- Reports state GTA 6's Extended Look reveal on Netflix had "no positive noticeable impact" on Xbox Series X|S sales.
- Circana’s Matt Piscatella says Xbox Series X|S sales hit their lowest September on record this year, with unit sales down 27% year over year.
- He noted that the launch of Marvel's Wolverine and the GTA 6 Netflix reveal boosted PS5 sales more than Xbox in September 2026.
Rockstar’s upcoming GTA 6 is undoubtedly the decade’s biggest game, launching on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, so in theory, it should give both Sony and Microsoft’s consoles a reason to attract more buyers. While previous reports suggested players were paying absurd PS5 and Xbox prices to play GTA 6, a new report says the game has had “no positive impact” on Xbox sales.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Mat Piscatella of Circana explained, “When you look at PlayStation 5 compared to Xbox Series — Grand Theft Auto VI is coming out on both platforms, whether people know it or not — the Xbox Series numbers were bad. It was the lowest September ever for Xbox, 27% below last year in units.”
So there was no impact of the GTA VI [Extended Look] reveal on Xbox, or no noticeable positive impact, at least.
According to Piscatella, GTA 6’s Extended Look on Netflix in August 2026 helped drive a noticeable uptick in PS5 sales, but Marvel’s Wolverine had a much bigger impact. “Ballpark, that positive impact was probably 70% driven by Wolverine, 30% GTA VI, but it’s all squishy numbers,” the analyst said.
However, the same Netflix reveal didn’t affect the next-gen Xbox consoles, directly contradicting Xbox CSO Matthew Ball’s recent statements that GTA 6 pre-orders broke records on Xbox after a report revealed the PS5 lead. “It’s hard to parse out individual contributing factors, but that’s my gut read looking at the data,” concluded Piscatella.
If you look at how many GTA 6 pre-orders have been sold, Sony is way ahead, with PS5 sales far outpacing Xbox Series X|S despite both consoles performing fairly well relative to their respective install bases.
With Marvel’s Wolverine recently boosting PS5 sales and Phantom Blade Zero on PlayStation and PC’s horizon, it’s not hard to see why GTA 6 hype hasn’t done much to move Xbox Series X|S consoles.
The new GTA 6 launch trailer also featured the “Plays Best on PS5” promotion, naturally encouraging more players to pick up Sony’s console over the Xbox Series X|S.
