The race to preorder Grand Theft Auto VI has sparked another Xbox versus PlayStation debate, and Microsoft wants players to look beyond the raw split.
A report from The Verge said early orders for Rockstar Games’ next blockbuster are heavily skewed toward PlayStation 5. Xbox Chief Strategy Officer Matthew Ball responded that Microsoft is “very happy” with its numbers. He said GTA VI is already breaking preorder records on Xbox and that the platform’s share of orders matches its share of the console market.
That last point is the heart of Xbox’s response. PlayStation has a larger console audience, so it can lead in total preorders while Xbox still sees strong demand from its own players. Ball’s claim is that Xbox owners are reserving the game at a rate consistent with the size of the platform’s audience. He expects the game to set more Xbox records through the fall.
The public still has no platform-by-platform preorder totals from Rockstar or Microsoft. That leaves players with a reported PlayStation lead and Ball’s description of Xbox’s internal figures, without the numbers needed to measure the gap for themselves.
The stakes extend well beyond bragging rights. GTA VI is scheduled to arrive November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, giving both console makers a major release heading into the holiday season. For Xbox, Ball’s statement also pushes back on the idea that PlayStation’s apparent lead means its own audience has lost interest.
Fans will keep arguing over which platform is winning the preorder race. The clearest claim Xbox has made is about its own performance: Ball says the game is setting records there before a single player has reached launch day.