Coug Gaming: Do We Even Want Grand Theft Auto VI?

Grand Theft Auto VI is on the horizon, but with rising prices and limited time, do we actually want it?

Video games have come a long way from the arcades; it feels like games just keep getting larger, whether it be in content, price, or file size. So, why do so many gamers feel burned out?

There is a lingering discontent in gaming spaces. Big games keep releasing, with more issues than gameplay.  Cyberpunk 2077, released in 2020, was a breaking point for most, a game so large that it was filled with bugs, glitches, and performance issues on most consoles during launch. With Grand Theft Auto VI on its way, there is palpable excitement, but also caution.

With what might be the biggest video game of all time on the horizon, a question lingers in the air. Do we want it?

There are two ways to look at size in video games: the scale of a game and the number of options the game gives you.

Imagine you are a contractor, and your job is to fix things that are broken. The scale of your work is the amount you need to fix, but the more jobs, the more problems. The options are your tools to solve these problems. While a steady supply of jobs and problems is healthy, too much can bury you, meanwhile, as any contractor would tell you: “You can never have enough tools.”

This is the current state of triple-A gaming. The largest games are about giving you even more things to do, without scaling options at the same level. Why would I want to explore the most expansive world in gaming, with hundreds of quests, when I barely have the time for one? 

Meanwhile, smaller companies like Team Cherry with Hollow Knight: Silksong, or Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sit in contention for game of the year for 2025 due to the wide array of options the games give you to solve a comparatively smaller set of problems, creating a more condensed, but far more freeing experience.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is sold for $20 with an install size of 8gb, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is sold for $50 with an install size of 55gb. Grand Theft Auto VI will be at least $70, although it is rumored to potentially run as much as $100, with a likely install size of well over 100gb.

The trends in triple-A gaming also stand in contrast to how our lives have changed. People who grew up on video games, such as myself, have less time to play and less money to spend. Still, games get more expensive and more exhaustive.

The lack of time and money creates an all too common experience for all of us playing games now. Everything is too big; we don’t have time to hammer every nail, so instead, we stick to one or two games we already know. Whether it be Call of Duty or Fortnite, the prospect of sticking with one game for life seems so much easier than keeping up with the waves of content.

We live in a time of excess when most of us can afford very little in time and money. It’s no wonder indie games such as Hollow Knight: Silksong or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have become the de facto standard for many. When you spend all day working, why would you want to come home just to hammer more nails? Give me tools, not another problem to solve.