Highlights
- PS5 allegedly captures 75% to 80% of AAA single-player launch sales.
- GTA VI's PS5 and Xbox pre-order gap is reportedly smaller than claimed.
- Sony's install base lead continues to widen the gap with Xbox.
The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is reportedly accounting for 75% to 80% of console launch sales for major AAA single-player games. The figures come from The Game Business editor, Christopher Dring, who cited multiple private sales datasets. The data surfaced after Microsoft disputed claims that Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) PS5 pre-orders were outpacing Xbox by an eight-to-one margin based on affiliate tracking.
Dring stated that the GTA VI split is not probable “to be as extreme" as the reported figure. However, he added that PlayStation consistently leads launch sales for major single-player games when PC sales are excluded.
Private Sales Data Shows PS5's Lead
According to Dring, Crimson Desert, Resident Evil Requiem, and 007 First Light all fell within that range during their launch month on consoles. He said the figures are based on several confidential sales sources available to The Game Business.
Dring also pointed out that the trend changes by genre. Online multiplayer games perform better on Xbox relative to its install base. He even added that "30% of a multi-million-selling game is a lot of games," indicating that Xbox still delivers significant sales for major releases.
Install Base Helps Explain the Gap
Sony reported more than 93M PS5 sales as of March 31, 2026. Microsoft no longer shares Xbox Series X|S hardware sales. However, several industry estimates place Xbox Series sales at less than half of the PS5 install base.
The latest Game Developers Conference (GDC) State of the Game Industry survey also found that developer interest in PS5 and Nintendo Switch is about twice that of Xbox.
The reported sales trend comes as Microsoft continues expanding Xbox beyond its console business. The company has increasingly adopted a multiplatform strategy for its first-party games. With GTA VI expected to be one of the biggest launches of this console generation, official sales data will show how closely its platform split matches the broader trend.
