Spent on the Game’s Development

The development of the long-awaited GTA VI is already being compared not only with the biggest projects in the gaming industry, but also with the most ambitious construction projects in human history. According to analysts, the total budget of the new Grand Theft Auto installment could exceed 2 billion dollars — more than the cost of building the famous Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai.

For comparison: construction of the tallest building in the world, standing 828 meters tall, cost about 1.5 billion dollars and took around six years. By various estimates, creating GTA VI took more than 12 years from the start of project preparation and more than ten years after the release of GTA V.

Although Rockstar Games has never officially disclosed the game’s budget, many analysts believe that, taking into account years of development, the work of thousands of employees around the world, the creation of new technologies, a huge map, detailed graphics and a large-scale marketing campaign, the final costs could indeed approach the 2 billion dollar mark. If this estimate is confirmed, GTA VI will become the most expensive entertainment product in history.

The game set another record even before its release. Rockstar Games has opened pre-orders for GTA VI at a price of 79.99 dollars for the standard edition and 99.99 dollars for the Ultimate Edition. This is one of the highest starting price tags for a major game release in recent years. Customers who pre-order will receive additional in-game bonuses, while owners of the enhanced edition will get exclusive content and a number of advantages in online mode.

GTA VI is expected to be released on November 19, 2026. Analysts predict record sales and billions of dollars in revenue within the first weeks after launch. According to experts, the game could become the biggest entertainment release of the decade and recoup years of investment in the shortest possible time.

While engineers spent six years building the Burj Khalifa, Rockstar spent more than ten years creating its virtual world. And if the budget estimates turn out to be accurate, GTA VI will go down in history not only as one of the most anticipated games, but also as one of the most expensive projects ever created by humankind.