Are the rising video game prices buying us?

As video game prices increase, we must consider what the extra cost will do for the industry and those in it.

By Jake Boyette

In April, Nintendo presented their Nintendo Direct which showed a closer look at the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2, announcing all the new games and features it offered. However, to the fans’ disappointment, Nintendo also announced that digital games like their flagship title “Mario Kart Worlds” for $80, while the physical edition of games will be $90. 

This price increase comes as a surprise, as games have relatively stayed at the $60 to $70 range. However, there has been talk from the gaming industry for a while that games should cost more, like the Former PlayStation CEO explaining how there should have been a baked-in $5 price increase every generation to make gamers more comfortable with rising videogame costs, according to MP1st. 

Looking at how big the industry has gotten, how much more expansive the industry has become, and how big games are now, it should be expected and welcomed that the games get more expensive for how much more we are getting. However, these rising costs should go to the people who made the games we love, but that is not the case. 

Gamers have enjoyed the $60 games for over 20 years when $60 was equivalent to almost $147. As the value of the dollar decreased, it just became easier and easier to buy the latest game, according to Bloomberg. For instance the wildly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 is rumored to cost $100. 

It makes sense why the price of games have increased, but from a consumer standpoint, even when prices increased to $70, it feels like money is being sucked from our pockets for greed.  

The biggest reason games are becoming more expensive is that the size of games is getting bigger, not just in their download size, but in their development cycles and length. Fans have been waiting since 2013 for GTA 6, with average development times for AAA titles being three to seven years, according to Jeugo Studios. 

This begs the question of why make bigger games? The biggest reason is that spending time creating many smaller games isn’t worth the investment, as bigger games can pull in a massive profit. 

“Now, people decided that there is so much noise at the bottom, they decided to make 200 million dollar games, and try to double or triple their profit rather than try to promote hundreds of 1 million dollar games.”said Lead Producer and Game Designer of multiple studios, John Williamson, told The Ledger. 

This also explains another reason why games are so expensive, with increasing advertisement costs. Games like “Cyberpunk 2077” spent $142 million on marketing while their development costs were $174 million, according to Techspot. It isn’t enough to make a game and ship it, but to also make it the main topic of conversation. 

However, this comes at a detriment to the larger video game industry. Indie games have to share the landscape, and with smaller teams and budgets, the marketing from AAA companies stifles the ability for indie developers to be seen. 

Games like “Gloomwood” compete with “Cyberpunk 2077” for space, and in 2022. “Gloomwood” released a day earlier, fearing that the announcement for Cyberpunk’s new DLC would overshadow them, according to Gamepressure. 

“Though it might not be a major factor, it is very possible that the humungous and ever-expanding indie space is eating up some of the money that normally would go to these bigger companies, making them feel the need to raise prices and focus on bigger experiences that indie studios are incapable of,” said Robbie Allen UWT game developers club member. 

These massive budgets harm the AAA industry. As games shoot for that doubling, or tripling of profit, some games and game studios don’t make the cut.  

Legendary game studio Monolith Productions was shut down by its parent company Warner Brothers on February 25, 2025, due to multiple million-dollar games that failed and Monolith’s struggle with another million-dollar Wonder Woman game. 

Arkane Studios, which developed the highly praised “Dishonored” series also closed it’s doors. It’s terrible seeing great studios close, with their teams being disbanded with it. Former president at Arkane Studios lament the closing, as he feels that special group of people could make something cool again, according to IGN. 

Closing studios seems odd, as the publishers could sell the studio, allowing the development team to continue making games together. However, closing allows publishers to keep the studio’s IPs, according to TheGamer. These IPs include the whole brand of different game series, allowing the publishers to use any of them as they please, including not using them at all. If they aren’t making any money off it, then no one will. 

“If people aren’t taking chances, and they are making safe games with licensed IP, we suffer because there is no innovation,” Said Williamson, “Copyright is essentially forever, which is why you see stagnation in videogames, movies, and books. Harry Potter was a wonderful book, but because of the copyright, it will stifle creativity for generations.” 

When talking about expenses in the gaming industry, there is a group of people who’ve been in this story who haven’t been talked about enough. The actual game developers who make the games are another expense. 

Over half of game developers reported to UniGlobalUnion that they were underpaid, with 43% of developers also reporting being excessively worked. As development gets bigger, and more developers are hired, there isn’t much evidence to support that pay raises to developers have also increased. 

This happens because game development is passion industry, built with people who are passionate about what they are making, and being able to express themselves creatively. This can be used against them, as some developers become so focused on their craft that they overwork themselves. 

There is also the compulsory crunch times, described as a death march as developers work overtime, usually without pay, according to The Washington Post. They work mercilessly to meet deadlines that leave developers with serious physical and mental issues, according to Game Developer. 

This doesn’t mention temporary workers, which is estimated to be 10% to 15% in the game development cycle, according to Polygon. These workers experience the same issues that full-time employees do, but with less pay, benefits, and they aren’t usually credited. 

Despite all the issues that game developers face, there is no evidence that shows that game developers get equal raises to the rising prices of video games.  

The real cost of increased game pricing is that it isn’t going to make better games, and it’s not going to pay its developers more. It’s adjusting to the increased customer base and sales that have allowed the gaming industry to make over $300 billion and are expected to make over half a trillion in 2028, according to Help Lama. 

This makes the gaming industry feel entirely over-bloated, and near another crash like the 1983 video game crash. There are already worries about the 2022-2025 industry layoffs, with nearly 17,000 people laid off, and more expected to be laid off according to App 2 Top. 

Don’t get hung up on AAA video games as they will get more expensive, and it’s inevitable.  

It’s where the money is going that we should pay attention to. It isn’t going to the developers who make the games, it’s going to larger, longer development cycles, which will pay for even more advertising and be the same IPs we’ve seen for decades. 

There is hope in the industry as a majority of game developers are pro-union, according to Game Developer, with game development unions like Game Workers Unite with over 1000 members. These Unions aren’t nearly as strong as other creative industry unions, but the more that developers can organize for their rights, the better they can be treated by the companies that hire them. 

The games industry should be more honest about where the money is going, rather than just surprising us with higher costs. 

For us as consumers, we have to support the developers as much as possible. Whether that means supporting indie developers who are exploring new genres and ideas, or supporting game developer unions by way of donating, or just buying fewer games, we have power over where we spend our money.