Analyst reports 89% of GTA 6 pre-orders are for the $100 Ultimate Edition 'I have never seen a 90% premium share before

Date:
Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:46:33 +0000

Description:
According to digital intelligence firm Sensor Tower, the $100 Grand Theft
Auto 6 Ultimate Edition is leading pre-order sales by 89%.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The Grand Theft Auto 6 Ultimate Edition is reportedly leading pre-order sales by 89% Digital intelligence
firm Sensor Tower says 90% of players on Xbox are spending the extra cash for the Ultimate Edition, compared with 88.5% on PlayStation Karl Kontus, SVP and GM of Video Game Insights at Sensor Tower, predicts GTA 6 could reach around 25 million pre-orders when the game launches According to digital
intelligence firm Sensor Tower, the $100 Grand Theft Auto 6 Ultimate Edition is leading pre-order sales by 89%.

Last week, Take-Two Interactive reported earnings of $1.39 billion during GTA 6 's pre-order period , with CEO Strauss Zelnick saying that the game "had an exceptional start to pre-orders", but he couldn't disclose specific sales numbers. "I can say that the level of pre-orders is unprecedented and astonishing, and were very grateful for that, Zelnick said at the time. But they are so unprecedented that we just dont know how itll translate into sales, which is a question I answered earlier. We genuinely dont, and we just dont believe in claiming victory before it occurs." Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

While the publisher is not disclosing specific sales figures to avoid misleading investors , the CEO also told CNBC that they're "skewing more to the premium edition," and suggested it was due to die-hard fans pre-ordering it.

Now, Karl Kontus, SVP and GM of Video Game Insights at Sensor Tower, also reported something similar (via GamesIndustry.biz ), saying that 89% of preorders for GTA 6 are for the more expensive Ultimate Edition, rather than the $80 Standard Edition. You may like GTA 6 Ultimate Edition is selling more than Standard, says Take-Two CEO, despite the price controversy: 'The most avid consumers are the ones who are pre-ordering now' GTA 6 fans say locking content behind the Ultimate Edition is 'scummy', but it looks like an upgrade will be available post-launch 'The level of pre-orders is unprecedented' Take-Two reportedly made $1.39 billion in sales during GTA 6's pre-order period

Kontus also said the percentages are similar for both versions of the game, with 90% of players on Xbox spending the extra cash for the Ultimate Edition, compared with 88.5% on PlayStation. He also told GI.biz that preorders for
GTA 6 could reach around 25 million when the game launches on November 19, which would amount to unprecedented preorder performance" and translate to $2 billion in revenue, which would cover GTA 6 s development cost and the majority of marketing spend.

As Zelnick suggested, Kontus said special editions "always tend to perform well during the preorder period," because the games are typically preordered by dedicated fans who want a premium edition. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"That being said, I have never seen a 90% premium share before," he added. "A 50% premium share during preorders is a great number. Typical premium shares for games tend to be at around 1020%." (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
However, he expects the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition sales percentage to decline over time as more casual players buy the game, "but it's likely it'll stay significantly above the industry standard," adding that the split between the $80 and $100 versions will be determined by how effective the marketing campaign will be.

Since the full marketing campaign hasn't kicked off yet, Kontus expects most pre-orders will come in the last week of pre-launch, but the split will be "much closer to 50/50." What to read next 'The first week of pre-orders brought in $180 million' Analysts report that GTA 6 has 'the strongest pre-order campaign ever recorded' GTA 6 pre-orders live bundles arrive,
while almost all major US and UK retailers have stock GTA 6 UK pre-orders are live, and we finally have a price

Unlike the Standard Edition, which comes with the base game, the more expensive Ultimate Edition has a ton of extra features, including premium and exclusive content like missions, Vice City shops, locations, and outfits. While the latter is more expensive, Kontus doesn't believe the difference is "that big," and reckons the move was smart.

"The difference between $80 (already higher than the industry standard $70 we see today) and $100 isn't that big, and the $100 SKU comes with a lot of additional content," he said. "

"Sometimes the premium SKUs are just filler content to justify a higher
price, but the GTA 6 premium SKU comes with a meaningful amount of vehicles, weapons, and even a custom mod shop that you wouldn't get otherwise. For a
lot of people, this is the one 'must buy' game this year, and they will want to make the most of it. I'm actually kind of surprised they didn't do a $150 SKU feels like money left on the table (but also fewer players being angry
as a result)."

It won't be long before fans can get a proper look at the game, as the 'Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look' premieres on Netflix on August 27. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! The best gaming consoles All the best consoles of this generation

Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles 1. Best overall: PlayStation 5 Slim 2. Best budget: Xbox Series S 3. Best handheld: Nintendo Switch 2 4. Most powerful: PlayStation 5 Pro



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