While it can be easy to deduce that the PlayStation 5 outnumbers the Xbox in hardware sales, a new report claims that AAA game sales on Sony’s console at launch outnumber those on Microsoft’s platform by almost 80%. Recently, GTA 6 has stoked conversation about sales figures for the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S after the biggest game of the year opened pre-orders.
This year has been a big one for PS5 and Xbox as both companies have become more competitive amid market conditions. Xbox is now under new management, which is serious about bringing Xbox back into the fold with console exclusives and new hardware. Meanwhile, Sony has decided to stop releasing its biggest single-player games on PC as it tries to bring more value to owning a PS5. However, the biggest console war news as of late has been GTA 6‘s pre-order window, in which IGN claimed that PS5 sales outnumbered Xbox’s by almost 8-to-1. Now, some news has come to light about how much the PS5 really outsells the Xbox.
GTA 6 PS5 Pre-Orders Reportedly Demolishing Xbox
The PS5 version of Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly significantly outselling the Xbox Series X/S version after just a few days.
PS5 Outnumbers Xbox AAA Launch Sales by 80%
According to The Game Business (via VGC), industry analyst Christopher Dring believes that, excluding PC, AAA single-player titles like Resident Evil: Requiem or 007: First Light see about 75–80% of their launch-month sales on PS5. Dring’s statement is in response to the recent news that GTA 6‘s pre-orders on PS5 outnumbered Xbox’s by 8-to-1, which he claims is unlikely to be so extreme. Additionally, Dring cites confidential sales data that his Substack, The Game Business, is privy to.
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However, Dring also claims that multiplayer games fare much better sales-wise on Xbox at launch, with that platform gaining around 30% of all console sales, but it’s still a far cry from a competitive number. It has been known for some time that Xbox has been struggling with consoles, even halting sharing sales numbers in 2015. Recent efforts to revitalize the platform have been spearheaded by new CEO Asha Sharma, who reduced the price of Game Pass to great success and has brought the company back to console-exclusive games starting with Gears of War: E–Day this fall.
Meanwhile, Sony’s PlayStation 5 continues to perform well, with the company reporting that PS5 sales have reached new highs even as prices rise amid ongoing RAM shortages. The PS5 even seems to have exclusive marketing rights to Grand Theft Auto 6, which is more or less the most anticipated video game of all time. To put the Xbox’s current market position in perspective, a recent survey at GDC 2026 even states that developer interest in releasing games on Xbox is half that of PS5 and Switch 2.
It has certainly felt like a tough time to be an Xbox fan; however, perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel. The recent Xbox Games Showcase for 2026 showed tons of promise for some of the platform’s biggest upcoming games, including Fable and Gears of War: E-Day, which could be huge hits if they hit the mark at launch. What’s more, Forza Horizon 6 is one of the highest-rated games of the year, demonstrating that there is a lot in the tank for Team Green and its studios. Hopefully, Xbox can weather the storm and find a strong footing in the market once again.
