GTA 6 Expected to Lead PS5 to Record-Breaking Fiscal Year

With Xbox all but waving the white flag and Nintendo content catering to its life-long audiences, Sony's latest console, the PlayStation 5, and its flagship variant, the PlayStation 5 Pro, are on a roll. The company reported unprecedented success during the 2024 holiday season, and they're already predicting even bigger numbers later this year. One of the reasons for the heightened expectations? Grand Theft Auto 6.

In a recent financial presentation, Sony revealed that the PlayStation 5 has surpassed the 75 million units shipped milestone, cementing its position as one of the fastest-selling consoles in gaming history. The holiday period of 2024 proved to be particularly fruitful, with an impressive 9.5 million PS5 consoles shipped in just three months. This figure narrowly missed the record set by its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, which shipped 9.7 million units during its peak quarter in fiscal year 2017.

However, the PS5 could break this record later this year off the backs of its upcoming titles, which feature a healthy mix of both first-party and third-party games. Sony's Chief Financial Officer, Hiroki Totoki, expressed optimism about the company's future performance, stating, "As for the next fiscal year, first-party, third-party, we expect very good titles coming out. So that is a good year. We have a high expectation for the performance of the next fiscal year."_Death Stranding 2: On the Beach_and_Ghost of Yotei_are among the AAA exclusives scheduled for release in the coming year. While Totoki didn't official name it, it doesn't take an expert to know that_GTA 6_plays a huge role in Sony's PS5 sales expectations for the next fiscal year.

Historically,_Grand Theft Autogames have done well on Sony's video game consoles.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreasis the best-selling title on the PlayStation 2 of all time at 17.33 million units withGrand Theft Auto: Vice CityandGrand Theft Auto IIIclose behind at 14.2 million and 11.6 million, respectively.Grand Theft Auto Vis also the best-selling title on the PlayStation 3 with nearly 30 million copies sold. AlthoughGrand Theft Auto IV_didn't top the sales charts on the PS3, it remains a commercially successful game with nearly 5 million units sold on the same platform.

So even if Totoki didn't explicitly mention Rockstar's upcoming blockbuster, everyone, including other publishers like Electronic Arts and Xbox, know that it will move the sales needle for PlayStation and the video game industry, as a whole.

With Take-Two Interactive revealing its extensive marketing budget post April 1, 2025, it's possible that it could work closely together with Sony in a mutually beneficial partnership. Previous rumors suggested that Sony will bundle_GTA 6_with the PS5 Pro ahead of its release. If the theories of a holiday 2025 release date for_GTA 6_hold up following the release date reveal of_Borderlands 4_, selling more than 20 million units of the PS5 next fiscal year is well within reach.

The PS5 Pro is expected to be the best way to experience_GTA 6_ despite its limitations until the PC port is released, which isn't expected to happen anytime soon.