Take-Two guides up to $3.5 billion for the GTA 6 quarter as pre-orders run hot
Last quarter's bookings fell 18% to $1.60bn on a soft NBA 2K27, and the launch-quarter range sits just under analysts' $3.51bn. No pre-order count yet.
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Take-Two Interactive expects $3.35 billion to $3.5 billion in net bookings for the October to December quarter, the three months that contain Grand Theft Auto VI's November 19 launch. The publisher posted its fiscal second-quarter results on November 9 after the US market closed, which was 5:30 a.m. MYT on November 10.
Chief executive Strauss Zelnick said GTA 6 pre-orders "continue to reach unprecedented levels", but the company still has not put a number on them.
What's confirmed
The launch quarter. Take-Two's outlook for its fiscal third quarter, which ends on December 31, 2026, is $3.35bn to $3.5bn in net bookings, $3.27bn to $3.42bn in reported revenue and $250m to $276m in net income. Net bookings is the company's own sales measure: digital sales plus boxed copies shipped to shops in the period.
Add-ons count as "recurrent" money. Take-Two forecasts a 12% rise in recurrent consumer spending for the quarter, the bucket that covers virtual currency, add-on content and in-game purchases. Eurogamer reports that the extra $20 a buyer pays for the $100 Ultimate Edition over the $80 standard edition is counted as add-on content, which helps explain that figure.
Just under the analysts. PC Gamer, citing analyst estimates compiled for Reuters, notes that analysts expected about $3.51bn for the quarter, so even the top of Take-Two's range sits slightly below the consensus.
The quarter that just ended. From July to September, net bookings fell 18% to $1.60bn, down from $1.96bn a year earlier. Recurrent spending dropped 9% and made up 81% of the total. Take-Two said NBA 2K27 delivered the second-best net bookings in the series' history but still missed the company's forecast. The net loss narrowed to $54.0m from $133.9m.
The full year. The forecast for the year to March 31, 2027 is unchanged at $8.0bn to $8.2bn in net bookings.
GTA 5 is still selling. Grand Theft Auto V is at nearly 235 million units, five million more than a quarter ago, according to GamesBeat's write-up of the results. Eurogamer puts the whole series above 480 million.
What Zelnick added. In an interview with GamesBeat he said some players may have held back on other purchases in recent months while they waited for GTA 6, and that the launch "undoubtedly has sold consoles". Asked about a PC version, GTA 6's online side or user-made content, he said those questions are answered "in the fullness of time by our labels". GamesBeat also reported Take-Two shares up about 5% in after-hours trading, at $213.70.
After GTA. GamesBeat lists Project Ethos, the next BioShock and Ghost Story Games' Judas among the titles on Take-Two's slate, and Eurogamer reports that the pipeline includes 8 sequels and 7 remakes, remasters or platform extensions. Apart from GTA 6, most have no date.
Background
GTA 6 launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only. Its predecessor set the bar this forecast is measured against: Grand Theft Auto V launched in September 2013 on PS3 and Xbox 360, passed $1 billion in sales within three days, and was then re-released on two more console generations, which is how it reached 235 million copies. Eurogamer quotes Zelnick saying GTA 5 and GTA Online will keep getting updates. Take-Two's results also show how much rides on one release: GTA, NBA 2K and a group of mobile puzzle games such as Toon Blast are the company's largest earners, and none of the other big names on the slate has a date yet.
My take: what it means for players
I think the most revealing line in this report is not the $3.5 billion. It is the note that the Ultimate Edition's extra $20 counts as recurrent spending. Take-Two is telling investors that a large share of GTA 6 buyers paid $100 before seeing a single review, and that it plans to keep selling things on top of the game for years. That is the same pattern as GTA Online, which kept GTA V among the company's top earners more than a decade after 2013.
The PC answer bothers me more. Red Dead Redemption 2 reached PC in November 2019, about a year after its October 2018 console launch, and GTA V's PC version arrived in April 2015, long after the 2013 original. Zelnick's "fullness of time" sounds like the same wait again. If you play on PC, plan for a long one.
My last thought is about the dampening effect Zelnick described. If he is right that GTA 6 has already sold consoles, then the games due in early 2027 may launch to a much larger audience. That is good news for players who were not going to spend November in Leonida anyway.
What we don't know yet
- Pre-order numbers. Take-Two has said pre-orders are "unprecedented" but has not published a figure. Outside estimates on our site come from analysts, not from Rockstar.
- A PC release. Zelnick did not give a date or confirm a version.
- GTA 6 online. Rockstar has not announced how or when an online mode will work. Zelnick left it to "the labels".
- Local prices. We have not checked ringgit, Singapore dollar or peso pricing for this story. The $80 and $100 figures are US prices.
Quick facts
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Results released | November 9, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET (5:30 a.m. MYT, November 10) |
| Q3 (Oct-Dec) net bookings forecast | $3.35bn to $3.5bn |
| Analyst consensus (via Reuters) | About $3.51bn |
| Q2 (Jul-Sep) net bookings | $1.60bn, down 18% |
| Full-year forecast | $8.0bn to $8.2bn, unchanged |
| GTA V sales | Nearly 235 million units |
| GTA 6 launch | November 19, 2026, PS5 and Xbox Series X |
FAQ
How much does Take-Two expect GTA 6 to make?
Take-Two does not break out GTA 6 alone. It forecasts $3.35bn to $3.5bn in net bookings for October to December 2026, the quarter that includes the November 19 launch.
How many people have pre-ordered GTA 6?
Take-Two has not said. It describes pre-orders as reaching "unprecedented levels" and has declined to give a number.
Is GTA 6 coming to PC?
There is no PC date. Asked about a PC version on November 9, Zelnick said such questions are answered by Rockstar in time.
Why did Take-Two's bookings fall last quarter?
Net bookings fell 18% to $1.60bn because NBA 2K27 sold below Take-Two's forecast and mobile sales dropped, partly offset by higher Grand Theft Auto sales.
More: GTA 6 preloads are open: times in MYT, the 212GB download and boxed codes.
Sources: Take-Two Interactive (Q2 fiscal 2027 results); PC Gamer; Eurogamer; GamesBeat.
