The price of video games has barely risen in 20 years. That may change soon

It was a stressful time full of concern How much product will cost? In the next few months – Especially the technology.

Within the Trump administration’s tariffs and now “Mutual Tariffs” suspensionyou may have whipped out trying to chase. But if you’re a gamer, the unfortunate truth emerges from the dissonance of the news. Regardless of what the customs situation is, you can expect to pay more for your hobby.

Nintendo Switch 2 has been announced Last week’s console and some of its games are priced higher than people are used to: $80 digital, $90 physically. But should prices rise really be unexpected?

Like most gamers, I wasn’t exactly excited about those price tags. But I was paying $50 for PlayStation 1 and 2 games nearly 20 years ago. The current generation of games cost around $70. This is an increase of $20 over 20 years. What other high-tech products have such a stagnation in price?

Tariffs can increase hardware costs, but the game itself may not be directly affected. But that doesn’t mean that prices aren’t rising.

Brad Hendricks, CEO of Blind Sirrel Entertainment Inc., hopes people are realizing that developers and publishers aren’t raising prices to try to tear consumers apart. “It’s great to have a $60 price range for 10 or 15 years,” he said.

Blind Squirrel Games is the studio behind Bioshock: The Collection and has credits for major games like 2018’s God of War War, Avowed and New World.

There are many reasons why your game might cost you more quickly. Let’s get into it.

Customs and Video Games: What’s going on?

I now know the questions about all gamer minds, “Will Trump’s tariffs So will you spend more on the game soon? “Well, yes, no.

Tariffs “certainly affect the hardware,” Hendrix said. “Nintendo needs to raise prices. That’s my guess. That applies to hardware-related things like Xbox and PlayStation, PCS and more.”

So if there is a 145% tariff in China where PlayStations and Xbox are primarily manufactured, you will be paying more for these products.

but Nintendo moved switch console production From China to Vietnam in 2019. And because mutual tariffs have been suspended in all countries other than China, you Significant increase in US Switch 2 prices – At least for 90 days of suspension. This may be the reason Nintendo has chosen to hold pre-orders for new consoles The United States and China.

When it comes to physical games, they are made here and there:

• Most are manufactured in Mexico and suffered a 25% tariff earlier this year.
• PlayStation 5 games are made in Austriathis is part of the European Union and is only temporarily exposed to tariffs of 10% baseline.
• Nintendo games are mainly manufactured in China Switch 2 Game Price You may be more deeply affected by customs duties.

Digital games that do not have physical components imported from other countries are not affected by customs duties.

But Hendrix said he was tariffs or no, he wasn’t shocked by the news of the higher price range of Nintendo games. He believes that the full game needs to see price increases, considering the increased development costs.

“There was a lot of talk in the industry before the entire tariff debate came into play. When will publishers start moving forward with the needle?” he said.

Now, the new AAA game costs $70 before tax. Hendrix said that if gamers want to expect realistic graphics, innovative features and gameplay, they should be willing to show support in their wallets.

That may not be what you want to hear, but the price of the game probably needs to go up

When the Switch 2 was announced at a higher price range than expected, it was combined with higher prices in both physical and digital switch games. Paid walkthrough Switch Function – People responded negatively. Of course.

No one wants to hear they have to fire more for their favourite entertainment. continuation Fear of inflation and recession We got a little cautious and before and after customs duties The stock market on a roller coaster.

On top of that, the federal minimum wage has not seen a rise since 2009 hitting $7.25. This isn’t enough to live during these ordeal times, let alone disposable income spent on the game. So, if you’re being asked to pay more for the game, that makes sense.

But at the same time, the cost of all for everyone It’s up. Includes game developers.

There are three main types of games.

• Indie games, which are solo or small group efforts, are released digitally only and created by developers who create a modest range of titles that can minimize the impact of tariffs.
• AA (double A) games are usually produced by small studios with medium budgets.
• The AAA (Triple A) game will be published by Ubisofts and Activisions. This is a huge studio with matching budgets.

Game development is not a cheap industry at all.

Hendricks said that when it comes to developing triple-A games, the low-end is likely to be in the $20 million to $60 million range, without including marketing or anything else. “So,” he said, “If you have a $100 million budget, it would normally cost you (distribution), marketing, and everything else, probably close to $200 million.”

Hendrix said he doesn’t have all the information because he is a developer, not a publisher. But what he has is more than 30 years of experience working in the industry, with unique insights from making games and leading the studio, including hiring talent.

To create a video game, you need a team of artists, programmers, sound designers, QA testers, writers, actors and more. Maintaining these teams in the US is becoming more expensive.

“I think there’s a need for a change in the minds of consumers,” Hendrix said. “Because it’s because some of the best developers in the world are struggling right now.”

Video game publishers set prices for the game, but Hendrix said he is hesitant to raise the price for fear of rebound. But the reality is that if gamers want to continue experiencing groundbreaking and innovative stories, they need to be prepared to support the studio.

So when is the most likely game prices to rise?

Apart from Nintendo, no other publishers have announced price increases. But that will likely change once Grand Theft Auto 6 is announced.

“Everyone is holding their breath right now: ‘What is the GTA going to do?'” Hendrix said. Rockstar Games, the developer of the title, said, “Everyone buys it regardless of the cost, so there’s little to lose to become more expensive.”

Released in September 2013, GTA 5 is one of the bestselling video games of all time. As of February 2025, 210 million copies sold. According to Statista.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 scheduled for release on June 5th and GTA 6 scheduled for this fall, there is a very high chance that the overall game price rise will increase very quickly after these two major releases.

Hendricks said that if Rockstar predicts the game’s price at $129, $179, or $200, it paves the way for other publishers to do the same.

Can I afford to become a gamer after 2025?

Budgeting for hobby is not always the easiest thing to do, especially if you’re interested in something as expensive as a game. I know they’ll buy the game even if they go up. Heck, I’ll probably pick up when the GTA 6 arrives – unless it’s $200 anyway.

If anything, the price hike makes me more intentional about the games I buy. You can’t buy it immediately once all the major titles are announced, but you’ll pick up the game at some point when you have burning money.

Currently, I tend to use credit card points to reduce gaming costs. There is a warning that you won’t be in your credit card debt just to buy the latest games. For example, I use the card rewards, The Assassin’s Creed: Shadowsimilarly avowed And the kingdom comes to rescue him 2.

Each title was released for $70 so it took quite a while to save points, but it was worth it. Knowing the games you want to buy makes it easier to plan ahead for the cost.

I use it American Express Blue Cash Preferred® Card For essential spending like gas and groceries Chase SapphirePreferred® Card*Meal and travel purchases, and Wells FargoActiveCash® Card*For all other. If you need a game that can’t be covered by points, slow down eating out and other frivolous types of spending, creating space for that.

In addition, it prevents FOMO from sweeping. The above three games easily run over 60-70 hours of content. If I experience them, I’ll think about picking up the next title on my list – it’s probably Destiny: Dark Ages After arriving next month.

There are other ways to find space within your budget for your hobby:

• Create a Thinking Fund Purchase the next game.
• Add the game as your item budget So you know how much you need to save or can use it.
• Save your games by purchasing used ones or trade on old consoles and games that you don’t use for credit. It may not feel like something you spent a good money at a lower price in a great deal, but if they’re sitting collecting dust and you’re not hugging them for sentimental reasons and they’re not part of the collection, it will help limit your costs.

*All information on Chase Sapphire is preferred, and Wells Fargo Active Cash cards are collected independently by CNET and not reviewed by the publisher.