Take-Two, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto 6, held an earnings call on Thursday — and boy, was it full of news. After reaffirming GTA 6‘s planned Nov. 19 release date, Take-Two spent much of the call boasting about how much cash the Grand Theft Auto franchise rakes in. Even without specific figures, you probably already assumed GTA games are moneymakers. Take-Two also explained where that profit actually comes from — and the info might shift your expectation for what GTA 6‘s monetization could look like.
According to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, sales of Grand Theft Auto 5 are still going strong even 13 years later: GTA 5 has sold 225 million copies, Zelnick said. Consumer spending grew overall for all of Take-Two’s big properties, and about 27% of that growth came from GTA Online specifically. Some of that growth undoubtedly comes from the GTA Online microtransactions that players use to buy in-game cars and properties. A notable portion of those proceeds, however, come from subscriptions.
“GTA+ continues to thrive, with membership levels nearly doubling over the same period last year,” Zelnick said.
To think people were skeptical of the subscription announcement back in 2022! At the time, most people hoped that the service wouldn’t be embraced. Later on, the consensus around the GTA+ service was that it was skippable, if not useless. “Don’t buy this slop you’ll make these same rewards in no time even as a casual player,” one GTA Online fan wrote in 2025.
So far, it seems like the release of GTA 6 won’t prevent continued support of GTA Online. Rockstar has already announced some exciting partnerships for the quasi-MMO that make it sound like the multiplayer game might get a big upgrade once GTA 6 rolls around.
As Fortnite recently taught us, though, the line can’t go up forever. Even the most popular games decline over time. Take-Two CFO Lainie Goldstein said as much during the earnings call, where she revealed that the publisher expects a minor decline in consumer spending across Take-Two’s portfolio, which includes GTA Online.
So if Take-Two believes that GTA Online is about to be less profitable, where will the money come from? GTA 6 sales, sure. That’s a one-time charge, though. Zelnick’s previous comments also imply that GTA 6 will be priced modestly (no matter what the analysts suggest). It brings me no joy to ask this, but how is Take-Two going to provide ongoing Shareholder Value when it comes to GTA 6?
Perhaps I am reading too much into Take-Two president Karl Slatoff’s description of the company’s strategy for NBA 2K. Slatoff emphasized the importance of making a good product, yes. If Take-Two succeeds at that, Slatoff says, it ensures a “a higher installed base of folks” with “higher engagement” that “ultimately leads to higher monetization.” He’s referring, here, to people who have already bought the game. Presumably, Take-Two will also want to accrue “higher monetization” from GTA 6‘s install base as well.
What works for one game won’t necessarily work for another, obviously. Maybe there are no plans for some type of GTA 6 subscription. That doesn’t preclude the existing service from including a GTA 6-related perk. Why, it’s a perfect opportunity to raise prices or introduce tiers!
Zelnick says that Take-Two aims to be “selective and disciplined” when pursuing growth opportunities. A game-specific subscription could potentially tarnish GTA 6’s reputation. Ultimately, the question is: Why would Take-Two leave money on the table if, historically, it knows people are willing to pay for a subscription regardless of its quality?
“Are we just going to sit back and relax as we head into the release of GTA 6?” Zelnick asked while addressing an investor on the call. “I think the opposite is true. You’re talking to a team that you’ve known for 17 years. We’re in the business of eating red meat for breakfast. I think we’ll be having a lot more red meat in the coming months.”
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