Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders have suddenly become a battleground between PlayStation and Xbox. Earlier, Xbox Insider sources cited by The Verge’s Tom Warren claimed GTA 6 pre-orders were “heavily skewed toward PS5” — even suggesting Xbox was feeling platform pressure once again. But now Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball is pushing back, saying Microsoft is “very satisfied” with GTA 6 pre-order performance and that the Xbox version is already breaking platform records.
Xbox: Our Pre-Order Share Isn’t Getting Crushed!
Ball took to social media to explain that Xbox’s internal analysis shows GTA 6 Xbox pre-order share is proportional to Xbox’s overall console market share. He also stated the game is “breaking Xbox records” and is expected to set even more records as we head into fall. So rather than claiming “we beat PS5,” Xbox’s position is that their pre-order performance aligns with their current position in the console market.
So Where Did the “8-to-1” Figure Come From?
The controversy stems from IGN’s June report based on their shopping affiliate data, which indicated PS5 players purchased GTA 6 at roughly 8 times the rate of Xbox players through related links. However, Microsoft at the time emphasized that affiliate clicks and conversion data don’t represent complete game pre-order figures. Xbox also noted they were seeing record orders, so this single data point can’t be used to judge the actual pre-order gap between platforms.
Real Numbers Will Come From Take-Two
Rockstar and Take-Two haven’t released official platform-specific pre-order numbers, so claims of “PS5 dominance” versus “Xbox share aligns with market share” come from different data sources. Sensor Tower estimates from September 2026 show GTA 6 global pre-orders have exceeded 5 million copies, with PS5 at approximately 77% and Xbox at 23% — but these are third-party market estimates, not official Take-Two data.