Even before the official release of Grand Theft Auto VI, developer Rockstar Games and publisher Take-Two Interactive have generated nearly $1.1 billion from digital pre-orders. According to data cited by RBC-Ukraine via YouTube Blog and Sensor Tower analysts, as of Thursday, November 12, players had placed 11.27 million digital pre-orders on consoles. For comparison, back on October 20, the figure stood at 6.45 million copies worth $630 million, meaning pre-order volume nearly doubled in three weeks.
Platform Breakdown and Average Ticket Size
According to the same data, PlayStation accounts for about 8.46 million pre-orders totaling $821 million, while Xbox recorded about 2.81 million pre-orders worth $272 million. The average gamer expenditure per copy is estimated at around $97. Sony described the demand for the game as "unprecedented," while Microsoft confirmed that the title has become the most pre-ordered game in their store's history. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive themselves have not disclosed official figures, but Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick previously noted that order volumes significantly exceed the company's projections.
Comparison with GTA 5 and Analyst Forecasts
For context: the previous installment in the series, Grand Theft Auto V, reached the one-billion-dollar mark in 2013 only three days after launch. Amid the hype surrounding the sixth installment, Newzoo analysts project that total revenue for GTA 6 by the end of its first week post-release will range from $3.3 billion to $5.2 billion. It was also noted that owners of older hardware will not be left out: Microsoft confirmed the game will be available to older Xbox One users via the Xbox Cloud Gaming cloud service. Everyone who manages to place an order before November 19 will receive the Vintage Vice City Pack bonus set and a one-month GTA+ subscription.
Large-Scale Broadcasts on YouTube
Video platforms are also gearing up to capitalize on the game's hype. According to YouTube, videos dedicated to the Grand Theft Auto franchise have already amassed over 900 billion views, while clips directly concerning the sixth part have been viewed over 40 billion times prior to its release. On release day, November 19, at midnight Eastern Time (7:00 Kyiv time), a special 24-hour livestream will kick off on YouTube: about 30 prominent content creators will explore the map of Leonida state live for the first time, with a pre-show hosted by the RDCWorld collective. Viewers will also be shown live broadcasts from Miami, where a massive marketing campaign for the game is underway. Due to time zone differences, residents of New Zealand and Europe will be able to download and launch the game several hours earlier.
What Is Known About Gameplay and Multiplayer
According to Rockstar North representative Rob Nelson, completing the single-player story campaign featuring protagonists Jason and Lucia alongside side missions takes about 80 hours, giving streamers enough single-player content for several weeks. Meanwhile, a full-fledged multiplayer mode, based on hints from Twitch head Dan Clancy, should not be expected until 2027 at the earliest. Thus, the November 19 release will stand as one of the most anticipated events in recent gaming industry history, with record pre-orders confirming that GTA 6 has become the most anticipated game ever.
