Just 20-25 years ago, creating a game required minimal investment. The projects were handled by indie enthusiasts who worked for little money giving the creative process priority. Today's reality requires a significant financial investment, as high competition and a large number of releases from different studios fill the market. So a single product can simply get lost not reaching the users.   

How much money does it take to create a game? The question requires careful analysis because the cost of a video game depends on many factors.

Factors	Description
Team location	The work of developers from Asia and Latin America is cheaper than that of IT specialists from the United States. At the same time, the quality of the finished product will also be different.
Number of specialists involved	Reputable companies can afford to hire narrow-focused professionals, where each individual segment is assigned to a single employee. Low-budget projects are prepared by just a few people, who are entrusted with a wider range of tasks.
Planned marketing	This point should be planned even before the start of work since the success of the entire work largely depends on thorough promotion.
Integration of services	For the platform to be used for mobile games, it does not take much time, but the projects for several plugins need a long elaboration, especially when there are incompatibilities.

There are a lot of other factors that shape the final estimate, such as technical equipment, timing, outsourced studios, etc.

The most expensive online games

For a game to be not only noticed but also to be popular, modern developers invest multimillion-dollar fortunes. That is required by the conditions of the game industry. Companies diligently integrate innovations, new features, improve graphics to stand out from the dozens of new products produced by competitors.

The same approach is used in other branches of the gambling business. For example, to attract as many as possible users to their platforms, online establishments make sure to offer online casino no deposit bonus to new users who have registered. This is a great marketing move that makes both parties benefit:

• gamblers get a starting capital without investing their own money;
• casinos popularize their online establishment by increasing the number of residents.

So which games take the top lines in the financial investment rating? Let us discuss that below.

Star Citizen 

The game occupies the first place despite the fact that it has not yet been released to the masses. This game is being developed by Cloud Imperium Games Corporation together with Ortwin Freyermuth with the direct participation of Chris Roberts. Opinions about the product itself vary among users: some think it is a game of the future, while others are confident in the failure of the project due to the protracted work on it. 

 The space-themed video game is more of an immersive simulator, like GTA, than the typical gaming product. The players are given certain tasks, along with the fact that they have freedom of action and choice in the execution of the quest. The idea is not bad, but it remains to be seen how it will be implemented because most of the process is not available to the public.

The project was launched in 2012 and to date, 300 million dollars has already been spent on it, which makes Star Citizen in terms of financial investment. We hope that the effort and money will not be spent in vain and gamers will get a really revolutionary game.

Grand Theft Auto V

It rightfully takes second place in the ranking, as $265 million was spent on the development. It is worth noting that the financing was not in vain, the video game holds the first lines in the table of leaders in terms of demand and popularity. The fifth part of GTA has undergone certain changes for the better, becoming the best-selling product of the whole series. What's new that the developer offers:

• * first-person view, and for spending 15 hours in this mode, the player receives A New Perspective trophy;
• * due to such changes, some other graphical moments are transformed. For example, when the hero puts on glasses, the screen darkens slightly. This immerses users into the process to a greater extent and adds realism. The phone has gained a three-dimensional display, instead of an icon;
• * the ability to change the depth of the field filter. If necessary, you can focus on a particular subject by blurring the background. Transition is available in any mode;
• * more than 20 kinds of new animals were added, the character can transform into almost any of them. Thus, there is more time under the water or in-flight;
• * a mine in Great Chaparral, unavailable in previous episodes, has been opened;
• * improved textures, weather conditions, detailing of animal hair, bark, and plant thorns.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Despite the fact that the game was released in 2011, it remains popular and maintains its position in the world's top ranks. BioWare regularly integrates updates, improves gameplay, and in 2020 the game appeared on Steam. Development has involved 800 people and financing of $200 million, which paid off long ago and keeps generating steady profits. 4,000 characters, voiced by over 1,000 actors, similar yet distinctive gameplay with the MMO puts Star Wars: The Old Republic a notch above its counterparts.

The action takes place 300 years after the original dialogue, at a time of peace between the Republic and the Sith Empire. The gamer can choose either side, which will determine the classes. Four classes are available in each faction.

A special feature is the large number of dialogues that animate the selected characters. In addition, other characters that the player has not engaged in the gameplay, will still appear and intersect with the main character. But still, SWTOR remains a multiplayer role-playing game, which allows the presence of thousands of players simultaneously. 

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

According to various estimates, between $200 million and $250 million was spent on the game, which puts it on par with BioWare's development. Infinity Ward allocated $50 million just for marketing to present the novelty in all its glory. A sequel to the first part was released by Infinity Ward together with Activision. The release took place in 2009 and to this day the game remains one of the best.

In addition to the single-player mode, there is a section of operations and online battles, but experienced gamers recommend starting with the run-through. The storyline continues at the same point where the first part was finished, but five years later. The player begins as a new recruit undergoing training, which is built in the style of a movie, but with input data.

After the training is over the gamer can proceed with missions and free the city from terrorists, perform various tricks, complete quests, and get rewards. The game has a lot of unexpected turns of events that add zest to the usual routine and monotonous process. This approach saves the gameplay in many ways, adds thrills and dynamics.

Conclusion

Having considered the four most famous and expensive games, let us not forget that the projects that occupy the following places are not much inferior in terms of investments. For example, the developers spent 145 million for Final Fantasy VII and $140 million for Destiny. All these games were world-famous, sold well, and gained the admiration of gamers - this shows that the competent management of such large-scale projects, along with professional marketing, pays off.