GTA 6 Crosses $1 Billion Before Launch: 12 Million Pre-Orders, 75% on PS5, Sensor Tower Estimates

Grand Theft Auto VI has already made more than a billion dollars, and it does not come out until Thursday. Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower estimates the game had reached 12.13 million digital pre-orders on PlayStation and Xbox as of the morning of November 13, generating about $1.18 billion in gross revenue, according to reports from GameSpot and FOX. That is up roughly 860,000 copies from the 11.27 million Sensor Tower counted a day earlier. Rockstar’s open-world sequel launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

How many copies has GTA 6 sold so far?

These are estimates of digital store pre-purchases, not official figures from Rockstar or Take-Two, and they do not include physical copies. Even so, the scale is unprecedented. Sony and Microsoft have already confirmed GTA 6 is the most pre-ordered game in the history of their digital stores, as Nerdism reported earlier this week. For comparison, Cyberpunk 2077’s widely cited pre-order record was around 8 million.

GameSpot notes that Grand Theft Auto V needed 72 hours on sale to cross $1 billion in 2013. GTA 6 has done it with nearly a week still to go.

Is GTA 6 selling more on PS5 or Xbox?

PlayStation is dominating the split. Sensor Tower puts PS5 at about 9.08 million pre-orders and $880 million in revenue, against 3.06 million copies and $296 million on Xbox Series X|S, a roughly 75/25 ratio that tracks each console’s installed base. Sony’s machine recently passed 100 million units sold, giving it a much larger audience for Rockstar’s launch.

Sensor Tower also says pre-orders leaned toward the $100 Ultimate Edition over the $80 standard version, though it expects that mix to even out by release day.

How big could GTA 6’s launch be?

Sensor Tower projects as many as 25 million pre-purchases by launch. Wall Street is thinking even bigger. Investor’s Business Daily, as cited by GameSpot, compiled forecasts including BMO Capital Markets analyst Brian Pitz’s estimate of 45 million copies in the launch quarter and 55 million in Take-Two’s fiscal year ending March 31, 2027. Raymond James analyst Andrew Marok forecasts 50 million for the fiscal year, with a blended average selling price close to $90.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella summed it up to GameSpot: “This is an outlier in every respect.”

When does GTA 6 come out, and what happens next?

GTA 6 releases Thursday, November 19, set in a modern Vice City and the wider state of Leonida. Reviews are reportedly embargoed until November 18, one day before launch, and pre-loads are already live. Rockstar has confirmed the game targets 30 frames per second on every console, including PS5 Pro. Some broadband providers have also warned of record traffic as players pre-download the game.

The next numbers to watch are Sensor Tower’s final pre-launch count and, eventually, Take-Two’s own first official sales announcement, which would confirm or correct these estimates.

This is a developing story.

Related on Nerdism

• GTA 6 Is Now the Most Pre-Ordered Game in PlayStation and Xbox Store History
• GTA 6 Will Run at 30 FPS on Every Console, Including PS5 Pro
• PS5 Passes 100 Million Units

Sources: GameSpot, GameSpot (analyst forecasts), FOX 29, Sensor Tower