GTA 6 Pre-Orders: PS5 Outselling Xbox by 6-to-1, and There May Not Be Enough Consoles to Go Around

Grand Theft Auto 6 pre-orders have only been live for a matter of days, and the early numbers tell a lopsided story: PS5 copies of the game are reportedly outselling Xbox Series X versions by a ratio of 6-to-1, according to a report from IGN. It's a striking gap heading into one of the biggest game launches in years, and it's arriving alongside a separate, more troubling headline — there might not be enough consoles in stores to actually meet the demand.

A Lopsided Pre-Order Split

The 6-to-1 figure is notable because it outpaces the existing install-base gap between the two platforms. As of March 31, 2026, Sony had reported roughly 93.7 million current-gen console sales, compared to estimates of around 34.7 million for Xbox Series X and S combined — meaning PS5 hardware already outnumbers Xbox by about 2.7-to-1. A 6-to-1 pre-order split suggests GTA 6 buyers are skewing toward PlayStation even more heavily than ownership numbers alone would predict.

Reader sentiment seems to back this up. In an unofficial poll, 50% of voters said they plan to play GTA 6 on PS5, with another 20% on PS5 Pro — adding up to 70% choosing Sony's platform. Roughly 24% said they'd play on Xbox Series X, while just 5% picked the Series S.

Part of the explanation likely comes down to marketing. Rockstar and Sony recently published a joint blog confirming that PS5 will be the "best" place to play GTA 6, pointing to DualSense haptic feedback and Tempest 3D Audio support as platform-specific perks. Commentators have been quick to note the obvious self-fulfilling nature of that claim — PS5 is also the only current console with a Pro model — but the messaging seems to be resonating regardless.

The Bigger Problem: Not Enough Consoles

The more pressing issue raised alongside the sales split is supply. In an interview with The Game Business, an unnamed major retailer warned that hardware shortages could leave shelves bare just as GTA 6 demand peaks. "We've been informed that because of the on-going issues around hardware component availability, we won't be getting the units we want ahead of GTA 6. Demand will likely outstrip supply during the year-end period," the retailer said.

That warning isn't coming from retailers alone. Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball reportedly confirmed the same dynamic directly, stating, "I can tell you definitively that the demand for our console exceeds the supply." Component shortages have apparently gotten severe enough that manufacturers are nearing a point where they could lose money on each PS5 sold without a further price increase.

Microsoft has already acted on that pressure. A $150 price hike across the Xbox Series X lineup takes effect August 1 — just months before GTA 6 launches on November 19. The timing means Xbox shoppers could be squeezed from both directions: a smaller existing user base, less favorable pre-order momentum, and now a steeper price tag right before the year's biggest release.

What It Means Heading Into the Holidays

Taken together, the picture is one of a launch that could simultaneously be record-breaking and supply-constrained. Take-Two Interactive hasn't disclosed actual pre-order figures yet, so the 6-to-1 split is a ratio, not a confirmed unit count — but if it holds, it points to an unusually PlayStation-skewed launch for a franchise that has historically sold close to evenly across platforms.

For shoppers hoping to buy a new console specifically for GTA 6, the takeaway from these reports is fairly blunt: if you're planning to upgrade or buy in for launch, doing it sooner rather than later may be the safer bet, before both shortages and price increases narrow the window further.