How GTA 6 is set to make $1 billion before the game is even released
The release of GTA 6 is still some time off, with it expected to finally hit shelves in the autumn of 2025. But that's not stopped fans from getting too excited about the project, with Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive expected to rake in a whopping $1,000,000,000 ahead of the eventual release.
It's been almost 12 years since Rockstar released its last instalment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, with GTA 5 released to the Xbox 360 and PS3 (remember them?) before being ported to the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
One of the greatest and most-played video games of all time - beaten only by Minecraft on a sales front - it remains incredibly popular to this day with more than 30 million gamers actively playing GTA 5 and its multiplayer online spin-off, GTA Online.
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Naturally, all eyes are now on Grand Theft Auto VI. Especially after Take-Two has twice confirmed the game will be released to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in the autumn of 2025.
A September date has also seemingly been ruled out due to the release of another Take-Two game in that month, meaning the window has very much narrowed to October, November, and the first week of December when it comes to deciding on a date.
As for marketing the game, Rockstar has only released one trailer and pretty much nothing else as it continues to perfect the game in the background and ready for a full on media frenzy when the release date, and release, finally drop.
A second trailer could be on the way, according to those keeping a close eye on Borderlands 4, which is also being put on shelves by Take-Two in the autumn.
Yet despite the lack of official noise since trailer one dropped in December 2023, fans are incessantly taking to Reddit, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) for any hint of an update to satisfy that gaming itch.
It's now got to a spot where some stores around the world have introduced the ability to pre-order GTA 6, with a $3 deposit required at one store over in Malaysia called Gamers Hideout.
And it's those pre-sales that are expected to drive revenue for Rockstar and Take-Two before it even hits the shelves.
Analysts at DFC Intelligence, a video games research group, reckon that there will be at least $1 billion of pre-orders before the game is released, given demand is that high.
DFC believes GTA 6 will make $3.2 billion in revenue in its first 12 months, which works out as double what GTA 5 made in the same period.
“I never claim victory before it occurs,” Take-Two’s chief executive Strauss Zelnick told the Financial Times last year.
“That said, I think Rockstar Games will once again deliver something absolutely phenomenal... certainly the anticipation is high.”
When released, gamers will play as Lucia and Jason, protagonists of GTA 6 who are loosely based on the iconic Bonnie and Clyde.
Set in the well known open world of Vice City, the virtual setting is a fictional version of Miami, Florida.
It's a place that is no stranger to those who have played previous GTA instalments, with the city featured in the original 1997 game, Grand Theft Auto, followed by Vice City in 2002 and Vice City Stories in 2006.
Topics: GTA, Gaming, Money, Business, Entertainment
Tom Earnshaw