GTA 6 preorders lead Modern Warfare 2 by 148% in Sensor Tower's US comparison
GTA 6 is running well ahead of a major Call of Duty launch in Sensor Tower's preorder comparison. GamesIndustry.biz reports a 148% lead over 2022's Modern Warfare 2 at a comparable point before release. That is a substantial gap within the measured market, but the qualification matters: this is an analytics estimate covering digital preorders in the United States, not a worldwide sales announcement from Rockstar or Take-Two.
SOURCE IMAGEWhat the 148% lead actually means
The reported lead means roughly 2.48 times the comparison total, not 148% of it. If Modern Warfare 2 is indexed to 100, GTA 6 would stand at 248. That is an illustration of the percentage, not a new estimate of either game's unit sales. Sensor Tower aligns the games by days remaining until release, which is more informative than comparing their totals on the same calendar date. It still does not make the launches identical: their preorder windows, prices, editions and marketing schedules differ.
A comparison of tracked launches, not every sale worldwide
The reproduced chart identifies selected AAA releases on PlayStation and Xbox and explicitly labels its scope as digital, US only. Alongside Modern Warfare 2, it plots games including Diablo 4, Hogwarts Legacy and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Its headline is also qualified: the strongest preorder pace among games the firm tracks over the stated six-year period. Removing those boundaries would turn a market comparison into an unsupported all-time, all-platform claim. Physical copies and purchases outside the United States cannot be added by implication.
The separate October 13 snapshot
GamesIndustry.biz also quotes Sensor Tower's October 13 snapshot: an estimated 6.08 million preorders and $594 million in revenue, with a 74% PlayStation and 26% Xbox split. Those numbers have their own cutoff and should not be presented as a live counter for October 22. They are estimates attributed to the analytics company, not accounts released by Rockstar. Nor is estimated spending the same thing as profit or money ultimately retained by the publisher after refunds, platform fees and other adjustments.
Why editions and distribution matter
The same report says the Ultimate Edition accounts for the vast majority of the estimated preorders. Edition mix can make spending grow differently from unit counts: two games with similar numbers of buyers can produce different revenue estimates if their prices and premium-edition shares differ. Subscription availability is another reason to treat cross-game rankings carefully. GamesIndustry.biz notes that Black Ops 6 launched into Game Pass, unlike the 2022 Modern Warfare 2 benchmark used here. A lower preorder total does not automatically mean a smaller eventual audience.
What this adds to the GTA 6 picture
The earlier post-preview surge and this new comparison answer different questions. One measures a change in purchasing activity around a marketing event; the other sets the preorder trajectory against selected historical launches. Together they explain why the launch is attracting unusual commercial attention, without establishing a first-year sales total or guaranteeing reception. The defensible headline is the attributed 148% lead within the US digital comparison. Our cover graphic visualises that reported percentage; the original Sensor Tower chart is reproduced above with its scope intact.
How to read this
This is analysis of available material, not a newly confirmed fact.
