GTA 6 isn’t even out yet—but its projected first-year earnings are staggering

Grand Theft Auto 6 has been projected to earn a jaw-dropping $3 billion in its first year of sales.

The number is actually projected at $3.2 billion, to be precise, according to an analysis of GTA 6 by DFC Intelligence and reported by the Financial Times. It estimates that $1 billion of that revenue will come from preorders alone, compared to GTA 5 having crossed that number three days after launch.

To make matters more impressive, this is all without even knowing the game’s exact release date. GTA fans are actively seeking new reveals for even the second trailer, but that hype is enough to point all signs toward massive financial success for Rockstar.

While GTA 6′s sales will come greatly from the initial purchase of the game, a huge slice of the total revenue will come from microtransactions in the multiplayer mode. The current GTA Online uses microtransactions for players to buy in-game money to purchase weapons, cars and cosmetics, and the format will likely look similar for the new release.

If Rockstar continues making content for GTA 6 like it still does for its predecessor, there could be over a decade’s worth of revenue streaming to the company through purchases of DLC. It all just depends on GTA 6′s reception at launch and in the following months.

It’s important to keep in mind just how much GTA 6 is likely costing Rockstar before getting too excited at how much money is coming in. The Financial Times also reported how the new title could cost well into the billions of dollars just to develop, so pair that with marketing costs and it’s clear Rockstar has plenty invested in the game.

While GTA 6 is still on track to release in Fall 2025, there’s no way to know for sure just when it will launch. With the turbulence in the industry from layoffs and other pressures, it’s unfortunately very possible to see delays for GTA 6 that push the release into 2026. Moreover, if the developers need more time to finish the game, there could be delays to ensure the best possible product.

With as many players as GTA 6 is looking to have, there’s also the potential for issues to arise at launch. It’s likely extremely difficult to prepare for a billion dollars’ worth of preorders from excited players all hopping into a new game at once, so there could potentially be crashes or other server-related issues.

This may not be an issue on launch day, however, given how GTA 5 launched GTA Online two weeks after the story mode came out. This ensured people had a fair opportunity to play the story and not miss out on the multiplayer launch, and given the hype for GTA 6, it would make sense if Rockstar followed the same formula.

For now, players will have to keep waiting for a new GTA 6 trailer while Rockstar gets ready to swim in a pool filled with all those billions of dollars.