Rockstar Games launches Grand Theft Auto VI on Nov 19 after record pre-orders
The gist
Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto VI on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on Nov 19.
It is the most pre-ordered game in PlayStation and Xbox store history.
How it unfolded
- Jun 25, 2026Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI began at midnight local time.
- Oct 14, 2026Bloomberg reported GTA VI is expected to be one of the biggest entertainment releases in history, noting the predecessor sold 230 million copies and the first trailer drew almost 300 million YouTube views.
- Oct 22, 2026A widely shared estimate cited by the International Business Times put the cost to the U.S. economy at $1 billion in a single day from workers taking time off for the Nov. 19 release.
Key terms
- pre-orders
- An order placed in advance for an item that has not yet been released.
- publishing label
- A company that publishes video games developed either internally or by an external developer.
- review embargo
- A source's request that provided information not be published until a set date or conditions are met.
Source: Wikipedia