GTA VI fever grips Britain as fans prepare to spend £6.4 billion on long-awaited release

GTA’s cult following has waited 13 years and two delays for the next edition and now the UK’s gamers are counting down to launch day and preparing to spend big as anticipation reaches fever pitch. New figures from Novuna Personal Finance show that more than a third (37%) of UK adults plan to buy GTA VI when it lands on 19 November.

That appetite is strongest among under 35s. More than six in ten (62%) have pre-ordered or plan to buy, and almost one in six (16%) 25- to 34-year-olds have already placed their order.

For most of those buyers, the game is only the start. Once accessories such as headsets, gaming controllers, monitors, chairs, desks and in-app purchases are added, UK gamers will spend £6.4bn, equating to an average £308 each, more than four times the £69.99 price of the game alone. One in eight (13%) are setting aside £500 or more, which is likely to cover purchase of a new console to play the game on too.

Plenty of them will be hoping friends and family foot the bill as well this Christmas. Landing five weeks before the big day, GTA VI is the gift adults most want to unwrap under the tree this year, chosen by 20%, ahead of LEGO (19%) and a new console (15%). For 25- to 34-year-olds, it rises to 38%.

Hooked since 1997

For plenty of buyers, this relationship goes back decades. Almost six in ten (59%) UK adults have played a GTA game, and each generation was captivated at a different point.

• The 1997 original was the first taste of GTA for almost a quarter (24%) of 35- to 44-year-olds.

• 25- to 34-year-olds were most likely to have started on San Andreas (18%), and almost half (48%) say GTA was a game they enjoyed growing up.

• The cultural anticipation surrounding the launch shows it's not just a men’s game, either. Almost a third (32%) of women plan to buy GTA VI, compared with 44% of men.

• However, older Brits are happy to sit this one out, with 76% of those aged 55 and over saying they definitely won't buy it.

Still paying to play

GTA’s appeal extends well beyond the launch of each new game. More than one in five UK adults (22%) still spend money on the franchise, eclipsing the appeal of LEGO (20%), Nintendo and retro gaming (17%) or Pokémon (13%).

Those players have spent £204 on average on GTA games in the past year, with 18- to 24-year-olds setting aside £235. London is the nation's GTA capital. More than half (52%) of Londoners are planning to get their hands on the new game, almost double the proportion in the whole of the Southwest (28%).

Theresa Lindsay, Chief Marketing Officer at Novuna Finance, said:

“Very few game franchises could make people wait 13 years and still have them counting down to launch day. GTA VI is one of them.

“What stands out is how many fans are getting ready to spend big to get in on the action. For some who last enjoyed the game over a decade ago, splashing out over £300 to pick up where they left off highlights a nostalgic nation keen to open their wallets to return to their youth.

“The GTA franchise has a unique cult following, and many of these fans have stuck with the series since their teens. After waiting this long, they’re determined to enjoy the new game properly, even if that means buying a new console and upgrading other gaming related accessories to do so.”