The GTA 6 Effect: PS5 Pro Sells Out Across the US and Console Sales Jump After the Extended Look
Grand Theft Auto VI isn't out yet, but it is already moving the hardware market. Since the Extended Look premiered on Netflix in late August 2026, demand for consoles has spiked, and the PS5 Pro has become the hardest machine to find in the United States.
By mid-September, the PS5 Pro was listed as out of stock at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and PlayStation Direct, with GameStop offering only limited pre-owned units in some locations.
Check out the main numbers behind the "GTA 6 effect":
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Official price vs. resale
The PS5 Pro officially costs $899, after Sony raised it from the original $699 in March 2026, citing pressures in the global economy, including higher memory costs. Third-party sellers took advantage of the shortage, with listings above $1,300 on Amazon and one Walmart marketplace listing asking $1,469, roughly 60% above the official price.
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Sales spike in the UK
According to NielsenIQ data reported by The Game Business, PlayStation 5 sales in the UK rose about 33% and Xbox Series X|S sales about 34% in the week after the Extended Look.
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Not just PlayStation
Xbox consoles saw the same boost, which makes sense: GTA 6 launches only on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no PC version announced.
Analysts urge caution, though. Newzoo's Ronan Patrick noted that a short-term spike does not guarantee lasting growth in console ownership, especially with hardware prices this high.
Our advice: if you still need a console for launch day, buy from official retailers and avoid inflated marketplace listings. Restocks tend to arrive in waves as November approaches. Not sure which edition of the game to get? Read our guide: GTA 6 editions, prices and pre-orders.
GTA VI launches November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Stay tuned to our website for more updates and full coverage as soon as new information about GTA 6 emerges!
Context
GTA VI is arriving at an awkward moment for console prices. Sony raised US prices on March 27, 2026, with the PS5 Pro going from $749.99 to $899.99 from April 2, its second increase in under a year, and Microsoft added $150 to Xbox Series X|S prices from August 1. In June, The Game Business already reported that retailers expected console shortages around the November 19 launch.
The Netflix showcase, watched by more than 30 million people, then gave UK sales a short boost against a weak year: UK console sales were down 14.4% year on year through July, with PS5 down 32%.
What we know
- In the UK, PS5 sales rose 33% and Xbox Series X|S sales 34% in the week after the August 27 Extended Look, according to NielsenIQ data reported by The Game Business.
- The PS5 Pro costs $899.99 in the US after an increase announced on March 27, 2026; Sony cited “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.”
- By late August, PS5 Pro stock had sold out at Best Buy, Walmart, Target and PlayStation Direct in the US.
- Newzoo's Ronan Patrick expects GTA VI and Call of Duty to lift the console install base, but “nothing particularly massive.”
What we don't know yet
- Whether the UK jump lasted beyond a single week; the published data covers only the reveal week.
- How much stock Sony and Microsoft have set aside for November; Sony told investors in May it had secured “the necessary volume” for 2026, without giving numbers.
- How much of the PS5 Pro shortage comes from GTA VI demand and how much from tight supply, which retailers were already warning about in June.
VICEVERSA's take
A 33% weekly jump sounds dramatic, but it comes off a low base. UK console sales were falling sharply before the Extended Look, and one strong week does not reverse that. Newzoo's view, an uptick but nothing massive, fits the numbers better than the “GTA 6 effect” headlines, ours included. The PS5 Pro shortage is real, but it also reflects constrained supply: retailers were warning about year-end shortages in June, before anyone had seen the gameplay.
For players, price is the bigger story. At $899.99, the PS5 Pro costs $150 more than it did in March, and Sony justified that in broad economic terms, not by pointing to GTA. Paying a reseller's markup on top of that makes little sense when the standard PS5 and Xbox Series X|S will run the same game on November 19. If you need hardware for launch, buying at list price and accepting a short wait for a restock is the more sensible plan.
Mike Pagani, editor
Sources
- tomsguide.com
- notebookcheck.net
- gtaintel.com
- The Game Business — GTA 6 reveal causes Xbox and PlayStation sales spike
- VGC — UK PS5 and Xbox sales jumped by a third following GTA 6's Netflix reveal
- TheStreet (via Yahoo Finance) — Sony hikes prices for the PS5 and PS5 Pro
- TechRadar — Retailers may run out of PS5 and Xbox stock around the launch of GTA 6
- TweakTown — PS5 Pro out of stock as GTA 6 catapults console demand
