GTA 6 Already Made $1 Billion Before Launch And PS5 Is Crushing Xbox

by Paul Lilly — Thursday, November 12, 2026, 10:50 AM EDT

Grand Theft Auto VI bank heist — Who needs a bank heist when you're already raking in a billion bucks? - Image: Rockstar Games

Publisher Take-Two Interactive is already raking in the dough from Grand Theft Auto VI before the game even launches, with preorder revenue surpassing an estimated $1 billion, according to data tracked by Sensor Tower. Even Dr. Evil would be impressed by such a feat. To put that into perspective, it took Grand Theft Auto V three days after launch to reach the same milestone.

Having crossed the $1 billion threshold before launch, GTA VI finds itself in rarefied territory. Plenty of other games have generated $1 billion or more in revenue, but no other title has been confirmed to reach that milestone through preorders alone.

The important caveat is that Sensor Tower's data consists of third-party estimates, not official sales figures from Take-Two Interactive. However, GTA VI is one of the most anticipated video games in history, and given the enormous hype surrounding its release, it's not hard to believe that preorder revenue has already crossed the $1 billion mark. If it hasn't, the game could very well be close.

More evidence of the tremendous anticipation surround GTA VI is the scramble to secure a PlayStation 5 Pro ahead of the game's launch. Even after Sony raised the price from $699 to $899 earlier this year, the upgraded PS5 Pro has been routinely selling out at retailers. Restocks are frequent, but typically sell out in seconds. While it's difficult to say how much of that demand is directly attributable to GTA VI, the timing suggests plenty of gamers are eager to have their hardware ready before Rockstar's next big blockbuster releases.

Sensor Tower preorder data for Grand Theft Auto VI — Grand Theft Auto VI preorders are heavily favor PlayStation consoles over Xbox systems - Image: Sensor Data

In line with that thinking, Sensor Tower's data also points to the preorder sales on PlayStation consoles eclipsing Xbox preorders 3-to-1. The sales tracker shows 8.46 million copies sold for PS5 consoles compared to 2.81 million for the Xbox Series X|S.

Part of that is undoubtedly due to the PS5 having a much bigger install base. However, Rockstar Games has repeatedly highlighted the PS5 in its marketing promotions and trailers ahead of GTA VI's release. And as it relates to the PS5 Pro, the console's confirmed support for PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) and ray-traced shadows is likely driving sales in Sony's favor. Additionally, the PS5 Pro sports 2TB of storage, which is another key selling point—GTA VI preloads take up 212GB of space, prompting ISPs to offer free speed boosts.

GTA VI releases a week from today on November 19, 2026.

Tags: Xbox, Rockstar Games, (NASDAQ:TTWO), ps5, playstation 5, grand theft auto vi, gta 6

Paul Lilly

Paul is a seasoned geek who cut this teeth on the Commodore 64. When he's not geeking out to tech, he's out riding his Harley and collecting stray cats.