The 10 Most Expensive PS4 Games Of The Decade (& How Much They Cost To Make)

Let’s face it, video games aren’t cheap — but things are getting better. For example, with the introduction of Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus, users get free games with their memberships. Nintendo does it old school and grants its users with phenomenal Super Nintendo and NES games. It gets even better still, what with Xbox Game Pass. For a few subscriptions, gamers can get a plethora of free games every month. This may not help with every new release one may want, but the value for passes like these are just getting better.

But what about the other side of things? Games aren’t cheap to make either, which begs this question: What are the ten most expensive games PS4 games made over the past decade? Keep reading to discover the price of gaming greatness.

10 Mass Effect: Andromeda ($76M)

That number is simply astounding given how poorly this game turned out. $76M, and it still had bugs galore? Based on what came out, Mass Effect: Andromeda seemed like a rushed title that maybe crossed half of this budget if not less.

One of the biggest reasons for its cost was the five years it took to make, having to go through several iterations. This deep dive from Kotaku is a fascinating read for those that want to know more in greater detail.

9 Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain ($80M)

It’s hard to believe, but Metal Gear Solid V launched on five systems: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC. This was in 2015, two years after the new generation started, and the old consoles were still supported. So that ate up a lot of funds, on top of Hideo Kojima getting AAA talent like Kiefer Sutherland on board.

He couldn’t have been cheap as his voice was barely featured in the game especially compared to how much David Hayter talked in games previous. That money still wasn’t enough because Konami cut Kojima and his team off with an unfinished game. Just imagine how much higher that could have been.

8 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt ($81M)

Slightly above that with a whopping $81M, we have The Witcher 3. The big cost for this one was the elongated development time, which was about four years. Unlike Mass Effect: Andromeda, CD Projekt Red actually managed to finish their game, with bugs of course, but the quality of the product was so good that small issues like glitched beards could be ignored. And boy, what a magnificent beard Geralt could have.

7 APB: All Points Bulletin ($100M)

APB: All Points Bulletin barely makes the list as a PS4 game since it first launched as a free-to-play PC exclusive in 2010. However, as it did eventually get ported to PS4 in 2017 after the 2016 Xbox One port, we are counting it. Hard to imagine a free-to-play game that looks like this cost anything above a nickel. Okay, that’s a low blow, but seriously, this game is an ugly mess.

6 Battlefield 4 ($100M)

There were weeks and in some cases just days in between releases, but overall Battlefield 4 debuted on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC in 2013. Like Metal Gear Solid V, it took a bunch of money for all of those platforms. It was also the most ambitious game in the series to date as EA and DICE really wanted a chunk of that pie Call of Duty usually hoarded to itself.

5 Deadpool ($100M)

Deadpool originally released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2013 with a port popping up on PS4 and Xbox One in 2015. Now this one truly surprised us even though we know licenses for comics can get expensive. $100M seems like a lot in this case, especially given what came out of it. The game isn’t terrible — it’s just aggressively average.

4 Disney Infinity ($100M)

Disney Infinity’s cost makes the most sense. First of all, it launched on the 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360 with a PC version debuting a few months later. On top of that, there were also the figures and playsets that had to be developed. It was an expensive series, which reflected the retail cost. The business model worked out for four years until it eventually became too much and the franchise was shut down.

3 Shadow of the Tomb Raider ($110-135M)

Just as a side note, the 2013 reboot reportedly cost $100M throughout all versions. Instead of counting this series twice, we went with the end of the trilogy, which cost somewhere in the $110 to $135M range. Based on the game, that’s a little hard to imagine because parts of it seem lazily developed. Honestly the aforementioned first game and even the second felt like more effort and money was dumped into them.

2 Destiny ($140M)

Destiny released on four platforms: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. This would later change with the sequel as last-gen consoles were abandoned for an eventual PC launch instead. Anyway, Destiny had a long time to incubate on top of it being marketed heavily. It was supposed to be the next Halo, which it was and wasn’t. At the very least, one could thank this game for starting a new genre.

1 Grand Theft Auto V ($265M)

Grand Theft Auto V originally launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, but it eventually released for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One as well. It may have cost Rockstar $256M sweet ones to pay for the game’s development and its marketing, but since 2013, it has almost always been reported as one of the best-selling games every month.

It missed a few, but not many, earning Rockstar well over a billion dollars. The main game’s quality can count for that, on top of the online features and its integration of microtransactions.

NEXT: The 10 Most Expensive Video Game Sequels Of The Decade (& How Much They Cost To Make)