Key Takeaways
- Sony and Microsoft named GTA VI the most pre-ordered game in their digital stores’ history, with Sony citing “unprecedented demand.”
- Sensor Tower estimates 9.69 million digital console pre-orders worth $942 million after returns, with PlayStation accounting for roughly 75 percent; Rockstar and Take-Two haven’t confirmed figures.
- GTA VI launches November 19, with Xbox One players gaining access through Xbox Cloud Gaming and both platforms urging players to pre-load.
It’s official: Grand Theft Auto VI is the most pre-ordered game in PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store history.
Both Sony and Microsoft announced the news today, making it clear just how popular the game really is. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment Content Communications Manager, Tim Turi, said that the company had seen “unprecedented demand” for the upcoming title.
Microsoft’s Xbox shared a similar message, also announcing that GTA VI would be available to stream via Xbox Cloud Gaming for Xbox One consoles.
The records follow a recent comment from Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, who said presales are running "far ahead" of the company's expectations. Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has confirmed any pre-order figures.
Third-party tracking gives a sense of the scale. Digital console pre-orders hit an estimated 9.69 million as of November 10, worth about $942 million after returns, per a tracker by Sensor Tower. A week earlier, the estimate stood at 7.71 million.
PlayStation accounts for roughly 75 percent of that estimate, with 7.23 million copies and $703 million, while Xbox has 2.46 million copies and $239 million. The estimate works out to about $97 per copy, which suggests most buyers are choosing the Ultimate Edition.
Anyone who pre-orders GTA VI through Nov. 19 also gets the Vintage Vice City Pack and one month of GTA+. Pre-orders first opened on June 25.
PlayStation is using a rolling midnight launch by country, beginning at 12:00 AM NZDT in New Zealand on Nov. 19. Cloud play on Xbox opens at 1 AM ET that day. Sony says it "strongly advise[s]" launch-day players to pre-load as soon as possible, and Xbox is giving players the same advice.
