During today's Q1 FY 2027 earnings call , Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that Rockstar's GTA 6 has made an exceptional and unprecedented start to preorders, although the publisher is refusing to disclose an actual sales figure or treat the early response as a finished victory:
We've received exceptional pre-order reception to GTA 6. I'm not gonna tell you how many units we've sold, or we're selling, but I'd say that the sales are unprecedented and astonishing and astronomical, and that we don't know how to translate that into numbers yet.
We're not taking a victory lap about pre-order sales right now, but I'd say the numbers are such that Take-Two or the entire industry has never seen before. So, the news is great so far. We're incredibly excited. We couldn't be more excited than we are. And yet we are realistic and, at best, cautiously optimistic.
The earnings call also addressed another major point surrounding GTA 6's launch: the decision not to include a physical game disc . Take-Two’s physical retail edition is expected to use a boxed download code rather than a disc, continuing the industry's shift toward digital distribution. An analyst asked a comment on Sony's controversial decision to stop manufacturing PlayStation discs from 2028 , which followed Rockstar's own announcement on Grand Theft Auto 6; Zelnick predictably declined to comment on Sony's move but spoke about his company's decision.
I'm not going to comment on Sony's own decision. But in terms of our decision, look, our business is well over 90% digitally distributed as it is. It's already a digital business. So in certain instances, especially if it's a big game, you know, discs, and note I said discs, don't really make sense for the consumer. Also, in most instances, you have to register online to play anyhow. So if you're already connected, who cares if you download digitally? It's all the same, and it's much more convenient. It doesn't mean that we won't have physical additions now and then; I'm sure we will, in the same way that there's still vinyl in the recorded music business. But in other instances, it just won't make sense.
Take-Two is forecasting fiscal 2027 net bookings of $8 billion to $8.2 billion , a range management said reflects its confidence in the November 19 release. The company expects the Grand Theft Auto series to be one of the largest contributors to that total, obviously, alongside NBA 2K, Zynga's mobile portfolio, WWE 2K, and other established franchises.
The publisher also stated that ahead of GTA 6, the broader Grand Theft Auto business continues to perform strongly. Grand Theft Auto V has now sold more than 230 million units worldwide , while recurrent consumer spending across the series grew 3% during the quarter. GTA Online recently received the Quartz Center Heist on July 14, and Take-Two said the update was well-received and helped reactivate lapsed players.
That continuing engagement gives Take-Two a substantial audience to carry into the next game. Zelnick pointed out that GTA Online launched 13 years ago and still records periods of exceptionally strong engagement , reinforcing the company’s belief that Rockstar's games can remain commercially relevant long after launch.
The preorder comments came shortly after Rockstar announced an extended look at GTA 6 for August 27 . The presentation will debut exclusively on Netflix before becoming available six hours later on Rockstar's YouTube channel and other platforms.
Take-Two described the arrangement as its first partnership of this kind with Netflix and called it a “ groundbreaking partnership .” Zelnick said Netflix serves as both a marketing and distribution partner, but he unsurprisingly did not want to discuss the commercial terms or whether Netflix paid a premium for the timed exclusivity.
About the author : With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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