UK demand for current-generation consoles rose sharply after Grand Theft Auto VI’s Aug. 27 Netflix presentation, with PS5 sales increasing 33% and Xbox Series S and X sales growing 34% in the following week.
Nielsen HQ data supplied to The Game Business provides the sales figures. The short-term lift arrived during a difficult period for console hardware, which makes the timing particularly clear without proving that the Netflix presentation alone caused every purchase.
More than 30 million people watched Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look on Netflix. The presentation also coincided with widespread PS5 sellouts in the UK, leaving many retailers without consoles in stock. Rockstar’s August 27 presentation provided the first extended look at Grand Theft Auto VI gameplay after the earlier trailers, neither of which included actual gameplay footage.
UK hardware sales were still below last year
UK hardware sales were down 14.4% year over year, largely because PS5 sales had fallen 32%. Xbox Series S and X sales were up 3.1% over the same comparison. The one-week bump came on top of that uneven market rather than erasing the longer decline.
American buyers faced their worst July for console sales since the pandemic, with supply problems and higher prices linked to a global components shortage. Circana put the average price paid for new video game hardware at $502 in May, up 14% from $440 a year earlier.
A separate monthly figure put the average PS5 price at $672, up 33% from a year earlier, while Xbox Series consoles reached $524, up 22%. Those prices give some context to why a high-profile game release may not translate into a massive increase in new console owners.
Higher prices could limit the next hardware lift
Newzoo’s Ronan Patrick said November’s Grand Theft Auto VI launch may not produce as large a hardware increase as some might hope.
Speaking to The Game Business, Patrick said, “The PS5 in inflation-adjusted terms is 67% more expensive [than at launch], and Xbox is twice as expensive.”
He still expects Grand Theft Auto VI and Call of Duty to lift the install base, although he described the likely increase as limited. Patrick also pointed to the 2020-2021 GPU shortage as the closest comparison, arguing that player engagement and revenue continued even when spending moved toward software and older games.
The next useful comparison will be whether this short-term sales bump holds as Grand Theft Auto VI gets closer to launch. Tell us what you think in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, or Telegram.
Grand Theft Auto VI
Developed by Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
- Genre Shooter, Racing, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5
- Perspective First person, Third person
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release November 19, 2026
- Publisher Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive
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Age Rating
