Xbox isn't worried about GTA VI presales, even with PS5 winning 3 to 1

What happened

Analytics firm Sensor Tower published an estimate of GTA VI presales by console: PlayStation 5 takes 77% against 23% for Xbox Series X|S, a gap of more than 3 to 1. By that same data, that works out to 4.35 million copies sold on PS5 ($426 million) versus 1.3 million on Xbox ($128 million).

Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball answered on X after talk started spreading that Microsoft was unhappy with those numbers. His message was direct: "We are very happy with GTA 6 pre-orders. The title is breaking records for Xbox, we expect even more records will be broken throughout the fall, and our internal analysis shows our share of pre-orders to be matching our share of the console market."

What is confirmed

The percentages come from a Sensor Tower tracker, not official numbers from Rockstar, Take-Two, Sony, or Microsoft, so treat them as a market estimate rather than a closed figure. Ball's message, on the other hand, is a direct, verifiable statement from an Xbox executive speaking on the record.

Why it matters

Ball has a point: there are simply more PS5 units out in the world than Xbox Series X|S consoles, so a presale split that tracks the console install base is not a surprise. What stands out is that Xbox isn't trying to sell the story that it's neck and neck with PlayStation. It's aiming at something narrower: holding its proportional slice of the pie instead of fighting for outright first place.