Sensor Tower estimates GTA 6 has about 9.7 million pre-orders, 75% on PS5. Here is what the numbers miss and what to do before Nov. 19.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, the best public estimate puts Grand Theft Auto VI at roughly 9.7 million pre-orders and about $942 million in sales, eight days before it goes on sale Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Those figures come from the analytics firm Sensor Tower, not from Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive, and neither company has published a total. Here is what the numbers say, where the reports disagree, and what it means for your launch night.
How many people have pre-ordered GTA 6?
About 9.69 million, according to GamesIndustry.biz, which says Sensor Tower's GTA 6 tracker now counts that many pre-orders worldwide, worth an estimated $942 million. A week earlier, on Nov. 7, the same tracker showed nearly 8 million and $751 million. In the outlet's October report, the count as of Oct. 13 was 6.08 million and $594 million.
A newer snapshot is already circulating. GamingBolt reports the tracker has moved to 10.31 million and more than $1 billion, and it tags the story as a rumor. We could not open Sensor Tower's own tracker page to check which number is current. So "close to 10 million" is the safe summary, and the exact figure is still moving.
Is PlayStation really beating Xbox three to one?
On these estimates, yes. The Loadout, reporting on the same tracker, puts PS5 at 7.23 million pre-orders (about $703 million) and Xbox Series X|S at 2.46 million (about $239 million). That is a 75% to 25% split. GamingBolt's higher snapshot keeps the same ratio, with 7.73 million on PS5 and 2.58 million on Xbox. In October, GamesIndustry.biz said the split was 74% PlayStation.
Both platforms say they hold the record on their own store. Sony's PlayStation Blog says GTA VI is now the most pre-ordered game in the history of PlayStation Store. Microsoft makes the same claim for the Microsoft Store, according to The Loadout and GamesIndustry.biz. The two claims don't clash, because each store only counts its own sales.
The gap itself shouldn't surprise anyone. The Loadout points out that PS5 has sold far more consoles than Xbox Series X|S, so the pre-order split roughly follows the install base.
What do these numbers not tell you?
Quite a lot. Here is what is confirmed and what is not:
- Confirmed by the companies: Sony and Microsoft each say it is a record on their store. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told GamesIndustry.biz that pre-orders are "far exceeding our original expectations" but would not give a number.
- Estimates only: every total above comes from Sensor Tower's tracker. Take-Two kept its full-year net bookings outlook at $8 billion to $8.2 billion, with Zelnick saying the company will know more after release.
- Scope is unclear: GamesIndustry.biz said in October that Sensor Tower's comparison covered digital pre-orders in the U.S. and left out boxed copies. Its Nov. 11 report describes the tracker as worldwide. We could not confirm which stores and regions the latest total includes.
- Projections are not sales: The Loadout says Sensor Tower projects as many as 25 million pre-purchases by launch. That is a forecast, not a count.
One more data point, also from The Loadout: Circana survey data shows 29% of U.S. console and PC gamers plan to buy GTA 6, which it calls the highest purchase intent Circana has measured for any game.
What should you do before Nov. 19?
If you pre-ordered on PS5 or Xbox, preloading has been open since Nov. 10. Sony says it joined Rockstar to open preloading nine days early because of demand, and the PlayStation Blog strongly advises preloading as soon as possible. The Loadout lists the install at about 212 GB, so clear the space first.
Sony also describes a rolling midnight launch by country, starting at 12:00 a.m. in New Zealand on Nov. 19. As we read that, U.S. players start at midnight in their own time zone, and The Loadout says the U.S. will be among the last places to begin. Xbox One owners can stream the game through Xbox Cloud Gaming starting at 1 a.m. ET on Nov. 19, per Xbox Wire. The cloud version uses Xbox Series S graphics settings, and the game must be bought separately. The Loadout says Amazon lists it at $79.99.
Our take: the headline total is less useful than the download warning buried underneath it. GamesIndustry.biz quoted investor Joost van Dreunen saying the bottleneck could still arrive on launch day, when "tens of millions day-of buyers" start downloading. Preloading handles most of that, but not a day-one patch. If you can, preload tonight and keep your console in Rest Mode or Sleep mode so it can finish on its own. And if you were hoping for a quiet first hour on the servers, a pre-order count this size says you won't get one.
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Picture credit: Rockstar Games
