Grand Theft Auto VI Finds “Strongest Opening” Pre-Orders Ever, XBOX Touts Record Pre-Purchasing

Last month, fans across the globe were ecstatic when discovering that Grand Theft Auto VI would be launching its pre-order plans for the game on June 25th. The decision also plays into a previous report that circulated back in February. Parent company Take-Two Interactive disclosed that marketing for the title would commence as soon as summer later in the year.

Upon pre-orders going live, it was revealed that Grand Theft Auto VI would be a digital release. Despite the game releasing in a retail capacity, physical cases would be available with a ‘code in box’. This, of course, upset many fans anticipating to own a tangible copy of the title. It was later indicated in one report that Rockstar Games has zero plans to later print physical discs for Grand Theft Auto VI.

Amid the controversial decision, Grand Theft Auto VI is still tracking to be one of the biggest releases to date. Just in pre-orders, industry analytical site Newzoo shared that Grand Theft Auto VI is the “strongest opening to a pre-order campaign ever recorded.” Grand Theft Auto V tracked over $1 billion upon release and the sequel appears to outpace that. “Based on the pre-order sales curve GTA 6 is most likely to follow, this puts the game on pace for $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion in cumulative global sales by the end of launch week.”

Following the pre-orders going live for Grand Theft Auto VI, it was claimed already that $3 billion generated from pre-purchasing was made. But, Newzoo relays that sales are nowhere close to that metric months from Grand Theft Auto VI from releasing. “Contrary to social media reports, GTA VI has not done a billion dollars in pre-orders 21 weeks out. This is absurd: given how pre-order curves look, nothing ever has and nothing ever will.

“What the data actually shows is $180 million in digital spend across the US and the five largest European markets in the final week of June, translating to a global opening week of roughly $260 million, with most of the ramp still ahead. Run that $260 million figure through the plausible band of pre-order curves, and GTA VI is on track to book between $3.25 billion and $5.2 billion in week-one launch revenue.”

Of course, majority of the numbers are anticipated to be from PlayStation. However, XBOX is not to be undermined according to Microsoft. In one statement to Windows Central, the firm issued a statement on claims sales were 8:1 for the consoles: “This doesn’t represent pre-order data. We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links.” IGN’s Destin Legarie also received a comment: “We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data.”

What is somewhat detrimental is that recent digital choices by PlayStation could hinder marketing for Grand Theft Auto VI. According to Moore’s Law is Dead, developer relationships are likely to go south if the direction of fan engagement remains negatively – especially come the marketing campaign from Rockstar Games. You can read the full report by heading here.

Are you surprised the premature success of Grand Theft Auto VI thus far?

Grand Theft Auto VI releases for XBOX Series X|S & PlayStation 5 on November 19, 2026.

Source: Newzoo