GTA 6 Pre-Orders 'Well Above' Expectations, Take-Two CEO Says: 'It's Not Going to Be Delayed Again'

Zelnick spoke to IGN on Monday, the day Take-Two reported its fiscal second-quarter results. The company said pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto 6 are tracking well above its preliminary expectations. Take-Two reported net bookings of $1.6 billion for the quarter ended September 30, down 18 percent from a year earlier and below analyst estimates, and held its full-year outlook of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion unchanged. Push Square also reported that Grand Theft Auto 5 has now sold 235 million copies.

A third-party estimate published last week put digital pre-orders at about 7.71 million copies, worth about $751 million, through November

3. Take-Two has not confirmed any pre-order figure of its own.

Asked whether he was confident the November 19 date would hold after two delays, Zelnick said: "It's not going to be delayed again." He added that he is "optimistic" and looking forward to the launch. Grand Theft Auto 6 was first planned for fall 2025, then moved to May 26, 2026, before settling on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Zelnick said Rockstar intends to keep supporting GTA Online with new content and events. "We intend to continue supporting GTA Online and it has been very profitable," he said. "It has continued to grow over the years, so we feel good about it." He also said the looming launch has led some players to hold off buying new games, including Take-Two's own NBA 2K27. Looking further ahead, he said the pace and character of content from Take-Two's franchises, including GTA, will look "dramatically different" over the next decade.

On the earnings call, Zelnick was asked whether AI could give Rockstar an advantage on Grand Theft Auto 6, and whether AI-powered decompilation raises piracy risks. He said making a hit remains "the purview of human beings" and described Take-Two's creativity as "human creativity harnessing technology." On piracy, he said Take-Two is "utterly focused on enhancing our technical defences and enhancing our legal activities appropriately." He had made similar remarks about piracy at a Wall Street Journal conference last week.

Grand Theft Auto 6 launches November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. Digital preloading began November 10, rolling out at midnight local time worldwide, with a download of about 212 GB.