Summary
- Financial analysts predict Grand Theft Auto 6 will make $3.2 billion in its first year.
- GTA 6 is expected to draw $1 billion in preorders, a success rivaling blockbuster films.
- Take-Two Interactive's CEO is optimistic about GTA 6, calling it "breathtaking."
Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to be one of the biggest releases in history, and financial analysts are already predicting how much it will make in its first 12 months. After years of rumors and speculation, Rockstar Games finally made the announcement that legions of gamers were waiting for last December with a Grand Theft Auto 6 reveal trailer. This trailer was filled with interesting details about the next installment in the massively successful open-world franchise, mostly related to its Florida-based Leonida setting and two playable protagonists.
Past Grand Theft Auto games have shattered sales records upon release, with 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5 even being named one of the highest-selling entertainment products in history. Insiders and fans alike expect history to repeat when Grand Theft Auto 6 launches, so much so that other publishers are reportedly delaying their own upcoming games until 2026 or later to avoid having to compete with GTA 6’s planned 2025 launch window.
What to Expect From Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025
Grand Theft Auto 6 might be one of the most anticipated games of all time, but going into 2025, managing expectations is key.
Recently, analysts at DFC Intelligence have made predictions about how Grand Theft Auto 6 will perform at launch, calculating that the long-awaited title will make roughly $3.2 billion in its first 12 months. As reported by Financial Times (via The Game Post), DFC Intelligence analysts believe that GTA 6 will draw in $1 billion in preorders alone, putting it on a level of financial success rivaling blockbuster films. IDG Consulting CEO Yoshio Osaki also took note of these predictions, calling Grand Theft Auto 6’s eventual release “one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, not just in games but for all of media.”
Analysts Think GTA 6 Will Make $3.2 Billion in its First Year
Earlier this month, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick shared his own optimism towards Grand Theft Auto 6, describing Rockstar's latest project as "breathtaking" and assuring anxious gamers that it will be well worth the wait. Some fans are starting to think that this wait will be longer than originally believed, with many predicting that GTA 6 will be delayed in light of Rockstar’s relative silence since the initial Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was released last year.
However long it may take, many have high hopes for Grand Theft Auto 6, which has already been deemed the most highly anticipated game of 2025. None of this should come as a surprise given the massive success and sheer cultural impact of the Grand Theft Auto series so far, and the excitement for Grand Theft Auto 6 will only grow when the inevitable second trailer is released.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
