Microsoft pushed back on reports that pre-orders for GTA 6 are overwhelmingly concentrated on PlayStation 5, saying the company’s internal data shows Xbox’s share of pre-orders is in line with its overall market share.
In response to commentary linking the pre-order breakdown to concerns about Xbox’s platform position, Xbox Strategy Director Matthew Ball issued a statement emphasizing the strength of Xbox pre-orders. Ball wrote:
Tom, we are very pleased with GTA VI pre-orders. The title is breaking records for Xbox, and we expect even more records this fall. Our internal analysis shows that the pre-order share matches our console market share.
The remarks were aimed at a point raised by The Verge journalist Tom Warren in an article about recent Xbox studio layoffs and restructuring. Warren noted that PS5’s dominance in GTA 6 pre-orders “rings another troubling bell” for Xbox as a gaming platform.
Public sales figures provide context: Sony regularly discloses PS5 numbers, reporting that more than 95 million PS5 units had sold as of June 30. Microsoft, by contrast, has not released specific cumulative figures for the Xbox Series X and S for several years. Analysts cited in coverage say the Xbox Series lineup lags the PS5 by at least a 2:1 ratio; if that gap is reflected in GTA 6 pre-orders, it would imply roughly twice as many PS5 pre-orders as Xbox pre-orders.
Observers also point to Sony’s prominent marketing partnership with Rockstar Games as a driver of PS5 pre-orders. Examples of that collaboration include:
- Gameplay videos of GTA 6 mainly showcase the PS5 version;
- The console regularly appears in the game's promotional materials;
- A customized interface for GTA 6 has been developed for PS5.
Sony has additionally published PlayStation blog posts highlighting PS5 features GTA 6 will use, such as the DualSense controller’s built-in speaker and haptic feedback. Promotional touches extend to a PlayStation smartphone app icon themed in GTA 6 colors with palm leaves.
Given Sony’s visible role in promoting the title, a pre-order skew toward PS5 has been unsurprising to some analysts and commentators. GTA 6 is scheduled for release on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S on November 19.