- Take-Two Interactive and 2K Games have announced a $49.99 price tag and August release date for Mafia: The Old Country
- It comes amid Nintendo and Microsoft’s moves towards $80 games
- This raises questions over Grand Theft Auto 6‘s price when it launches in 2026
While Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated title, Grand Theft Auto 6, is on the radar of most gamers with its recent delay announcement and trailer release, another title that is also under Take-Two Interactive’s umbrella finally has a release date – and its more affordable price tag may come as a surprise.
It has been revealed that Mafia: The Old Country will launch on August 8, 2025, and is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC. It will launch with a Standard Edition that comes in at $49.99 and a Deluxe Edition for $59.99, both of which are available for pre-order now.
This comes after Nintendo and Microsoft began raising the prices of some games to the $80 mark. It’s worth noting that the new game prices for Microsoft won’t come into effect until the start of this Holiday season, and we’re still waiting to see whether Sony follows suit.
However, the $49.99 price tag for Mafia: The Old Country appears to be much less about Take-Two Interactive and 2K Games not following the $80 trend, and more about the game’s shorter length and linear presentation. 2K president David Ismailer, said: “We think there’s a large audience for compelling stories that don’t require massive time commitments,” which hints at The Old Country having a short runtime.
Borderlands 4 also launches a month after, on September 12, but there isn’t any pre-order or price information on that title yet. There’s no doubt that the upcoming Mafia game’s price will have gamers wondering what this means for the looter-shooter and GTA 6.
Take-Two Interactive has the opportunity to embarass Nintendo, Microsoft, and any other company charging $80, but I don’t think it will…
To say I detest $80, even $70 game prices, is an understatement and it’s been sad to see Nintendo and Microsoft kickstart the trend. It’s only a matter of time until Sony joins the party and for the large majority of game publishers to follow.
I’m desperately hoping Take-Two Interactive don’t budge but it seems unlikely. Gamers have been waiting for GTA 6 for twelve years, going on thirteen now due to its 2026 delay – and it’s safe to say that a large majority of gamers are willing to pay over $80 for it.
Considering the rumors of the game’s $2 billion budget, a higher price tag might be justified but if Take-Two Interactive were to charge $70 (or even lower) for the highly anticipated title, it would reflect poorly on Microsoft and Nintendo and help it fly off the shelves and smash even more records than it already likely will.
The reasoning is simple – it’s GTA 6, arguably the most anticipated game of all-time. Rockstar Games is in a league of its own when it comes to size, scope, and attention to detail and if I were going to choose between Mario Kart World at $80 and GTA 6 with the latter being cheaper, it’s an easy decision.
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