Grand Theft Auto VI PlayStation 5 game box and the game poster are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on April 9, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
With less than a week until its official release, the latest installment in the Grand Theft Auto series has already surpassed an estimated $1 billion in preorder sales, according to research firm Sensor Tower.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch Thursday, Nov. 19, after years of anticipation and multiple delays. Developer Rockstar Games opened preorders in June.
What we know:
Sensor Tower, which tracks gaming sales and digital market trends, estimates that preorder revenue reached $1.18 billion from 12.13 million copies sold as of the morning of Nov. 13.
Big picture view:
The game will initially launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation 5 accounts for approximately 75% of estimated purchases, with Xbox making up the remaining 25%, according to the firm.
Digital editions start at $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition.
What's next:
Rockstar opened digital preloading Tuesday, Nov. 10, allowing players to download the game before launch. Downloading it ahead of time can help players avoid a lengthy wait on release day.
GTA 6 downloads strain some internet networks
Dig deeper:
The rush to preload the game has generated record internet traffic and prompted warnings from some broadband providers.
Virgin Media O2 said its network recorded both its highest-ever peak traffic and largest daily data volume Tuesday as fans downloaded the game.
What they're saying:
Also in the United Kingdom, YouFibre attributed slower download speeds to demand for GTA 6.
"We are aware of a network capacity issue affecting the YouFibre network, due to the high demand of GTA 6 downloads. Unfortunately, this has caused the overall download speeds of the services to decrease," the provider said in an email to customers.
Meanwhile, Comcast’s Xfinity is offering eligible customers a free 15-day increase in download speeds to as much as 2 Gbps, depending on their location. The company said the period surrounding the launch could be the "biggest moment in internet history."
The Source: This story was written with information provided by data from SensorTower, Rockstar Games. Information about strained internet speeds was gathered from Xfinity, Virginia Media and YouFibre in a story posted by Forbes. This story was reported from Orlando.