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GTA 6 pre-orders now estimated at $1.09 billion, Sensor Tower says
USA Today reports a later Sensor Tower snapshot that Grand Theft Auto VI has 11.27 million pre-ordered units and $1.09 billion in estimated revenue, with a 75-25 PlayStation-to-Xbox split. The Washington Post earlier cited more than 10 million pre-orders and over $1 billion net of returns. The figures are not official Rockstar or Take-Two numbers.
TIGGEEK Newsroom · · 3 min read
A week before Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026, Sensor Tower's estimated pre-order totals have been reported twice. The Washington Post, on November 11, cited more than 10 million pre-orders and revenue above $1 billion net of returns. USA Today, on November 12, cited a later Sensor Tower snapshot of 11.27 million units and $1.09 billion, with a 75-25 PlayStation-to-Xbox split.
Those figures are Sensor Tower's estimates, not an official tally from Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.
The later snapshot, per USA Today
USA Today, in a November 12 report by Julia Gomez and Greta Cross, says Sensor Tower estimates $1.09 billion from 11.27 million units, with PlayStation 5 accounting for 75 percent of purchases and Xbox Series X|S for 25 percent. This article is attributing those figures to Sensor Tower as reported by USA Today, not as first-party results.
The 75-25 platform split in the USA Today snapshot is consistent with the Washington Post's earlier note that PlayStation 5 accounted for about 75 percent of the purchases in Sensor Tower's November 11 tracker.
What Sensor Tower estimated on November 11, per the Washington Post
The Post said Sensor Tower's sales tracker, updated on November 11, estimated that more than 10 million copies were pre-ordered across PlayStation 5 and Xbox platforms, "putting revenue above $1 billion net of returns." Every number in that earlier account — the 10 million-plus pre-orders, the revenue above $1 billion after returns, and the roughly 75 percent PlayStation share — comes from Sensor Tower as reported by the Washington Post.
The estimate covers digital pre-orders on the two launch platforms, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It should not be read as a global, all-format official sales figure, and it does not, by itself, count physical code-in-box copies or a PC version. There is still no official PC release at launch.
How this sits with what the stores have said
Sony and Microsoft have each made store-specific pre-order claims, which we covered separately. Sony described Grand Theft Auto VI as "the most pre-ordered game in the history of PlayStation Store." Microsoft called it "the most pre-ordered title of all time on the Microsoft Store." Neither company published a unit count or a dollar total to go with those statements, and those claims should not be widened beyond the stores they name.
Pre-loading is already live, and Microsoft says [cloud play begins at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time on November 19](/blog/gta-6-xbox-cloud-gaming-day-one). The game still unlocks on a [rolling midnight schedule by country](/blog/gta-6-preload-live-rolling-midnight-launch), starting at 12:00 a.m. NZDT on November 19. Pre-orders, even at this scale, do not mean the game can be played early.
The album is not being delayed
A claim that Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album has been delayed is misleading. Billboard, in a November 9 report on the Miami festival, says the album "will arrive alongside the video game" on November 19. That is the date this article is using. We are not treating a later shipping date for a physical edition as an album delay.
The takeaway
Sensor Tower, as reported by USA Today on November 12, estimates 11.27 million units and $1.09 billion, with a 75-25 PlayStation-to-Xbox split. The Washington Post's November 11 account was more than 10 million pre-orders and more than $1 billion net of returns. Treat both as third-party estimates, not a Rockstar or Take-Two report. The official launch is still November 19.
Cover image: The Miami skyline from the water, photographed by Matthew T Rader. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo is a real-world view of the city that inspired Vice City; it is not official Grand Theft Auto VI artwork.
Key facts
- USA Today snapshot
- Nov 12: 11.27 million units and $1.09 billion, 75% PS5 / 25% Xbox, per Sensor Tower as reported by USA Today
- Washington Post snapshot
- Nov 11: more than 10 million pre-orders and over $1 billion net of returns, about 75% on PS5, per Sensor Tower
- Status
- Third-party estimates, not official Rockstar or Take-Two figures
- Launch
- November 19, 2026