Rockstar Denies the $1.5 Billion GTA 6 Budget Rumor

Rockstar denies that the GTA 6 budget passed US$1.5 billion. IGN attributes the denial to head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe; GameSpot says only “Rockstar”. Both are write-ups of Bloomberg’s 14 October 2026 making-of feature by Jason Schreier Reported. Bloomberg’s own estimate is that the game cost more than US$1 billion Estimate. Rockstar has not published a development cost.

Reported Bloomberg making-of coverage; Rockstar still has not published an official development cost

For months, players used a US$1.5 billion figure as shorthand for why GTA 6 took so long. The denial removes that number without supplying an official one to replace it.

A Denial and an Estimate, Not a Price Tag

Two numbers now sit side by side. Bloomberg puts the cost at more than US$1 billion Estimate. Rockstar only denies that it passed US$1.5 billion Reported. IGN names Jennifer Kolbe as the person who made the denial; GameSpot credits Rockstar without a name. IGN traces the Burj Khalifa comparison behind the rumour to a July 2025 Gulf News article Reported. Both can be true at once: a figure between US$1 billion and US$1.5 billion fits each line, but neither is a studio invoice.

What the Making-Of Coverage Gives Players Instead

• No official GTA 6 budget figure came with the denial.
• Rockstar’s headcount grew from 2,441 in 2018 to 4,711 across 12 offices as of August 2026. These are Rockstar’s figures, reported via Bloomberg on 14 October Reported. GamesRadar+ says 11 studios, so the office count is not settled.
• Rob Nelson, Aaron Garbut and Phil Hooker share the head-of-development title, per Leonida Hub’s write-up Reported. IGN calls Hooker and Garbut co-heads of development Reported.
• IGN, citing Bloomberg, says some predict 40 million sales and US$3 billion in revenue in the first four months. These are outside forecasts, not Rockstar figures Reported.
• Bloomberg expects the online part in 2027. That is Bloomberg’s estimate, not a Rockstar date Estimate.

When Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped, Rockstar had 2,441 staff. Nearly doubling that to 4,711 says more about why GTA 6 took years than any rumoured price tag did. Until Rockstar puts an actual figure on the table, the full making-of report and the headcount are the best guides to the project’s scale. Our Bloomberg explainer tracks each claim.

Earlier on GTA6Now: GTA 6 leak tracker and Tribunal filing: Rockstar treated a 32-player online format as a secret.