Xbox has dismissed speculation surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders, urging fans to “wait for real data” after reports claimed the PlayStation 5 version was vastly outselling its Xbox counterpart.
Xbox has urged fans to “wait for real data” after speculation surrounding Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders suggested the PlayStation 5 version was significantly outperforming the Xbox Series X|S edition.
Rockstar Games’ long-awaited sequel opened for pre-orders last week ahead of its November 19 release date, with the launch already generating intense discussion across social media despite no official sales figures being released.
The debate was fuelled by data shared by IGN, which claimed its affiliate programme showed PlayStation 5 pre-orders outnumbering Xbox purchases by roughly eight to one.
The outlet posted on X: “Through IGN Finds’ and commerce affiliate linking program, the data is showing that PlayStation is outperforming Xbox by a rate of 8-to-1.”
The figures, however, were based solely on purchases made through IGN’s affiliate links rather than official retail or publisher sales data.
Responding to the claims, an Xbox spokesperson told Windows Central: “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 did not provide any specific figures to support its statement, meaning there is currently no verified breakdown of Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders across platforms.
The discussion has reignited debate around the current console market. Industry analysts have generally estimated that Sony’s PlayStation 5 has maintained a sizeable lead over Xbox Series X|S throughout the current console generation, making stronger PlayStation pre-orders unsurprising to many observers.
At the same time, some commentators pointed out the irony of Microsoft’s request to “wait for real data”, given the company has largely stopped publicly reporting Xbox hardware sales and has become increasingly selective about sharing software sales figures, instead focusing on player engagement metrics.
Grand Theft Auto VI is expected to become one of the biggest entertainment launches in history when it arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S later this year.
Until Rockstar Games or publisher Take-Two Interactive releases official sales information, however, the true split between PlayStation and Xbox pre-orders remains unknown, leaving current claims based largely on anecdotal evidence rather than comprehensive market data.
Xbox urges people to ‘wait for real data’ amid concerning Grand Theft Auto VI pre-order speculation
