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Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName GREAT-WEST FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Apr. 30, 2018
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Fund Summary
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock The Fund seeks substantial dividend income and also long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. This table does not reflect the fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If the fees and expenses imposed by a Permitted Account were reflected, the fees and expenses shown below would be higher.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination April 30, 2019
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 25.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example does not reflect the fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If the fees and expenses of any Permitted Account were reflected, the fees and expenses in the Example would be higher.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and applies whether you hold or redeem all of your shares at the end of each period. The Example also assumes that the expense reimbursement is in place for the first year, that your investment has a 5% return each year, that all dividends and capital gains are reinvested, and that the Fund’s operating expenses are the amount shown in the fee table and remain the same for the years shown. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock The following is a summary of the principal investment strategies of the Fund:

The Fund will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in common stocks, with an emphasis on large-capitalization stocks that have a strong track record of paying dividends or that are believed to be undervalued.

The Sub-Adviser typically employs a “value” approach in selecting investments. The Sub-Adviser's in-house research team seeks companies that appear to be undervalued by various measures and may be temporarily out of favor but have good prospects for dividend growth and capital appreciation.

The Fund will invest in companies which have one or more of the following characteristics: established operating histories; above-average current dividend yields relative to the Russell 1000® Value Index; sound balance sheets and other positive financial characteristics; low price/earnings ratio relative to the Russell 1000 Value Index; and low stock price relative to a company’s underlying value as measured by assets, cash flow or business franchises.

The Fund generally seeks investments in large-capitalization companies. The Sub-Adviser seeks a yield, which reflects the level of dividends paid by the Fund, that exceeds the yield of the Russell 1000 Value Index. In pursuing the Fund's investment objective, the Sub-Adviser has the discretion to purchase some securities that do not meet its normal investment criteria. These situations might arise when the Sub-Adviser believes a security could increase in value for a variety of reasons, including a change in management, an extraordinary corporate event, a new product introduction or innovation, or a favorable competitive development.

While most assets will typically be invested in U.S. common stocks, other securities may also be purchased in keeping with the Fund’s objectives. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in foreign securities. The Fund may also invest in fixed income securities without regard to quality, maturity, or rating, including up to 10% of its total assets in below investment grade fixed income securities (“high yield-high risk” or “junk” securities). The Fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Investment Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock The following is a summary of the principal investment risks of investing in the Fund:

Currency Risk - Adverse fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar and other currencies may cause the Fund to lose money on investments denominated in foreign currencies.

Fixed Income Securities Risk - Investments in fixed income securities will be subject to risk associated with changes in interest rates generally and the credit quality of the individual fixed income securities held.

Foreign Securities Risk - Foreign markets can be more volatile than the U.S. market due to increased risks of adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, currency valuation or economic developments. In addition, emerging markets may be more volatile and less liquid than the markets of more mature economies, and the securities of emerging markets issuers often are subject to rapid and large changes in price.

Management Risk - A strategy used by the portfolio manager may fail to produce the intended results.

Market Risk - Stock markets are volatile and can decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market or economic developments in the U.S. and in other countries. Market risk may affect a single company, a sector of the economy, or the market as a whole.

Value Stock Risk - The value approach carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s intrinsic value for a long time, or that a stock judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately valued.

An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank, is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency, and is subject to the possible loss of your original investment.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney is subject to the possible loss of your original investment.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the Fund is not a deposit with a bank, is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the FDIC or any government agency,
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investment in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Fund’s Investor Class shares for the last ten calendar years and by comparing the Fund's average annual total return to the performance of a broad-based securities market index. The Fund's benchmark has changed from the S&P 500 Index to the Russell 1000 Value Index to more readily identify the Fund’s intended investment style in addition to market capitalization. Returns for both indices are included in the table below for comparative purposes. The returns shown below are historical and are not an indication of future performance. Total return figures assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions and include the effect of the Fund’s recurring expenses, but do not include fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If those fees and expenses were reflected, the performance shown would have been lower.

Updated performance information may be obtained at www.greatwestfunds.com (the website does not form a part of this Prospectus).
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide an indication of the risk of investment in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of the Fund’s Investor Class shares for the last ten calendar years and by comparing the Fund's average annual total return to the performance of a broad-based securities market index.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.greatwestfunds.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The returns shown below are historical and are not an indication of future performance.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar Year Total Returns
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads Total return figures assume reinvestment of dividends and capital gains distributions and include the effect of the Fund’s recurring expenses, but do not include fees and expenses of any Permitted Account. If those fees and expenses were reflected, the performance shown would have been lower.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
  Quarter Ended Total Return
Best Quarter June 2009 19.57%
Worst Quarter December 2008 -22.42%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2017
Performance Table Market Index Changed rr_PerformanceTableMarketIndexChanged The Fund's benchmark has changed from the S&P 500 Index to the Russell 1000 Value Index to more readily identify the Fund’s intended investment style in addition to market capitalization. Returns for both indices are included in the table below for comparative purposes.
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.47%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.01%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.01%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.48%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.01% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.47%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 48
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 153
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 268
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 603
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 48
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 153
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 268
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 603
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.56%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.96% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.47%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Other Expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.03%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.38%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.85%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.82%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 84
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 268
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 468
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,046
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 84
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 268
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 468
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,046
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (36.18%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 25.20%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 15.07%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (0.88%)
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 17.21%
2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 30.00%
2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 7.39%
2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (6.89%)
2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 18.75%
2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 16.22%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 19.57%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (22.42%)
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.22%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 12.40%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.72%
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.47%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Shareholder Services Fees rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.35%
Other Expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.44%
Total Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.79%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.51%
Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.44% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.07%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 109
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 434
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 782
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,764
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 109
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 434
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 782
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,764
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.93%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 12.00%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.59% [3]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 2011
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.66%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.68% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.66%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.04%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.10%
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | Russell 1000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.66%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.04%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.11% [3]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 2011
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Institutional Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.83%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.10% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 01, 2015
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Investor Class  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.83%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.79%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.50%
Great-West T. Rowe Price Equity Income Fund | S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class L  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.83%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.79%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 14.28% [3]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jul. 29, 2011
[1] GWCM has contractually agreed to waive fees or reimburse expenses that exceed 0.47% of the Fund's average daily net assets attributable to each Class, excluding Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees, Shareholder Services Fees, brokerage expenses, taxes, dividend interest on short sales, interest expenses, and any extraordinary expenses, including litigation costs (the “Expense Limit”). The agreement’s current term ends on April 30, 2019 and automatically renews for one-year terms unless it is terminated by Great-West Funds or GWCM upon written notice within 90 days of the end of the current term or upon termination of the investment advisory agreement. Under the agreement, GWCM may recoup, subject to Board approval, these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years following the particular waiver/reimbursement, provided Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses of a Class plus such recoupment do not exceed the lesser of the Expense Limit that was in place at the time of the waiver/reimbursement or the Expense Limit in place at the time of recoupment.
[2] Since inception on May 1, 2015
[3] Since inception on July 29, 2011