PS5 Pro Hits $900 and Is Still Climbing

There are 74 days left until GTA 6 launches. Yet these past few days, the whole internet hasn't been arguing about the game itself, but about something else — how much it will cost to actually play it.

The PS5 Pro has already climbed to around $900 (about RMB 6,400), while Xbox's 512GB model went up by $100 and the 1TB model by $150. Veteran players can only smile bitterly: this isn't buying a game, it's buying a ticket. Even more absurd is that the ticket may not even be available.

On September 5, VGC reporter Andy Robinson revealed that Rockstar is considering adjusting GTA 6's release strategy, with the PC version possibly launching earlier than expected. The reason: the steep price hikes on PS5 and Xbox, combined with supply shortages, have crushed players' willingness to buy a console.

PC gamers instantly celebrated, while console gamers were left devastated. Remember, the game launches on November 19, with a $79.99 standard edition and a $99.99 ultimate edition — about RMB 540 to 675 — and the physical disc is just a download code: you can't lend it, sell it, or resell it. By Rockstar's old habits, GTA V's PC version only followed 19 months after the console release, and Red Dead Redemption 2 made players wait about a year. At that pace, the PC version would have been pushed to late 2027 or even 2028. Now there's word it might come early — how could that not blow up?

First, let's be clear about why this game deserves to be called a “console-selling masterpiece.” On August 28, GTA 6's 26-minute gameplay demonstration premiered on Netflix, racking up over 30 million views in a few days. Peak concurrent viewership across streaming platforms hit 3.97 million, with 9,038 streamers broadcasting it simultaneously — stomping every game showcase this year. Nielsen IQ's UK data is even wilder: in the week the demo went live, UK PS5 sales jumped 33% and Xbox 34%. Yet just last month, Circana reported that US hardware sales fell 29% year-over-year. Players grumble about prices, but their wallets are remarkably honest.

The higher prices go, the more it sells — but manufacturers are more anxious than players. On September 3, IT Home reported that Sony holds a “PS5 Pro Enhanced” certification standard and is pressuring Rockstar, subtly and not-so-subtly: to earn that badge, you'll need to improve resolution, frame rate, or ray tracing. Digital Foundry has analyzed that on the base PS5, GTA 6 runs at native 1440p upscaled to 4K, and even a stable 30fps is uncertain. Gamersky's comment section blew up: “30fps is like going back to the PS4 era” and “It's 2026, I really don't want to play at 30fps again.” Others fired back: “You think cutting some graphics gives you 60fps? Sure thing.”

The most frustrated are Chinese players. 17173 republished an IGN report: the Chinese version of the demo Rockstar uploaded to Bilibili was censored — the nightclub scenes blurred into a mass of purple, and the smoking hand, beach crowds, and corpse close-ups were all processed. Sharp-eyed players noticed the video was quietly swapped around August 31, and those who re-uploaded the uncensored version even received DMCA warnings. The game hasn't even launched, and they've already been hit with “differential treatment.”

Why this game, of all games? Because GTA 6 is the only nuclear bomb this year that can get players to shell out for a console. Newzoo predicts this single title alone could push the global share of “full game spending” up to 17.5%. Sony and Microsoft are both counting on it to drive sales, but as hardware keeps getting pricier, it's scaring a flood of people back to PC. Rockstar considering an earlier PC release now looks like it's caring for players, but really it's hedging both ways — if consoles don't sell, it makes up volume on PC. Even more alarming is that the industry is already whispering the next-gen PS6 could break $1,000 (about RMB 6,710). The console price curve has no end in sight.

But I'd tell the PC crowd not to pop the champagne yet. Rockstar has never officially announced a PC version; the leak is just “internal consideration.” Former producer John Ricchio has said the company's resources always prioritize consoles, and Rockstar itself remembers the scar from GTA IV's disastrous PC port. Even if it does come early, being able to play in 2027 would already be a blessing.

Honestly, the hardest hit in this price war are ordinary players. If you want it at launch, you'll have to swallow nearly a thousand dollars of console markup; if you want to save money, you'll have to wait two years and dodge two years of spoilers. Why? Just because it's GTA 6. I understand Rockstar's calculation, but I can't endorse this kind of probing-the-limits pricing — players aren't chives to be harvested, and patience runs out.

So, will you grit your teeth and buy a console for GTA 6, or keep being part of the wait-and-see crowd? Pick a side in the Gghubs comments — and while you're at it, tell us the maximum console price you could accept.