Nowadays, the budgets for major games have reached hundreds of millions of dollars, spent solely on development. But one must also consider marketing and support expenses, which push the overall costs to astronomical levels—sometimes exceeding what Hollywood studios spend on creating blockbuster films. That’s why we’ve compiled a ranking of the most expensive games in history.
Final Fantasy VII – $145 million
Final Fantasy VII, released back in 1997 for the PlayStation, holds the status of a truly iconic game in the JRPG genre. Its release was a significant milestone in the development of the entire video game industry. Final Fantasy VII featured innovative 3D graphics, a well-crafted story, and memorable characters.
To achieve such innovation, the developers at Square Enix — then simply known as Square — had to purchase over 200 Silicon Graphics computers. These enabled the creation of cutting-edge 3D animations and visual effects for that time. The development team included around 120 employees, which was a record figure for that period.
All of this required massive investments, so the development of Final Fantasy VII cost a colossal $45 million — an most expensive game budget for a JRPG at the time. Moreover, the creators heavily invested in marketing, spending around $100 million. This brought the total development budget to $145 million, and when adjusted for inflation, between $157–284 million.
Of course, this all paid off, as Final Fantasy VII became a cult classic, selling approximately 9.9 million copies. Revenue from sales is estimated at around $1 billion.
Halo 5: Guardians — $160 million
The Halo franchise plays a key role in Microsoft’s gaming ecosystem, which is why the company spares no expense on its development. According to Michael Pachter, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, the cost of developing the fifth installment—Halo 5: Guardians—reached $160 million. Adjusted for inflation, this figure now stands at around $212 million.
Halo 5: Guardians was developed by 343 Industries. The game was released for Xbox One and Series X|S in 2015. It was one of the most successful launches in the franchise’s history, generating $400 million in revenue within its first week.
The Callisto Protocol — $162 million
At the end of 2022, Striking Distance Studios released The Callisto Protocol, a survival horror game led by Dead Space creator Glen Schofield. Publisher Krafton had high hopes for the project and invested heavily in its development.
According to MK-Odyssey estimates, the game's development cost around \$162 million, and with inflation, the total reaches approximately $174 million. Unfortunately, the project failed to meet expectations due to poor optimization, an underwhelming combat system, and a rather generic storyline.
The game is considered a financial failure, having sold around 2 million copies — far below the expected 5 million.
Marvel's Avengers — $170–190 million
Marvel's Avengers is a third-person action-adventure game based on the popular superhero comics from Marvel, released in 2020. It was developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix and Eidos Montreal.
The project turned out to be a failure, as players immediately encountered severe optimization issues, numerous bugs, and poorly executed gameplay. As a result, the game was recognized as a financial flop, selling only 3 million copies—60% less than projected. Despite that, Square Enix had high hopes for Marvel’s Avengers, investing approximately $170–190 million in development and marketing.
Red Dead Redemption 2 — $170 million
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a true masterpiece of the gaming industry. This title from Rockstar impresses with its detail, storytelling, and immersive atmosphere. Many players refer to it as “GTA in the Wild West.”
Creating such a project is by no means cheap, especially considering it features one of the largest open-world game environments. Although there’s no exact data on development costs, many analysts agree that RDR2’s development cost ranged from $170 million to $240 million. Additionally, marketing expenses are believed to have exceeded the development budget, estimated between $200 million and $300 million. Therefore, according to unofficial calculations, the game cost a minimum of $370 million.
The developers’ investment fully paid off. Over 74 million copies of RDR2 have been sold, and revenue is currently estimated at $725 million.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) – $200 million
In 2009, Infinity Ward and publisher Activision released the sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, titled Modern Warfare 2. The game was very well received by players, praised for its engaging story campaign and well-developed multiplayer mode. It also features the infamous "No Russian" mission.
According to analysts, development costs for Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 ranged from $40–50 million, but the developers placed their biggest bet on advertising. The marketing budget is estimated at $150–160 million, bringing the total project cost to around $200 million. When adjusted for inflation, this equals approximately $352–366 million.
Exact revenue figures are unknown, but the game is believed to have brought in at least $1 billion.
Horizon Forbidden West – $212 million
In 2022, Guerrilla Games in partnership with Sony released the sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, titled Horizon Forbidden West. The game was well received by critics and players alike. The series appeals to gamers with its unique post-apocalyptic world inhabited by robotic creatures.
During the legal battle between the Federal Trade Commission and Microsoft over the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, internal Sony documents surfaced. These revealed that more than 300 full-time employees worked on Horizon Forbidden West over five years. According to the documents, the project’s budget was $212 million, and when adjusted for inflation, it exceeds $225 million.
As of June 2023, analysts estimated Sony's revenue from game sales at over $300 million. The current figure may be significantly higher, though exact numbers are unknown.
The Last of Us Part 2 – $220 million
In 2020, Naughty Dog released The Last of Us Part 2, the sequel to the iconic series known for its storytelling and emotional depth. The game continues the narrative of Ellie and Joel, this time shifting the main focus to Ellie.
Initially, the game launched exclusively on PlayStation 4. It later arrived on PS5 in 2024 and was released on PC in 2025.
The Last of Us is one of Sony's flagship franchises, and no expense was spared for its development. According to documents from the FTC vs. Microsoft case, development lasted around 70 months and cost approximately $220 million. With inflation, that figure rises to $266 million.
Total revenue from the game may reach up to $1 billion, especially considering the PS5 re-release and the recent PC port.
GTA 5 – $206 million
GTA 5 immediately became a cultural phenomenon, setting new standards for the gaming industry for years to come. The game features a vast, intricately detailed open world that feels alive and independent of its main characters.
Analysts estimate that development costs for Grand Theft Auto V amounted to $137.5 million, involving a team of 250 people over a five-year development cycle. Additionally, between $69 million and $109.3 million was spent on marketing. This brings the total estimated cost to between $206.5 million and $246.8 million.
These investments definitely paid off. The game has sold 185 million copies, generating approximately $8 billion in revenue, which includes microtransactions from GTA Online.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 – $315 million
In 2023, Insomniac Games released the second installment of the Marvel's Spider-Man series. The main characters, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, returned, with players also getting to control Mary Jane and Venom.
Following a major data leak from Insomniac Games, it was revealed that the total budget for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 reached $315 million. Adjusted for inflation, the figure exceeds $325 million. The same documents also indicate that Marvel’s Spider-Man 3 will require at least $385 million in development costs.
As of April 2027, the game had sold 11 million copies, with estimated revenue reaching around $770 million.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III – $450 million
Call of Duty: Black Ops III, the sequel to Black Ops II, was released in 2015 as the twelfth main entry in the Call of Duty franchise. It was well-received for its multiplayer and zombie modes and incorporated elements of science fiction along with a somewhat convoluted storyline.
Budget details were revealed during a court case related to a school shooting in Texas in 2022. Video games were cited by the plaintiffs as a possible influence on the shooter, who was reportedly an avid Call of Duty player.
From that legal proceeding, it became known that the development of Call of Duty: Black Ops III cost Activision $450 million. The project took three years and involved over 100 team members. Adjusted for inflation, the cost rises to approximately $597 million.
According to the latest analyst estimates, Black Ops III generated about $2.75 billion in revenue with 43 million copies sold.
Cyberpunk 2077 – $472 million
The first announcement of Cyberpunk 2077 was made in 2012, and the first trailer appeared only in 2018, with the release taking place in 2020. The project is based on the tabletop role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020, the events of which unfold in the fictional city of Night City. The game was one of the most anticipated titles in the video game community, but upon release, it failed to meet expectations.
Cyberpunk 2077 was criticized for poor optimization and numerous bugs; such negativity led to the game being removed from the PlayStation Store from December 2020 to June 2021. It is worth noting that CD Projekt did not abandon the game but actively worked on fixes and managed to save the project.
After fixing almost all the issues, CD Projekt released the "Phantom Liberty" expansion for the game. Considering the long development period, the substantial post-release work on the game, and the development of the DLC, the budget for Cyberpunk 2077 is estimated at approximately $472 million. According to analysts’ estimates, the base game cost $316 million, $85 million was spent on the expansion, and $71 million went into marketing. Taking inflation into account, the total may reach $514 million.
Such investments by CD Projekt paid off. According to the company’s report for the 2023 fiscal year, the game brought in 3 billion Polish zloty, which is approximately $752 million. Moreover, the game and its expansion are still popular, so the revenue may have already reached $1 billion.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — $640 million
In 2019, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was released, serving as a reboot of the MW subseries. The events of the game take place in a modern setting, with an emphasis on realism. Players highly praised the gameplay, story campaign, and multiplayer mode in the game.
From the previously mentioned court case related to the Texas school shooting, the development budget for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) also became known. According to Patrick Kelly, the head of Activision’s creative division for the Call of Duty series, the company spent $640 million on the game. If we also take inflation into account, the budget rises to $787 million.
In just the first three days, the game generated around $600 million, and lifetime revenue may exceed $2.46 billion with over 41 million copies sold.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — $700 million
Indeed, for two consecutive years, Activision released games whose development costs exceeded $600 million. To be exact, the creation of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War cost $700 million, and with inflation, that totals around $850 million.
The development itself took Treyarch and Raven Software three years, with over 100 people involved in the project. The game sold over 30 million copies. Players and critics responded positively to Black Ops Cold War, especially praising the campaign for its variety and interesting mechanics.
Black Ops Cold War sold approximately 30 million copies, so the revenue from it is estimated at $1.8 billion.
Star Citizen — $788 million
Star Citizen is being developed in the space simulator genre by the studio Cloud Imperium Games, led by Chris Roberts, the creator of the Wing Commander series. The developers promise that the game will combine an open world, combat system elements, and the MMO genre. Players will have the opportunity to travel through star systems, complete various missions, and participate in space battles. The creators promise a high level of detail in all elements of the title.
The development of Star Citizen is funded through crowdfunding. Development has been ongoing for over ten years, and it is still unknown when the full release will happen. However, this does not stop fans from believing in the game and buying spaceships in the in-game store for hundreds of dollars. According to the latest reports, the development budget of Star Citizen has surpassed $788 million and is quite likely to reach $1 billion.
An interesting fact is that this project has such strong support that a spin-off titled Squadron 42 is already scheduled for release in 2026. The game will be created in the story-driven shooter genre.
Genshin Impact – $900 million
Genshin Impact is an Action/RPG game with an open world, developed by the Chinese studio miHoYo. It is distributed under a free-to-play model, but players can make in-game purchases. The game is available on PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch consoles, as well as on PC and mobile devices.
When the game was released in 2020, it was reported that its development cost miHoYo $100 million. However, every year since then, the developers have spent around $200 million to support the project. As a result, the game’s budget has already reached approximately $900 million and will soon exceed the $1 billion mark.
Such investments by the developers are fully justified. In 2022, miHoYo reported a net revenue of $3.84 billion, with a profit of $2.27 billion. On mobile devices alone, the game has earned over $4.1 billion in the United States since its release.
Monopoly Go! – $1 billion
Surprisingly to many, the most expensive game at the moment is the mobile version of Monopoly Go!, though it holds this status only until the release of GTA 6. The total budget of the game reaches as much as $1 billion, with the majority of the funds—nearly $900 million—spent specifically on marketing. These expenses surpass the cost of such gaming hits as Marvel's Spider-Man 2 or any other game on this list.
The project was developed by the studio Scopely over a period of more than 7 years, with more than 150 developers involved. However, this risky investment paid off: within the first seven months, the game earned $1 billion, and by the tenth month, the figure reached $2 billion. According to Forbes, as of May 2025, Monopoly Go! has already earned $5 billion.
GTA 6 – $1–2 billion
Of course, it’s worth separately mentioning the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6, which is still in development and is set to be released in May 2026. This game is expected to take the video game industry to a new level, and considering the expectations of players and critics, Rockstar is expected to deliver a top-quality product.
For a project of this scale, no expenses are being spared, but even so, the approximate minimum budget of $1 billion still shocks many. Some analysts suggest that the total may reach up to $2 billion. This amount is not solely for development—it includes marketing, post-release support, and the online mode.
Naturally, revenue at this level of investment is expected to be significant. According to DFC Intelligence, GTA 6 will generate $3.2 billion in revenue within its first year after release.
So, as we can see, the most expensive game ever are mostly released by Sony, Activision, and Rockstar Games. At the same time, their games become cultural phenomena, and their franchises are known even to people who aren't interested in video games. That’s why we see such large investments in promoting these projects.
But of course, a big budget is not a guarantee of success, as proven by Marvel's Avengers, The Callisto Protocol, and many other projects. For example, Alan Wake 2, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and many other titles didn’t have sky-high budgets, yet their creators managed to develop truly interesting and captivating games.
