GTA 6 Sells Nearly 8 Million Copies Before It Even Launches, Report Says

Nov 04, 2026 - 23:09

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GTA 6 Sells Nearly 8 Million Copies Before It Even Launches, Report Says

Published Nov 4, 2026, 1:31 PM EST

Sam Hill is a news writer at Polygon covering gaming and entertainment. He's a Portland, Oregon–based journalist known for covering gaming, the outdoors, national parks, tech, food, and internet culture. He has written for a range of publications including Outside Magazine, Boston Magazine, Vice, the Seattle Times and Digital Trends.

Rockstar's next blockbuster is generating hundreds of millions of dollars before anyone can actually play it

The anticipation surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6 is reaching a fever pitch as Rockstar Games' long-awaited open-world adventure gets closer to its launch. Between fans dissecting every trailer, an alligator Xbox sweepstakes capitalizing on the hype, and players preparing their hard drives for the massive download, it's clear that few games have generated this much excitement ahead of launch.

Now, new estimates suggest that the excitement is already translating into some seriously impressive sales figures. According to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, GTA 6 has reportedly sold approximately 7.71 million copies ahead of its Nov. 19 release. That's translated to an estimated $751 million in revenue, despite not being available to play yet.

Sensor Tower's figures suggest that PlayStation accounts for 74% of those sales, with Xbox making up the remaining 26%. While Rockstar has yet to officially confirm its preorder numbers, the estimates offer an interesting glimpse into just how enormous the demand for GTA 6 has become.

GTA 6 is already competing with 2026's biggest games

To put those numbers into perspective, GTA 6 is already comfortably in the conversation among 2026's best-selling games, despite still being more than two weeks away from launch.

The latest year-to-date sales rankings from Circana offer a useful snapshot of the competition. Its current top ten includes major releases such as NBA 2K27, Resident Evil: Requiem, 007 First Light, MLB: The Show 26, Crimson Desert, and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Circana's published chart doesn't include total units sold, making a direct comparison difficult. However, Resident Evil Requiem has reportedly sold 8.5 million copies, meaning GTA 6's estimated 7.71 million copies means it's likely already on its way to being one of the year's top-sellers. Of course, these figures come from different market-tracking sources, so they shouldn't be treated as a definitive ranking.

With just over two weeks remaining until launch, those preorder numbers could climb even further. If Sensor Tower's estimates are anywhere close to the mark, GTA 6 is one of the biggest commercial releases of the year before it has even officially arrived. It will be released Nov. 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.