GTA 6 News Today (November 12, 2026): $1B in Pre-Orders

GTA 6 has passed an estimated $1 billion in digital pre-orders a week before launch: Sensor Tower's tracker now puts it at 11.27 million copies worth about $1.09 billion, 75% of them on PS5 (GameSpot, USA Today). Rockstar's UK staff also started voting on union recognition on November 12, and the pre-load set a new traffic record on Virgin Media's UK network. The release date and prices did not change: GTA 6 launches November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, at $79.99 and $99.99 in the US.

Sensor Tower: 11.27 million pre-orders, about $1.09 billion

Sensor Tower updated its GTA 6 tracker twice in two days. On November 11, The Washington Post reported more than 10 million digital pre-orders and more than $1 billion in revenue, with PS5 at about 75%. By November 12, GameSpot and USA Today both had the newer read: 11.27 million copies and about $1.09 billion. GameSpot gives the split as 8.46 million copies and $821 million on PS5 against 2.81 million and $272 million on Xbox Series X|S, which matches the 75/25 share every outlet now reports.

These are estimates from a market research firm, not Take-Two's numbers, and they cover digital pre-orders only, so boxed copies are missing. By our arithmetic, the new read adds about 1.58 million copies and about $148 million since the 9.69 million reported on November 10, and still works out to about $97 a copy, so most buyers are still choosing the $99.99 Ultimate Edition. For scale: GTA 5 passed $1 billion in retail sales three days after launch (Take-Two), and Sensor Tower's figure is now about 73% of the $1.5 billion Rockstar says GTA 6 did not cost more than. The full series since July is on our budget and sales page.

Sources: GameSpot; USA Today; The Washington Post

Rockstar's union vote opens

About 1,600 Rockstar employees in the UK can now vote on recognising the Rockstar Game Workers Union, part of the IWGB. The ballot opened on Thursday, November 12, and runs until November 26 (The Register; The Independent, from PA). It follows four months of meetings between management and staff, and a yes would make it the largest recognised union in the UK games industry. "I am incredibly proud of the work we've put into making this game. I'm also proud of the union we've built here," said Nestor Uriate, an animation programmer and union rep.

Rockstar's only comment, to PA: "We're proud of our team, the culture we've built, and the game we've created. That's all we have to say while we prepare to launch GTA VI." Closing submissions in the separate Glasgow tribunal over last year's firings are still set for November 17 and 18. Nothing in the vote affects the launch; our October 28 roundup has the terms the union and management agreed.

Sources: The Register; The Independent (PA)

The pre-load broke a UK broadband record

Virgin Media O2 says November 10, the day the pre-load opened, was the busiest ever on its UK broadband network. Peak traffic beat the previous record, set during an Arsenal v Atlético Madrid Champions League match, by 3.8%, and the day's total data beat the record set by a Fortnite update on November 1 by 4%. In the first hour after midnight, traffic was 51.6% higher than the same hour a week earlier (Virgin Media O2; The Independent; ISPreview). The Independent also reports congestion on YouFibre's network in Yorkshire, according to the provider's chief executive.

If your download hasn't finished, the 212 GB figure is Rockstar's, and our download time page shows how long it takes at every speed.

Sources: Virgin Media O2; The Independent; ISPreview

Rockstar shows The Guardian more of Vice City

The Guardian's Keza MacDonald spent a day at Rockstar North in Edinburgh, where Rob Nelson and Jennifer Kolbe played through Vice City for her. Among the small details Nelson showed off: Jason can take bites of a donut with one hand while sipping a beer with the other, and when he starts running with a six-pack, he moves it into the crook of his arm with the liquid sloshing in the bottles. She also watched a jewellery store stick-up. Asked whether a future GTA could be set outside America, Nelson said: "Never say never, but there's still so much to do in America." The Guardian puts the team at "almost 5,000 people"; a longer piece runs in its Saturday magazine this week.

Sources: The Guardian

YouTube plans a 24-hour launch stream

YouTube says it is "partnering" with Rockstar for launch week. From 12 AM Eastern on November 19, youtube.com/youtube runs a 24-hour stream of gameplay and creator shows, after a pre-show from 11 PM Eastern on November 18, and it ends with coverage from Miami. YouTube Live adds five GTA VI gifts, including Wanted Stars, and Shorts gets a "Visit Vice City" effect. YouTube also says GTA videos have passed 900 billion views, 40 billion of them for GTA 6 before launch. A full day of live gameplay means story scenes will be on the front page of YouTube from launch night, so skip it if you want to go in fresh.

Sources: YouTube Blog

The week's estimates, side by side

Reported	Pre-orders	Revenue	PS5 / Xbox	Outlets
November 4	7.71 million	About $751 million	74% / 26%	Polygon, GamesRadar+
November 10	9.69 million	About $942 million	Not given by two outlets	IGN, GamesRadar+
November 11	More than 10 million	More than $1 billion	About 75% / 25%	The Washington Post
November 12	11.27 million	About $1.09 billion	75% / 25%	GameSpot, USA Today

What it means for players

Our take: the $1 billion line is a headline for investors more than for players, but it tells you two practical things. First, Sensor Tower counts close to 1.6 million new pre-orders in two days, so a lot of people are buying late and will all be downloading in the same week; Virgin Media's record came from the first day alone. If you buy now, start the 212 GB download today, not on November 18. Second, three in four of those copies are on PS5, which is why Sony's marketing deal shapes so much of the launch, from the TV ads to the festival. None of this says anything about whether the game is good; reviews will. The union vote doesn't change the launch either, but its result on November 26 will matter for how Rockstar works on whatever comes next.

Not confirmed

• A total of 25 million pre-orders by launch. GameSpot repeats it, but it is a projection from a Sensor Tower interview in August, not part of the new read.
• When the US and Canada unlock on PS5. Rockstar Support says midnight local time in every region; PlayStation's November 10 post says "a rolling midnight launch by country". Neither has clarified.
• Review copies, a review embargo and a day-one patch. Still no word from Rockstar, Sony or Microsoft.
• A festival ticket price. Rockstar's page shows none and now offers only a waitlist. The $214 in a USA Today shopping guide is a StubHub resale listing, and Rockstar says tickets are non-transferable; our festival page has the rest.

Coming up

1. November 17 and 18: closing submissions at the Glasgow tribunal; November 17 is GTA 5's last day in the PS Plus Game Catalog.
2. November 18: the Miami Heat's "A Night in Vice City" game, the first midnight launches starting in New Zealand, and YouTube's pre-show at 11 PM Eastern.
3. November 19: the game, Xbox Cloud Gaming from 1 AM Eastern, YouTube's 24-hour stream, Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album and Rockstar's free printable map.
4. November 21: Grand Theft Auto VI: The Festival in Miami.
5. November 26: Rockstar's union vote closes.
6. December 10 and 11: The Game Awards 2026, then Justice's Original Score.