Xbox has a message for anyone reading the GTA 6 pre-order charts as a verdict: relax.
Matthew Ball, Xbox’s chief strategy officer, went on X to shoot down the idea that Microsoft is “unhappy with the GTA 6 numbers on Xbox.” It’s a rare case of a platform holder answering a sales rumor directly, and he didn’t hedge.
“Tom, we are very happy with GTA VI pre-orders. The title is breaking records for XBOX, we expect even more records will be broken throughout the fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market,” Ball said.
Where the panic started
The spark was third-party data, not anything from Rockstar or Take-Two. Analytics firm Sensor Tower reported that GTA 6 pre-orders on PS5 far outweigh those on Xbox consoles, with a ratio as high as 3-to-1.
Then a tech outlet ran an unverified report that picked up serious traction online. Its framing, shared on social media: “Xbox is reportedly very concerned that GTA VI preorders are heavily skewed toward PS5.”
That’s the line Ball was responding to. And once it was out there, a fresh round of console-war arguments followed, pretty much on schedule.
The numbers behind the split
Here’s the part that makes the whole thing less dramatic than it sounded. According to Sensor Tower’s estimates, Xbox accounts for 23% of GTA 6 pre-orders, which works out to roughly 1.3 million copies and $128 million in revenue.
PS5 takes the other 77%, with 4.35 million copies and $426 million in revenue.
Big gap, sure. But it tracks with the simplest explanation available: significantly more PS5 consoles have been sold, so more people are pre-ordering on PS5. (Ball’s own claim, based on Microsoft’s internal analysis, says the same thing in corporate language.)
What’s official and what isn’t
Keep the sources straight. The 3-to-1 split and the copy and revenue figures are Sensor Tower estimates. The “very concerned” angle was a report. Ball’s statement is the only official word here, and it comes from Xbox, not Rockstar.
Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Microsoft says it’s pleased with how Rockstar’s game is performing on its consoles, and Ball is betting the fall brings more records.
His own words: “We are very happy with GTA VI pre-orders.” No asterisk attached.
