The GTA 5 launch records, set in September 2013, are the bar that every Grand Theft Auto VI headline will be measured against. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive have not published any launch sales for GTA VI, because the game does not release until November 19. What does exist is a clear record of what its predecessor achieved, drawn from Take-Two’s own announcements and the trade press at the time, plus what Take-Two has said so far about the new game. This guide keeps those two things apart.
What GTA V did in 2013
- $800 million on day one. Publisher Take-Two said GTA V pulled in a record $800 million worldwide in its first day, according to Deadline. That figure left out Japan and Brazil, where the game had not yet been released. The previous first-day record, held by Call of Duty: Black Ops II, was $500 million.
- More than $1 billion in three days. On September 20, 2013, Take-Two announced that GTA V had reached more than $1 billion in worldwide retail sales in its first three days, “according to Company estimatesâ€. In the release, Take-Two said it believed this was the fastest any entertainment property, “including video games and feature filmsâ€, had hit that milestone.
- What it beat. Black Ops II had taken 15 days to reach $1 billion, according to both Engadget and Deadline. Engadget calculated that $1 billion implied more than 16.5 million units.
Two cautions apply. These were retail sales estimates announced by the publisher, not audited accounting, and “retail sales†is a different number from the revenue Take-Two books. The film comparisons also mix very different things: a game price is paid once at a store, while box office is ticket sales over weeks.
What Take-Two has said about GTA VI so far
Take-Two has given no unit or dollar figure for GTA VI pre-orders. Variety reports that chief executive Strauss Zelnick said on the August 7 earnings call that GTA VI had an “exceptional start to preordersâ€, which were open for five days in the June quarter. “I can say that the level of preorders is unprecedented and astonishing,†he said, but added that they were so unprecedented “that we just don’t know how it’ll translate into salesâ€, and that the company does not believe in “claiming victory before it occurs.â€
Related Reading
The same call reiterated Take-Two’s fiscal 2027 net bookings outlook of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion, with Zelnick pointing to the November 19 launch. Net bookings, Variety explains, are recorded when an order is placed, while revenue reflects actual earned income, so the two numbers will not match on day one.
Update, November 9 call. On Take-Two’s fiscal second-quarter call, Zelnick said GTA VI pre-orders are running far ahead of initial expectations, but the company again declined to raise its forecast before launch and still gave no pre-order unit or dollar figure (Yahoo Finance, Investing.com). Take-Two kept its fiscal 2027 net bookings outlook at $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion and guided third-quarter net bookings to $3.35 billion to $3.5 billion, a quarter that includes the November 19 launch (Investing.com).
Why a fair comparison is hard
- Price. GTA VI costs $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for Ultimate, per The Hollywood Reporter. A dollar total for the same number of units will be higher than in 2013, so a “record†in dollars does not necessarily mean a record in copies.
- Format. The Standard Edition’s physical version is a code in a box rather than a disc, according to Variety, so even boxed sales are really downloads.
- Different metrics. In 2013 Take-Two reported retail sales. For GTA VI it may report net bookings, units or something else.
- Platforms. GTA VI launches only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no PC date announced, a narrower base than a game on every platform at once.
What to watch after launch
Take-Two reported GTA V’s first-day and three-day milestones in press releases within a few days of release. If it follows the same pattern, the first official numbers for GTA VI would come within days of November 19, though the company has not promised an announcement, and Zelnick has said it will not claim victory early. Until then, any dollar figure you see for GTA VI sales is an outside estimate, not a Take-Two number. For release details and pre-load times, see our GTA 6 hub.
Sources
- Take-Two Interactive press release, September 20, 2013: “Grand Theft Auto V Worldwide Sales Surpass $1 Billion In First Three Days†(Take-Two investor relations)
- Deadline: GTA V record first day
- Engadget: GTA V makes $1 billion in three days
- Variety: Take-Two earnings, August 7, 2026
- The Hollywood Reporter: pricing
- Yahoo Finance, Investing.com (Take-Two fiscal Q2 2027 call, November 9, 2026)
Image: Rockstar Games.
Like our coverage? Add xplorely.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our stories in Top Stories.
