Every record GTA 6 has broken before launch

GTA 6 already holds records before anyone has played it. Its second trailer was the biggest video launch ever, with over 475 million views in 24 hours. Circana has never measured a higher share of US players planning to buy a game. And Take-Two expects a record year because of it. All of it is building up to GTA 6’s launch on November 19, where GTA V’s 2013 launch records are the ones to beat.

The records so far

Two record-breaking trailers

Confirmed Rockstar’s first trailer, in December 2023, drew over 93 million views in its first 24 hours on YouTube, the biggest debut ever for a video that wasn’t a music video. Our Trailer 1 breakdown has more.

Confirmed Trailer 2 went bigger. Take-Two’s investor slides say its debut across platforms in May 2025 was the biggest video launch ever at the time, with over 475 million views in 24 hours. See our Trailer 2 breakdown.

The launch trailer on October 15, 2026 came out with no warning. Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has published a view count for it yet.

29% of US players plan to buy it

Confirmed On October 28, the market research firm Circana said 29% of US console and PC players plan to buy GTA 6. That is the highest purchase intent Circana has recorded for any game, GameSpot reported.

Analysis Purchase intent is what people say in a survey, not what they buy. It doesn’t count preorders or sales, and GTA 6 isn’t even on PC yet. It still shows how far the interest reaches beyond the usual players.

Preorders and Take-Two’s record year

Confirmed Take-Two hasn’t given a preorder number. On its August 2026 earnings call it said only that GTA 6 had “an exceptional start to pre-orders”. What it has given is a forecast: $8.0 to 8.2 billion in net bookings for the year to March 2027, which would be the company’s best year ever. It ties that forecast to GTA 6.

Take-Two’s next results come on November 9, before launch. Our Take-Two earnings post will have anything new.

Brands want in too

The hype has turned into marketing for other companies. Virgin Media Ireland is offering to pay one person €100 an hour to play GTA 6 for eight hours, €800 in all, Variety reported. The winner has to post an honest review on Instagram or TikTok. Only adults living in the Republic of Ireland can enter, and entries close on November 15.

In Miami, the NBA’s Heat will play as the “Vice City Heat” the night before launch. More in Miami turns into Vice City.

The GTA V records GTA 6 has to beat

GTA V set the bar in September 2013. Guinness World Records confirmed that it:

• sold 11.21 million copies and made $815.7 million in its first 24 hours, the biggest launch day of any video game or entertainment product
• reached $1 billion in three days, faster than any game or film before it

Take-Two’s slides still say GTA V reached $1 billion in retail sales faster than any entertainment release in history. It has since sold over 230 million units.

Analysis GTA 6 has a head start GTA V didn’t: digital preloading from November 12, so millions of copies can be ready to play the moment it unlocks. Take-Two announced GTA V’s $1 billion three days after its launch, and we will add GTA 6’s first numbers here as soon as they’re out.

Common questions

Is GTA 6 the most anticipated game ever?

Analysis By the measures that exist, yes. No other game trailer has had a bigger debut, and no game has topped Circana’s purchase intent before. “Most anticipated” isn’t an official title, though.

Did GTA 6 break preorder records?

Not announced Take-Two hasn’t released preorder numbers, only that preorders started exceptionally well. Any “preorder record” you see is an estimate.

When will we know GTA 6’s launch sales?

Analysis Probably within days of November 19, if Rockstar or Take-Two announces a milestone as it did for GTA V. Full figures come with Take-Two’s October to December results, usually in early February.