The GTA 6 Pre-order War: Xbox vs. PS5 and the 8-to-1 Data That Exploded

The data came from IGN Finds, the publication's commerce-affiliate link program, which tracks purchases made through IGN's referral links . Critically, this is not official market-wide pre-order data from retailers, Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, Sony, or Microsoft .

Microsoft's Denial: 'Clicks on Affiliate Links'

On June 27, Windows Central reported receiving a statement from an Xbox spokesperson directly disputing the narrative :

"This doesn't represent pre-order data. We've had record orders. People should wait for real data and not clicks on affiliate links."

Microsoft's core argument was that IGN's affiliate data is a narrow, self-selected sample . It captures only activity routed through IGN's commerce links, not the full global pre-order picture across all retailers and digital storefronts . The company also claimed Xbox had "record orders," though no specific numbers were provided .

Other coverage noted that IGN later clarified its post to state that the figures were based on its referral program and only represented its own community . As a Windows Forum analysis put it, "the problem is that social media strips caveats for parts, and the number that survives is the one with the sharpest edge: 8-to-1" .

Install Base Context: A Plausible but Unverified Gap

The reported 6:1 or 8:1 ratios are far wider than the underlying install base difference. As of March 31, 2026, Sony had reported 93.7 million PS5 units sold , while Microsoft has not released updated official numbers; estimates have placed Xbox Series X|S sales at roughly 34.7 million . That gives PS5 about a 2.7-to-1 install-base advantage . Some sources suggested that even a weaker version of the IGN claim — PS5 leading by a wider margin than its hardware lead — is plausible .

However, the provided sources do not independently verify the reported install-base figures. The safer takeaway is that the reported ratios may reflect either stronger PS5 demand among IGN-linked buyers or skew in IGN's affiliate audience, rather than confirmed global pre-order shares .

Xbox Price Hikes, Starting August 2026

In separate but related news, Microsoft announced a global price increase for Xbox consoles, effective August 1, 2026 . The increases are $100 for 512GB models and $150 for 1TB models, with the 2TB model being discontinued . The company cited a sharp rise in memory and storage component costs .

This is the third price hike for Xbox Series X|S consoles since their launch , and it came just one day after GTA 6 pre-orders opened . While the provided sources do not directly quantify the impact on the PS5-versus-Xbox pre-order split, the timing places a higher cost on Xbox hardware right as the most anticipated game of the generation goes up for pre-order .

Retailer Shortage Warnings

Vice reported that a major retailer warned that console shortages could affect the GTA 6 launch . The report said players trying to buy a new PlayStation 5 or Xbox console for the game could face supply problems . The shortages were attributed to ongoing RAM-supply constraints and the extra pull from GTA VI .

Combined with the Xbox price-increase news and the disputed affiliate pre-order metrics, this points to a broader market crunch around the launch period rather than a clean, official read on platform-by-platform demand .

GTA 6 Pricing: $79.99 / $99.99

Reports list GTA 6 pricing as :

• Standard Edition: $79.99
• Ultimate Edition: $99.99

The provided source set supports those two listed prices, but does not clearly verify claims about no Early Access period or no Collector's Edition at launch. Those details should be treated as unverified by the available sources.

The Bottom Line: No Official Data, Just Affiliate Metrics

No official, verified global pre-order data has been released by Rockstar, Take-Two, Sony, or Microsoft . IGN's 8:1 figure is best understood as an affiliate-commerce or referral-program metric for that channel, while Microsoft's objection that it is not market-wide pre-order data is technically valid . The available reporting still suggests PS5 was performing much more strongly than Xbox within IGN-linked affiliate data, but the exact real-world platform split remains unknown .