Grand Theft Auto 6 PS5 pre-orders are outselling Xbox 8 to 1 per IGN affiliate data, and the game sits at number one on the PlayStation Store in every region globally, months before its November 19 launch.
Forget outselling Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders on Xbox Series S/X 6 to 1, IGN's affiliate linking program shows that PlayStation 5 sales of the next Grand Theft Auto are outpacing competition by 8 to 1. It's a wider figure than the one Xbox pushed back on, with GTA 6 now also showing up as the number one best-selling game on the PlayStation Store in pretty much every region across the world, from the United States to India and Japan, among others.
To be fair, this isn't entirely surprising. The PS5 has a much larger install base, and Rockstar has historically tied closely to PlayStation, marketing GTA 6 aggressively as if it's a first-party title. So the lopsided split is less a surprise and more the expected result of where the players already are, amplified by an intense marketing partnership between Sony and PlayStation.
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However, a bigger ratio doesn't mean Xbox is failing. Xbox can have its best-ever pre-order numbers and still be outsold 8 to 1 because PlayStation simply has far more consoles in the wild and the demand for GTA 6 is just that high.
GTA 6 Pre-Order Split
| Source | PS5 vs Xbox Ratio | Scope |
|---|---|---|
Earlier retailer data | 6 to 1 | Certain retailers |
IGN affiliate program | 8 to 1 | IGN's buyers |
PlayStation Store | #1 in every region | Global digital storefront |
Xbox's own claim | Disputes 6 to 1, cites "record orders" | Xbox's internal data |
PlayStation is winning the GTA 6 pre-order race by a wide margin.
What this confirms, beyond doubt, is the scale of GTA 6 demand overall. Being the number one game on the PlayStation Store in every region is genuinely striking, because it means GTA 6 is topping the charts everywhere, simultaneously, months before launch. That global, uniform dominance is the real story here, more than the exact platform ratio. It lines up with everything else we have seen, from pre-orders dwarfing Call of Duty and FC to console shortage warnings.
Unfortunately, this isn't all good news. Although it's great that Take-Two Interactive will see these numbers and find relief, even as its share price dips slightly, users hoping for Rockstar to change its mind about the lack of a physical release might not have much of a hold at all.
Even though GameStop is confirming that people are avoiding pre-ordering GTA 6 in-store and retailers are refusing to stock it on their shelves until there's a physical disc launch, the digital sales prove that most are paying these issues no mind. Some are even falling for scalpers who are asking higher prices on eBay, which just goes to show that Rockstar really has no incentive to change anything at all. Don't expect a physical launch anytime soon, nor any action on the controversial Ultimate Edition, which has drawn backlash for paywalling content behind a $20 premium.
With GTA 6 launching on November 19 and the numbers continuing to climb, it'll be interesting to see what Xbox will do to change the narrative about falling behind the competition, especially after recently raising its prices.