Xbox isn't taking this one lying down. New management is taking control of the Grand Theft Auto VI narrative fast, quickly pushing back against claims that IGN's affiliate-linked activity favors PS5 8 to 1. In a statement sent to Windows Central, Xbox is saying that the 8-to-1 number doesn't represent actual pre-order data, stating that it has also seen record orders for the next Grand Theft Auto.
To be fair, Xbox can still say the right thing and lose the console war. How so? Because the demand for GTA 6 is just that big, as evidenced by this French retailer.
The 8-to-1 figure concerned activity through IGN’s affiliate links, not a verified total of retailer pre-orders. Xbox saying it has record orders is also plausible, because claims like "record for Xbox" and "far behind PlayStation" don't cancel each other. Xbox could be having the best pre-order launch in its history while PlayStation attracts more interest in that sample because the PS5 has a much larger install base, and Sony is marketing GTA 6 as if it's an exclusive title.
A record for Xbox does not mean Xbox is matching PlayStation. It means Xbox is beating whatever numbers Xbox had posted in the past.
Microsoft has an obvious incentive to push back on a story that says it is getting crushed. "PlayStation leads Xbox 8 to 1 in IGN’s affiliate sample" is a bad headline for Xbox, especially right after it raised console prices. So, Xbox issuing a statement emphasizing its own record orders is partly accurate information and partly damage control. It makes it the version of the truth that flatters Xbox, the same way the affiliate-linked figure is the version that flatters PlayStation.
With that said, until Sony or Microsoft releases actual pre-order totals, which they rarely do, nobody outside those companies, and possibly also Rockstar Games, knows the true split.
The most likely case here is that Xbox has record orders while IGN’s sample favors PlayStation; the measures are different and the conversation is partly about optics. GTA 6 is so massive that it is certainly setting records on both platforms in absolute terms, while PlayStation still takes the larger share because it simply has more consoles out there.
What this means for you, practically, is almost nothing. The platform you should buy GTA 6 on depends on what you own, what your friends play, and your budget, not on whose pre-order numbers are bigger. Cross-play is expected, the game is the same on both, and a pre-order ratio does not change your experience. This is a very welcome change of pace for the normally docile Xbox.
For now, both companies can continue spinning real but partial data while the true numbers stay private. The only number that settles it, total sales, comes after launch on November 19.
Until then, both sides get to claim a win, and both are sort of right.
