- Grand Theft Auto 6 is selling eight times faster on PS5 than Xbox says IGN
- Xbox disputes this, however, in a statement to Windows Central
- This potential bad news comes just as Xbox announced console price hikes
IGN has reported that, based on its internal affiliate data, Grand Theft Auto 6 preorders on PS5 are surging ahead of Xbox preorders of the game at a rate of eight to one — Xbox is now saying this is far from the full picture. Though, I have a hard time believing Xbox is doing a heck of a lot better than this data suggests.
In a statement to Windows Central, an Xbox spokesperson explained that “This doesn’t represent pre-order data. We’ve had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links.”
Through IGN Finds’ and commerce affiliate linking program, the data is showing that PlayStation is outperforming Xbox by a rate of 8-to-1. Link in bio for more on GTA’s effect on console sales. #IGNSummerOfGaminghttps://t.co/Hc8yYr0FQJ#IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/TaKQS2RgxHJune 27, 2026
Now, I don’t doubt that GTA 6 is selling gangbusters everywhere it’s playable, leading to “record sales.” Grand Theft Auto 5 is considered the third-best-selling game of all time — trailing only Minecraft and Tetris (though not everyone counts Tetris, as the figures aggregate several versions of the game, and you might see some places calling GTA 5 the second-best-selling of all time). So it tracks that out of the gate GTA 6 would be hugely popular too, and I expect it will only get more popular when GTA 6 Online and the PC port eventually release.
However, Xbox seeing record orders and its preorders lagging behind PlayStation’s aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, it’s no secret that the PS5 has outsold Xbox consoles this generation, so you’d expect the Sony hardware to have more GTA 6 game sales — though with estimated sales figures sitting at around 95 million for PlayStation to 35 million Xboxes, you would expect a rate of two or three to one, not eight to one.
Is something more going on here as Xbox suggests?
What’s going on with GTA 6 sales?
On Xbox’s side of the argument, there are reasons not to extrapolate too much from affiliate link data.
First, people might simply be picking the game up digitally directly from Xbox’s store rather than through typical affiliate partners like Walmart, Argos, and Amazon. Given that GTA 6’s physical edition is functionally identical to the digital version — as there’s no disc, just a download code in a plastic case — there’s little to no advantage to buying from a retail store.
And given Xbox’s digital gaming focus with services like Game Pass and multi-platform gaming across consoles, PCs, and PC handhelds (even if GTA 6 doesn’t look set to be a Play Anywhere title at launch), it makes sense that Xbox gamers would be more comfortable (and possibly more likely to shop) at Xbox’s own store compared with PS5 gamers and PlayStation’s store.
What’s more, affiliate data doesn’t necessarily mean sales. IGN hasn’t said much on what exactly its data is based on, but if it’s affiliate link clicks (as the Xbox spokesperson suggests it is), then that doesn’t necessarily mean the PS5 version is selling eight times more copies, just that links for the PS5 version are eight times more popular.
Gamers could simply be clicking on them more but then not buying the game, or clicking a few times before making a purchase, though I’m not sure why you wouldn’t expect Xbox and PlayStation gamers to be equally flaky on a post-click purchase.
The only final piece of support for Xbox would be if IGN’s audience skewed more towards PlayStation at a rate disproportionate to the overall population’s two- or three-to-one.
Though as a general gaming outlet rather than one dedicated to either side of the aisle, I don’t see that being the case — all I could see happening is IGN’s audience of gaming enthusiasts could be more likely to own both an Xbox Series and PlayStation 5 console, and then with Sony’s promise that GTA 6 “plays best on PS5” they’d be more likely to pick up a copy for Sony’s hardware compared with Xbox’s.
All that’s to say, while IGN’s stats might not be entirely accurate to the final picture, I don’t doubt that PS5 sales of GTA 6 are blowing Xbox’s out of the water. And even if current sales aren’t quite eight-to-one, I wouldn’t be surprised if sales trend in that direction.
My argument here is Xbox consoles are set to get a major price hike effective August 1, 2026, putting the Series X at $749 for the all-digital, and $899 for the disc drive equipped model (price increases outside the US are yet to be confirmed) — a sharp raise on the previous costs of $599 and $649 respectively which are the identical to the equivalent PS5 models.
Sony may announce similar hikes itself — it isn’t immune to the cost increases hitting the whole industry, though its drastically better sales may help it weather the storm for a little longer — but until it does, the PS5 looks like a much better deal. If casual gamers still rocking a last-gen console finally want to upgrade so they can play GTA 6, there will be a clear winner: the PlayStation 5.
There’s still a lot of time before Grand Theft Auto 6’s eventual November 19 release date (I’ll be ready for another delay until it’s actually in my hands), but I don’t think Xbox’s fortunes will turn around dramatically by then.
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hamish.hector@futurenet.com (Hamish Hector)
