Grand Theft Auto VI has become the most pre-ordered video game in history, with pre-sales estimated at close to $1 billion before the game has even launched, according to new figures. The estimates, from the market research firm Sensor Tower, suggest the game has already overtaken the previous record holder by a wide margin.
Sensor Tower estimates that 9.69 million copies of the game have been pre-ordered, generating about $942 million in revenue as of 10 November. That would make GTA VI the most pre-ordered game ever, ahead of Cyberpunk 2077, which held the previous record with eight million pre-orders in 2020.
The figures break down to 7.23 million pre-orders on PlayStation 5, worth about $703 million, and 2.46 million on Xbox, worth about $239 million. The PlayStation version accounts for roughly three-quarters of all pre-orders, reflecting the strength of the game’s audience on Sony’s console.
The estimates have not been confirmed by Rockstar Games or its parent company Take-Two Interactive, and the official figures will only be known after the game launches on 19 November. But Sony and Microsoft have both confirmed that demand has broken records on their stores. Sony said on the PlayStation Blog that the game had set a record for pre-orders on the PlayStation Store, while Microsoft said on Xbox Wire that it had set a record on the Xbox store.
Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick said on the company’s earnings call on 9 November that pre-sales were “running far in excess of expectations”, a remark that has fuelled the sense that the game is on course for one of the biggest entertainment launches of all time.
The scale of the demand is in line with the anticipation that has built up since Rockstar first announced the game. Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, has sold more than 200 million copies and is one of the best-selling entertainment products in history, and the sequel has been awaited for more than a decade.
The pre-order figures are only part of the story. Pre-loading for the game went live earlier this week, with a download of 212 gigabytes, and Rockstar has announced a series of in-game events to mark the launch, including a festival in Miami — the real-world inspiration for the game’s setting of Vice City — featuring Travis Scott, Cardi B and Metro Boomin.
Analysts say the game’s first-day sales could be enormous. Some estimates suggest it could generate more than $1 billion in its first 24 hours, which would make it the fastest-selling entertainment product ever, ahead of any film, book or previous game. The pre-order figures suggest that such a result is plausible.
The launch also matters for the wider games industry, which has had a difficult few years. A record-breaking GTA VI launch would be a shot in the arm for retailers, for console makers and for the industry as a whole, and it could set a new benchmark for what a single game can achieve commercially.
For now, the figures remain estimates, and the true scale of the launch will only become clear after 19 November. But if the Sensor Tower numbers are anywhere near accurate, Grand Theft Auto VI has already made history — and it has not even been released yet.
