Synopsis

The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders have ignited a frenzy for PlayStation 5 consoles, with stock vanishing rapidly. Retailers report PS5s selling out within days, driven by the game's exclusive launch on current-gen consoles and Sony's strong marketing push. This surge, impacting all sales channels, shows the immense gamer demand clashing with ongoing supply chain issues.

Listen to this article in summarized format

New Delhi: The opening of Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders has triggered a fresh scramble for PlayStation 5 consoles, with retailers running out of stock within days as surging demand collides with supply disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict.

GTA VI, scheduled for release on November 19, will launch only on current-generation consoles such as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, prompting many gamers who have delayed upgrading from PCs or older PlayStation models such as PS4 to finally buy a PS5.

“Whatever stock of PlayStation consoles comes, they are sold out within 3-4 days,” said Nilesh Gupta, director at electronics retail chain Vijay Sales.

Sony has aggressively marketed the game alongside the PS5, including changing its app logo to spotlight GTA VI, reinforcing the perception among many buyers that PlayStation is the preferred platform. Hence, comparatively less rush for the latest Xbox consoles, retailers explained.

The surge in PS5 demand is reported across ecommerce, quick-commerce and offline retail channels. An Amazon India spokesperson said customer interest usually rises around marquee announcements and launches, or during events like the Prime Day sale.

“In the last two weeks, we have seen this play out again, with PlayStation searches more than doubling (2x). We expect this momentum to get stronger, especially, as we head closer to the launch,” the person said.

Rockstar Games, makers of GTA, has delayed the launch of its latest edition multiple times since last year, which some experts said has added to the hype.

The GTA franchise is one of the most popular games in history, estimated to have generated a record $10 billion in revenue. GTA 5 alone has sold over 225 million copies worldwide.

Meanwhile, there is a severe shortage of PlayStation 5 consoles in India, largely due to global supply constraints.

However, with the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopening after the recent US-Iran peace deal, trade insiders said PS5 supplies are improving. “There is a waiting time which has now been reduced to 15-20 days,” Gupta of Vijay Sales said. Retailers said Sony has told them that it expects supplies to normalise by the end of the month. Queries sent to Sony did not initiate a response until press time on Saturday.

PC to PS5 Shift
Deepak Barpa, a 25-year-old from Delhi, who bought a PlayStation 5 this week after pre-ordering GTA VI, documented the ordeal of finding a console that was out of stock on most platforms in a 12-part short-video series on social media. The videos averaged a quarter of million views on his Instagram account. Nishant Patel, senior vice-president at leading esports company Nodwin Gaming, said much of the recent demand is coming from PC gamers.

“There was never a doubt about whether the game would come out on PC, but it is not going to be a day one launch, and that has created a fear of missing out among PC players,” he said. “Primarily, PC players and some mobile players who have the spending capacity are rushing to buy PlayStations to access and experience GTA 6 as soon as it launches.”

As per data reporting and SaaS platform DemandSage, in 2025, 6.09% of gamers in India play on PCs compared to 3.47% owning gaming consoles and 90.44% playing on their mobile phones.

The nostalgia factor is doing heavy lifting for the pre-order rush. GTA V, released in 2013, became a defining game for a generation of players, many of whom are now older Gen Z and millennials with jobs, savings and more disposable income.