GTA 6 preorders pass $1 billion before Nov. 19 launch

Take-Two Interactive has not disclosed its own preorder count. CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a Monday release that orders were reaching “unprecedented levels.” Sony and Microsoft have each said GTA 6 is the most preordered game in their digital stores’ histories. Rockstar opened preloads on Nov. 10.

The estimates put the sequel ahead of Grand Theft Auto V, which reached $1 billion in sales three days after its 2013 release, according to publisher Take-Two. About three-quarters of GTA 6 preorders were for PS5, The Washington Post reported on Nov. 11.

Interest has built since Rockstar’s first trailer arrived in December 2023. It drew more than 90 million YouTube views in 24 hours, setting a Guinness World Record, and had reached 302 million views as of Nov. 11, 2026. In August, Rockstar released a 27-minute preview made entirely with in-game footage, first on Netflix and later on YouTube. The official album is due with the game on Nov. 19; Rockstar and PlayStation will hold a Miami music festival two days later, featuring Cardi B, Travis Scott and Justice, the game’s score composer.

The game also topped Screen Engine and The Wrap’s survey of the most anticipated upcoming movie, show or game for a sixth consecutive week, with 8.3 percent of mentions. Avengers: Doomsday followed at 6.7 percent. The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping opens the day after GTA 6, alongside new seasons of Yellowjackets and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. “Hollywood should look at the hours as closely as the dollars,” The Game Awards founder Geoff Keighley told The Hollywood Reporter.

Some fans are planning those hours away from work. BambooHR found requests for Nov. 19 were 13 percent higher than for comparable days in 2024 and 2025; in a separate survey, 18 percent of salaried workers said they planned to take launch day off. Logitech is giving employees a day off to play a game of their choice, while its gaming division plans a launch-day stream from the company’s San Jose headquarters. An Army unit at Fort Stewart, Georgia, allegedly offered eligible soldiers a four-day pass tied to the release if they reenlisted by Nov. 14.