GTA 6 Pre-Loading Goes Live on PS5 and Xbox as Take-Two Says Pre-Orders Are Far Above Its Expectations

NEW YORK — Players began pre-loading Grand Theft Auto VI on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S this week, nine days before one of the most anticipated video game launches ever. Take-Two Interactive said pre-orders are running well above its own projections.

Rockstar Games, the Take-Two studio behind the series, opened pre-loading for digital pre-orders on Nov. 10. The game launches Nov. 19 after two delays. On Xbox, pre-loading opened at the same moment worldwide, at 12 a.m. GMT on Nov. 10, which was the evening of Nov. 9 in the Americas. On PS5, it opens at midnight local time on Nov. 10 in each region.

Rockstar told players to clear "up to 212 GB of available space depending on your device," one of the largest console downloads ever. Microsoft's store listing puts the Xbox download at about 225 GB. Boxed editions are code-in-box versions that contain only a download code. They are expected in stores from Nov. 12.

Take-Two discussed the launch in its fiscal second-quarter results, released Monday. Chief Executive Strauss Zelnick said demand had exceeded the company's planning but did not give figures.

"The launch of Grand Theft Auto VI is ten days away and, with pre-orders continuing to reach unprecedented levels, we expect to deliver an historic year for our company," Zelnick said in the earnings release.

On the analyst call that followed, he said: "Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are tracking far in excess of our initial expectations, and we know that the numbers will speak for themselves soon enough." He also confirmed the game is finished. "Rockstar has completed the development of GTA VI," he said.

Take-Two raised its full-year revenue forecast to between $7.98 billion and $8.18 billion, up from $7.90 billion to $8.10 billion. It also raised the low end of its earnings-per-share outlook by 2 cents, to a range of 57 cents to 75 cents.

The company kept its closely watched net bookings forecast, which measures sales delivered to customers in a period, at $8 billion to $8.2 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027. Asked by an analyst why it had not raised that figure, Zelnick said the company prefers to wait for launch results.

"We're days away from the launch of GTA VI, and we tend to avoid claiming success before it occurs," he said.

He made a similar point in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz. "We're just not updating our numbers right now because we are so close to the launch. However, pre-orders are far exceeding our expectations," Zelnick said.

Take-Two expects net bookings of $3.35 billion to $3.5 billion in the current quarter, which includes the launch. Some analysts said the guidance looks conservative, because it implies modest contributions from the game in its later months on sale. Take-Two shares rose about 5% in overnight trading after the report.

The quarter itself was mixed. Net bookings were about $1.6 billion, down 18% from a year earlier and slightly below the company's forecast. NBA 2K27 sold more than 4 million copies after its September release and had the second-highest net bookings in the franchise's history. Even so, Take-Two said the game "was below our forecast for the period."

Grand Theft Auto V has sold more than 200 million copies since 2013, which helps explain the expectations around its successor. The new game is set in Leonida, a fictional version of Florida centered on a Miami-like Vice City, and follows two protagonists, Lucia and Jason. Its first trailer, released in December 2023, set viewing records on YouTube.

Rockstar originally targeted a 2025 release before delaying the game twice. It will launch only on current consoles. A PC version has not been announced.

Take-Two and Rockstar have not released pre-order numbers. Executives indicated that launch sales figures will come after Nov. 19.