Rockstar Is on Track to Make Billions With the GTA 6 Launch
GTA 6’s First Week of Pre-Orders Puts the Game on Track to Earn Billions
After nearly a decade of waiting, the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is finally almost upon gamers. Pre-orders for the game went live on June 25, and as of now, Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive seem to be on track to make billions with the launch. (Although the rumor that GTA 6 garnered $1 billion in sales in the first hour that pre-orders were open is untrue, according to Newzoo, a gaming market insights firm.)
Newzoo is out with a new analysis that puts the total amount for first-week pre-order sales — across five European markets and the United States — at approximately $180 million. The firm’s global estimate for the same time period is roughly $260 million, making the game’s total earnings likely to be in the billions.
According to Newzoo’s report, “That marks the strongest opening to a pre-order campaign ever recorded in our dataset.”
What Newzoo’s Data Shows for The Game
According to Newzoo, there are three different pre-order curves for sequels to previous hit games. The Proven Sequel curve is the one GTA 6 most closely resembles. That curve relies on an already-known, highly anticipated quantity that offers a tried-and-true game formula and has a loyal fan base, which means a large chunk of the game’s total revenue comes during pre-orders.
The Proven Sequel curve would mean that opening-week sales would account for around 5.8% of all revenue booked by the close of launch week. Because GTA 6 brought in an estimated $260 million during its opening week, that could mean that Rockstar and Take-Two are on track to earn approximately $4.5 billion by the week of its launch.
However, Newzoo’s final estimated bracket for GTA 6 puts the total launch week sales anywhere between $3.25 and $5.2 billion.
What Can Players Expect From GTA 6?
According to the Rockstar Games website, GTA 6 is set to be the largest and most immersive of the Grand Theft Auto series so far. However, there are also potential issues with the game, such as the fact that it is set to release only on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Additionally, Rockstar still hasn’t released a trailer containing actual gameplay, so how the game will look and feel is unknown.
As for the storyline, the site states, “Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
The GTA 6 release date is November 19, 2026, giving gamers only another four months to get those pre-orders in to make this the biggest Grand Theft Auto launch yet.
(feature image: Rockstar)
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