Circana's PlayerPulse puts purchase intent at 29%
On 28 October Circana reported that its PlayerPulse panel puts purchase intent for Grand Theft Auto VI at 29% among US console and PC gamers. The firm calls that the highest level it has recorded for a video game, which makes the title the most anticipated video game release in its tracking history.[1]
Purchase intent records what respondents say they plan to buy; it is not a sales count, and Circana's announcement attaches no unit or revenue forecast to the figure.[1] The release does place the game in the holiday quarter, saying it should drive software sales, hardware upgrades and gaming-related tech purchases through the fourth quarter as retailers prepare for Black Friday.[1]
Piscatella frames it as a hardware event as much as a software one
Circana analyst Mat Piscatella described the launch as a rare cultural and commercial moment for the industry, and said demand should reach past game sales into consoles, accessories and gaming subscriptions.[1] He added that players who have not yet moved to a current-generation machine may buy a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox specifically to play the title.[1]
Those are expectations rather than measurements, and the release is short on method. The release does not state how many people were asked, when fieldwork ran, or how the question was worded, which means the 29% cannot be set beside another firm's polling as though both measured the same thing.[1]
GTA V is the yardstick Circana is using
The comparison inside the release is the predecessor. Circana says Grand Theft Auto V is the best-selling premium game in its US tracked history on both units and dollars, that it has stayed inside the annual top 20 for 13 straight years from 2013 to 2025, and that in 2025, its 13th year on sale, it still stood third for total active users across the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems.[1]
Media Play News carried the release on the same day with the same 29% figure, attributing it to the tracker and quoting Piscatella.[2]
What the number does not settle
Grand Theft Auto VI is due on 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, at $79.99, with the Ultimate Edition at $99.99, with digital pre-loading from 12 November, and Take-Two's announcement describes a single-player experience.[3] PC is not among the announced platforms, while Circana's panel covers PC gamers alongside console owners, so part of the audience it measured cannot buy the game where they usually play.[1][3]
Nor does a survey of intent say how many of those people have already ordered. Whether stated intent converts into purchases will show in sales data after launch, and Circana's release makes no claim about that.[1]
Sources and verification
3 sources, 1 from the official record. Last accessed 29 October 2026. Each numbered marker in the story links to its entry here.
- [1]
- [2]
- [3]
