GTA 6 Becomes the Most Pre-Ordered Game Ever on PlayStation and Xbox
GTA 6 Becomes the Most Pre-Ordered Game Ever on PlayStation and Xbox
Grand Theft Auto VI is now the most pre-ordered game in the history of both the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store, Sony and Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday, November 10 — nine days before the game’s November 19 launch. The milestone caps more than a decade of anticipation for Rockstar Games’ long-awaited sequel and puts the biggest release in gaming history on pace for a record-breaking debut.
Both Console Stores Confirm the Record
Sony said in a PlayStation Blog post that GTA 6 is “the most pre-ordered game in the history of PlayStation Store.” Microsoft used similar language on Xbox Wire, calling it the most pre-ordered title in Microsoft Store history. Neither company shared an official pre-order total, and Rockstar Games has not released sales figures of its own.
Independent estimates fill in the scale. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimates that GTA 6 had accumulated about 9.69 million digital pre-orders across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as of November 10, worth roughly $942 million. About 1.98 million of those pre-orders came in the previous week alone. PlayStation accounts for roughly 75 percent of the total, about 7.23 million, with Xbox making up the remaining 2.46 million.
That total would clear the previous record held by Cyberpunk 2077, which publisher CD Projekt reported at about 8 million pre-orders ahead of its December 2020 launch. One important difference: the Cyberpunk figure covered physical and digital copies, while Sensor Tower’s GTA 6 estimate counts digital storefront sales only and excludes pre-orders placed at retail stores. Sensor Tower itself describes its figure as an estimate to treat with caution rather than a confirmed total.
A Launch Thirteen Years in the Making
GTA 6 is Rockstar’s first new Grand Theft Auto since GTA V arrived in 2013. That game took in $800 million in its first 24 hours on sale, a record at the time. The new game returns the series to Vice City, in the fictional state of Leonida, and follows two protagonists, Lucia and Jason.
Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, told investors this week that demand is running ahead of its own forecasts. Chief executive Strauss Zelnick said on the company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings call on Monday, November 9, that pre-orders are “running far in excess of our expectations.” Take-Two reaffirmed its full-year outlook of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings and forecast $3.35 billion to $3.5 billion for the quarter that includes the launch. Zelnick also said most of the early demand is landing on the $99.99 Ultimate Edition rather than the $79.99 Standard Edition.
The scale of the launch is already rippling through Take-Two’s own lineup. The company said GTA 6’s pre-release sales have hurt sales of NBA 2K27, another of its big fall releases, which is still one of the top-performing games of the year.
When and How GTA 6 Launches
GTA 6 launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. On PlayStation 5, it will unlock on a rolling midnight schedule by country, starting at 12:00 a.m. NZDT in New Zealand. On Xbox Series X|S, it will be playable from 1 a.m. EST on November 19. Pre-loading opened on November 10 on both platforms.
There is no PC version at launch, and no PC release date has been announced. On Xbox One, the game will be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming rather than natively.
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Why This Matters
At an estimated $942 million in digital pre-orders alone, GTA 6 has nearly matched GTA V’s entire first-day haul before a single copy is playable. Research firm Newzoo has projected a launch week of $3.25 billion to $5.2 billion, which would make it the biggest entertainment launch ever by a wide margin.
It is also a big week for entertainment records more broadly. Godzilla Minus Zero just set a North American box-office record with a $31.6 million debut, and GTA 6’s pre-order numbers show the same appetite for blockbuster releases on the gaming side.
The launch is also a test of whether the industry’s biggest bet can meet expectations after years of delays and a higher price point. At $79.99 for the standard edition, GTA 6 sits above the $69.99 price that became the norm for major releases, and the $99.99 Ultimate Edition is drawing most of the early demand. If the launch week matches the pre-order pace, it will reset what a single game can earn in its opening days.
Latest Developments
Pre-loading is now live on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and players can pre-load the game now, nine days before launch. Rockstar and Take-Two have not said when they will release official sales figures, so the first confirmed numbers are likely to come days after the game unlocks on November 19. Reviews and player counts will then replace pre-order estimates as the real measure of the launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does GTA 6 come out?
GTA 6 launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It unlocks at midnight in each region on PlayStation, starting in New Zealand, and at 1 a.m. EST on Xbox.
How many copies has GTA 6 pre-sold?
No official figure has been released. Sensor Tower estimates about 9.69 million digital pre-orders worth roughly $942 million as of November 10. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have not confirmed a pre-order total.
Is GTA 6 coming to PC?
Not at launch. The game releases only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and no PC release date has been announced.
How much does GTA 6 cost?
The Standard Edition costs $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition costs $99.99. Take-Two says most early demand has been for the Ultimate Edition.
With a week to go before launch, the only question left is how big the opening will actually be. The pre-order record is already settled — and the numbers behind it suggest the games industry has never seen a launch quite like this one.
Sources: Polygon — https://www.polygon.com/gta-6-pre-order-records-ps5-xbox-series-x/ ; TheGamer — https://www.thegamer.com/gta-6-most-pre-orders-ever/ ; TweakTown — https://www.tweaktown.com/news/114621/gta-6-easily-becomes-the-most-pre-ordered-game-on-playstation-and-xbox-in-history/index.html
