Digital Advertising Insights · Matt Bozin · August 2026
The Art of The Steal: GTA VI is Coming, And This is The Game Tracker You Need to Prepare
Since its release in 1997, Grand Theft Auto has become one of the most successful game franchises in history, selling more than 450M copies worldwide, putting it in rare-air with Pokémon, Mario, and Call of Duty. With Rockstar Games’ latest installment GTA VI set to release in November, our live game tracker gives you all the updated data you need across PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam.
Want to skip right to the numbers? Bookmark this link for the Live GTA VI Tracker, updated weekly.
Pre-Sales and Revenue
As pre-orders began June 25th at midnight, PlayStation and Xbox have seen a smooth and steady stream of sales, with Playstation pulling in the majority at 3.15M units sold vs. Xbox’s .93M through July 20th. As of the publishing of this post, combined net revenue stands at $395M.
Though pre-order numbers are often kept close to the vest with publishers, CD Projekt Red, which released Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020, reported 8M pre-orders, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 pre-orders topped 6.5M worldwide in 2011. But if we’re comparing carjackings to carjackings, crime does seem to pay. The previous installment of GTA V in 2013 saw pre-orders of 7M, with 11M global units sold on launch day before sailing to 16M in its first week, offering at least some preview of GTA VI demand, with nearly four months to go before release.
Digital Ad Spend
While Rockstar Games (and Take-Two, its parent company) the GTA VI developer, has begun to ramp up digital marketing efforts, the real push will see serious ad spend as we get closer to November. But, digging into channel strategy this early could offer a glimpse into where their go-to-market game plan lies.
Rockstar began digital marketing efforts in late June on multiple channels through July 9th, with another significant spending spike from July 15th through the 22nd. While the initial jump saw US ad spend increase across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube, the second narrowed as YouTube and Facebook spend dropped off.
In total, US TikTok accounted for nearly half (45%) of the publisher’s digital ad spend, with Meta platforms Instagram (22%) and Facebook (20%) taking a significant share. X rounded out the top four with 10% as well as minimal spend on YouTube and Snapchat.
The Verdict
While GTA has drawn spirited debate over its content, gameplay features, and cinematic storytelling, there is no argument that it’s become a cultural phenomenon. The first trailer for the upcoming release, in fact, became one of the fastest growing game trailers in history in 2023, and the anticipation has only become more intense. Want to stay ahead of the game? Keep an eye on our live tracker and additional content as we head into November. And to stay up-to-date on all things GTA, Xbox, PlayStation, and Steam, check out Sensor Tower’s Video Game Insights.
