Move over Hollywood blockbusters and chart-topping albums, because Grand Theft Auto 6 will blow everyone out of the water. According to analysts as reported by Financial Times, Rockstar Games’ next big crime-fueled adventure is expected to rake in more than $3.2 billion in its first year. That’s not even the wildest part—preorders alone are claimed to bring in $1 billion before the game even releases.
If these numbers sound absurd, they kind of are. But don’t forget Grand Theft Auto V, the game made $1 billion in only three days of launch back in 2013. The record it set years back has still not been broken by any movie, album, or game until now we entered 2025. Currently, Rockstar is expected to outdo itself with the upcoming most-anticipated GTA 6, which has a rumored release window of sometime in the Fall this year for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S but no news for the PC version.
How Big is Big? Try “Biggest Entertainment Launch Ever”
Analysts at DFC Intelligence stated GTA 6 will be the entertainment event of 2025, overshadowing movies, TV shows, and every other game release that year. For comparison, 2024’s highest-grossing movie, Inside Out 2, brought in about $1.7 billion at the global box office. GTA 6 will probably nearly double that figure, and it’s not even a Pixar movie with cute emotional characters—it’s a chaotic open-world playground where stealing cars and robbing banks is just the warm-up.
Strauss Zelnick, the head of Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, is cautiously optimistic. “I never claim victory before it occurs,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times. “That said, I think Rockstar Games will once again deliver something absolutely phenomenal…Certainly, the anticipation is high.”
High might be an understatement. After waiting more than a decade since GTA V, fans are practically foaming at the mouth for this game. Some analysts even believe GTA 6 could be the source to reignite the entire gaming industry that has faced some tough challenges with layoffs and cutbacks across giant companies like Microsoft and Sony.
Sure, $3 billion sounds a cash-printing machine, but don’t forget—it costs money to make money. The development budget for GTA 6 is rumored to be anywhere from hundreds of millions to a staggering $2 billion. That’s a lot of dough, but against the kind of money Rockstar stands to make is it comes as a solid investment.
On top of the base game sales, there’s the potential cash cow of GTA 6’s online mode. If there is anything like GTA Online (still minting money years later), expect a steady stream of microtransactions for shark cards, cosmetics, and whatever chaos-inducing add-ons Rockstar thinks about. Microsoft and Sony will also be cashing bringing in a sum to their wallets from every dollar spent in the online marketplace.
To play GTA 6, you’ll need a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S because it’s not coming to PC at launch. This exclusivity is a big win for console makers, especially Sony whose rumored PS5 Pro is expected to get a massive sales boost as gamers flock to upgrade for the best possible playthrough of this next big title. Seeing the history, Rockstar games are the kind of thing you’d buy a completely new console for.
The video game market has been going through a rough patch lately. More than 33,000 employees have lost their jobs since 2022, with even big players like Microsoft and Sony cutting staff. For Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, GTA 6 is not only a game—it’s a lifeline.
Analyst Mat Piscatella even went as far as to call GTA 6 the most important release in the history of gaming. The official release date is still locked in for Fall 2025, but delays could push it into 2026. Considering the stakes, the developers’ company will want to get it perfect at all costs before debuting it to the world. Until then, fans will have to keep re-watching the teaser trailer, still bankrupting in GTA 5 or GTA Online and thinking about their first digital heist in the future game.
