Analyst doubts GTA VI drove September's PS5 sales jump

A Circana analyst is pushing back on the idea that Grand Theft Auto VI was the main reason PlayStation 5 sales rose in the United States in September, according to a report from GTABoom.

Per the Circana figures cited by the site, PS5 unit sales in the US were up 22% year over year in September, and hardware revenue rose 43%, making Sony the top-earning console maker for the month. GTABoom notes that price rises over the past year and demand for the PS5 Pro lifted revenue beyond what unit sales alone would suggest.

What we know

• Bloomberg linked the increase to buyers preparing for GTA VI, which launches on November 19, GTABoom reports.
• Circana analyst Mat Piscatella disagreed on Bluesky, writing that weekly data suggests "Marvel's Wolverine was the primary driver of the PS5 increase in September." He added that NBA 2K27 and GTA VI likely also contributed.
• Marvel's Wolverine launched as a PS5 console exclusive in September, according to GTABoom.
• Piscatella pointed out that Xbox Series sales fell 27% in the same month, even though GTA VI is also coming to Xbox. "So either GTA was not the reason for the PS5 bump, or people don't know it's also coming out on Xbox Series," he wrote.
• GTA VI is priced at $80 and is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, with no PC version at launch, per GTABoom.

GTABoom also highlights Rockstar's PlayStation-leaning marketing: the studio has said the game plays best on PS5, and the launch trailer opens on the PlayStation logo. The site suggests this could be steering console buyers toward Sony, though that is its own reading rather than something shown in the data.

What isn't confirmed yet

• How much of the September PS5 increase can be attributed to GTA VI specifically. Circana's analyst puts it behind Wolverine; Bloomberg's report leaned the other way.
• Whether PlayStation-first marketing is shifting purchases away from Xbox. GTABoom also notes Xbox executives have said the game is selling well on their platform.

GTABoom argues the clearer picture will come with November's figures, which will cover the game's launch month and the start of the holiday shopping season.