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$70 games returned as a common premium price point, but they are not a universal standard or ceiling. The claim that $70 is “historically cheap” comes from comparing old prices after inflation—not from comparing sticker prices alone. It also rests on a selected sample of historical ads, so it is useful context rather than a comprehensive price index.
What “the return” means
The phrase comes from a July 9, 2020, Ars Technica analysis by Kyle Orland, published as NBA 2K21 was announced at $69.99 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, versus $59.99 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. At the time, $60 was the familiar top-end price for many new console games. Orland argued that a $70 premium price was not unprecedented in nominal dollars and would not be historically high after inflation. That argument describes the market and evidence available in 2020; it should not be read as a description of every current game price. Ars Technica’s 2020 analysis.
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Are $70 games more expensive than older games?
It depends on whether “more expensive” means the number on the box or what that amount could buy at the time. A $69.99 game in 1997 cost more than a $69.99 game in 2020 in inflation-adjusted terms. Orland used the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI inflation calculator to express historical prices in 2020 dollars; those figures should not be mistaken for current 2026-dollar equivalents.
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| Historical example | Nominal price at the time | Inflation-adjusted figure reported by Orland |
|---|---|---|
| Top-end SNES and early N64 games in 1997 | $69.99 | More than $110 in 2020 dollars |
| Centipede for Atari 2600 in 1983 | $34.99 | About $90 in 2020 dollars |
These examples show why the nominal price alone can mislead: high-end cartridge games could cost more in real terms than a later $70 game. They do not prove that all games at those prices offered comparable content, production values, or value to players.
Why cartridge games could cost so much
In the early 1980s, top-end Atari 2600 games commonly reached $30 to $40 in nominal dollars, according to Orland’s account. Later, some SNES and early N64 releases reached $69.99. The cartridge itself was part of the cost equation: games stored on ROM chips could require expensive memory, and some cartridges included add-on co-processors. That made the format’s production economics different from later optical discs.
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As console games shifted to discs in the late 1990s, physical production costs put less pressure on the retail price. Orland described disc-game prices settling around $49.99 before the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 era brought the top asking price to $59.99. That $60 ceiling then persisted long enough for inflation to erode its purchasing power.
Why $60 lasted—and what the 2020 argument does and doesn’t prove
Orland’s interpretation was that raising a premium game’s price from $60 to $70 partly restored the real value of top-end games after years of inflation. That is an argument about the purchasing power of the base price, not proof that development costs require a particular retail price or that every $70 game is good value.
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A higher base price also does not mean other monetization disappears. Orland noted that downloadable content, season passes, collector’s editions, and microtransactions can still sit alongside a full-price game. The upfront asking price and a player’s eventual spending are separate questions.
What new games cost now varies by title, edition, and format
Recent U.S. announcements illustrate why $70 is better understood as one premium price point than as a fixed market-wide rule. These are specific list prices announced for particular games and dates, not a survey of discounted transaction prices, regional pricing, or every publisher’s catalog.
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| Example | Announced U.S. price | What the figure covers |
|---|---|---|
| SAROS, announced April 30, 2026 | $69.99 standard; $79.99 digital deluxe | Sony Interactive Entertainment’s U.S. MSRPs for this title. Sony’s announcement. |
| Grand Theft Auto VI, announced June 24, 2026 | $79.99 standard; $99.99 Ultimate Edition | Take-Two’s announced prices for a game scheduled to launch November 19, 2026. The company said the physical version would contain a download code inside the box. Take-Two’s announcement. |
| Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, reported March 26, 2026 | $60 digital; $70 physical | An example of Nintendo’s stated U.S. MSRP approach for new Nintendo-published Switch 2 exclusives; retailers set their own prices. Ars Technica’s report. |
The Nintendo clarification concerns new Nintendo-published Switch 2 exclusives in the U.S.; it is not a rule for all publishers or regions. Ars also reported that recent new Switch 2 first-party games had otherwise been priced at $70 or $80, depending on the title. Retail partners can set their own prices, so an MSRP is not necessarily the amount a shopper pays.
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Publishers do not set prices in a vacuum. In July 2025, Microsoft walked back a proposed $80 price for The Outer Worlds 2. A Microsoft spokesperson told GameSpot that the company’s full-priced holiday releases that year would remain at $69.99, “in line with current market conditions.” That statement described its planned 2025 releases, not a permanent company policy. The episode shows that proposed pricing can respond to market conditions; it does not establish what every publisher will charge next. GameSpot’s July 2025 report.
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How to compare the price of a game fairly
- Separate nominal price from purchasing power. A historical sticker price and an inflation-adjusted comparison answer different questions; Orland’s historic conversions are in 2020 dollars.
- Compare like editions. A standard edition and a deluxe or Ultimate Edition may differ in included content as well as price.
- Check the format and what is actually included. A physical box may contain a download code rather than game data on a disc or cartridge.
- Distinguish MSRP from the price you pay. Retailer discounts and other price changes are not captured by a publisher’s announced list price.
- Keep the base price separate from later spending. DLC, passes, and microtransactions can add costs beyond the initial purchase.
The available examples do not establish a present-day average transaction price or a complete comparison across publishers and regions. They do show that a familiar $70 price can coexist with lower-priced digital editions, more expensive standard games, and premium editions above $70.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
