Finance creator and self-made millionaire Mark Tilbury says GTA 6 could save players $5,000 if they spend 50 evenings playing instead of going out. The calculation works, provided every gaming session replaces a $100 night on the town and nobody asks too many follow-up questions.
Excitement is building ahead of the game's scheduled November 19 release. Some players have already booked time off work, while one estimate suggests widespread sick days could cost the US economy about $1.5 billion.
Tilbury offered a more positive financial interpretation in an October 31 video. Assuming the game costs $100 and takes 80 hours to complete, he calculated that it would provide entertainment for about $1.25 an hour. Spending additional time exploring the open world could reduce that figure to roughly 50 cents an hour.
How the $5,000 calculation works
“Let’s say you play for four hours every evening, that’s 50 nights of entertainment,” Tilbury said.
“Compare that to going out, where you could easily spend $100 in a single night, that’s why buying GTA 6 actually saves you $5,000.”
Fifty nights at $100 each does indeed equal $5,000. The argument does not subtract the price of the game, and it assumes the player would otherwise have gone out and spent $100 on every one of those evenings. It is less a conventional savings plan than a very committed reason to stay home.
Viewers quickly labelled the theory “boy math.” Others joked that they finally had evidence to show their parents, or had found a financial adviser they could trust. One commenter took the logic further: “Say no more, I will buy 4 digital copies; that’s $20,000 in my pocket.”
Meanwhile, the game is already generating an unofficial resale market. Promotional items collected in Miami have appeared online at steep markups, and a leaked collaboration involving Nike, Rockstar Games and Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack brand could add more merchandise to the frenzy.
The reported collection is expected to include sneakers, T-shirts, hoodies and other products. The shoes are said to cost $130, offering fans another opportunity to save money by spending it first.
