GTA 6 Could Earn 1 Million Dollars Within the First 60 Minutes of Sales

Pre-orders for the most anticipated game of 2026, GTA 6, will be available in just a few days. Rockstar Games announced this in a special trailer released last week, which has already amassed over 12 million views on YouTube, surpassing all other announcements from this year’s Summer Game Fest. As the long-awaited release date draws nearer, fans and experts alike are debating not only the game's price but also the sales figures, which are very likely to be staggering.

A recent episode of the Insider Gaming podcast featured a bold prediction from the respected insider Tom Henderson. He believes there is a strong chance that GTA 6 could generate $1 billion in revenue within the first hour of sales once pre-orders open, translating to roughly 12 to 14 million copies sold. Previous reports have offered varying forecasts: notably, a recent analysis by Piper Sandler suggests that GTA 6 might sell around 45 million copies by its release date on November 19. Previously, it was also assumed that Take-Two Interactive aimed for GTA 6 to sell between 20 and 25 million copies on launch day to meet its expectations.

It’s also worth recalling the performance of GTA 5 when it first launched in 2013 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game made its first billion dollars within just three days of release, with sales hitting $800 million on day one alone. Given the hype surrounding the sixth installment, which has significantly grown, we can expect even more impressive results.

For now, you can also find out everything we know about GTA 6 so far - the story, gameplay, map, open world, platforms, and more - as well as how GTA 6 is reshaping the 2026 game calendar and everything we know about GTA 6 pre-order details.

Do you think GTA 6 will be able to generate a billion dollars in sales within the first hour of pre-orders opening? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Grand Theft Auto VI will release on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.