Grand Theft Auto VI preorders have crossed $1 billion globally ahead of its November 19 launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, according to estimates from market research firm Sensor Tower.
PlayStation 5 Drives $1 Billion in Game Preorders
The sales tracker estimates that more than 10 million copies of the game are preordered across the two console platforms, pushing revenue above $1 billion net of returns. PlayStation 5 accounts for about 75 percent of those purchases, as reported by Sensor Tower.
“which drops Nov. 19, have reached unprecedented levels,” Chief Executive Officer Strauss Zelnick said of pre-orders for GTA VI during an earnings call. “We expect to deliver an historic year for our company,” Zelnick said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Take-Two Interactive reported a $54 million second-quarter net loss, or 29 cents per share, while net bookings fell 18% to $1.60 billion. Following the earnings report and the preorder announcements, Take-Two shares rose more than 8% to $224 on Tuesday, as Yahoo Finance noted. Management maintained its fiscal 2027 net bookings forecast at $8 billion to $8.2 billion, while Freedom Capital Markets analyst Nick McKay revised estimates to reflect higher unit expectations and recurrent consumer spending boosts.
Media Executives Expect Game Release to Divert Audience Attention
Media and entertainment executives expect the release to draw significant attention away from competing films, streaming series, and television broadcasts.
“It’s going to be a watershed moment for not only the gaming industry but also all the folks in the media and entertainment industry who are going to have to deal with the fact that eyeballs are going to be leaving their environments to go play GTA 6,” said Bart Spiegel, global media, entertainment, gaming and sports leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, in The Hollywood Reporter.
The Rockstar Games project carries a first-year sales forecast of 45 million copies and $3.2 billion in sales, a figure that would top all-time box office earnings for Avengers: Endgame. Analysts at Enders Analysis project first-year unit sales between 30 million and 35 million, with a potential breakout scenario reaching higher unit counts.
Workforce data from Deputy shows that absenteeism increases nearly 9% among U.S. shift workers during major public launches, with hospitality jumping 32.4% and retail rising 14.5% as employees take time off to install games before they go live, according to GamesBeat. Digital preloading is available for customers who ordered the game digitally, with the file size listed at 207.7GB.
The upcoming title arrives amid a busy entertainment window, landing just days before or after several high-profile entertainment releases. Amazon-MGM is rolling out the third season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power over three weeks starting November 11, while Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer debuts November 13.
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens the day after GTA 6 launches on November 20, alongside the fourth season of Paramount+’s Yellowjackets and Disney’s third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Five days later, Amazon MGM releases the limited series Blade Runner 2099.
“I think GTA 6 will be the biggest entertainment launch in history,” said Geoff Keighley, gaming industry producer and entrepreneur behind The Game Awards. “Not just as a game in terms of dollars it will make — this will easily trump Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three — but how much it will impact moviegoing, streaming, and the way people spend their time.”
The title returns the franchise to Vice City, featuring a dual-protagonist structure focused on a man and a woman whose relationship drives the narrative. Pre-loading is available for users who purchased digital editions, and the release precedes a series of industry gatherings, including Hollywood & Games, which returns to Los Angeles on December 10 at the Grammy Museum’s Clive Davis Theater to bring together industry executives, founders, and investors.
Earlier coverage: GTA 6 Pre-orders Generate $751 Million, Sensor Tower Says