GTA VI is coming out in a few days. Should you buy shares in its publisher?

In ten days, Take-Two Interactive is set to release what is likely the most anticipated video game in history—GTA VI, according to Barron’s. The company reported unprecedented demand for the game after pre-orders opened, but did not raise its forecast. Is it worth buying its stock?

“There are ten days left until the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, and as pre-orders continue to reach unprecedented levels, we expect annual results that will be historic for our company,” — said Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, as quoted in the report.

The top executive added in comments to *Barron’s* that the game’s pre-order numbers are significantly exceeding the company’s expectations: “We know that the numbers will soon speak for themselves.”

However, Take-Two did not raise its forecast. The publisher still expects net bookings (its key sales metric) to range from $8 billion to $8.2 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027 — the same range the company cited in May. Analysts, meanwhile, had expected $8.62 billion. Wall Street prefers to use the bookings metric rather than revenue to more accurately reflect the value of in-game content and other digital goods, Barron’s explains.

Take-Two reported that bookings for the past quarter fell 18% compared to the same period last year, totaling $1.6 billion. Wall Street, meanwhile, had forecast $1.62 billion. The company explained that the results for the previous period were impacted by the weak launch of the sports simulation game NBA 2K27, released on September 4, whose performance fell short of expectations.

"We've decided not to change our forecast, since there are only ten days left until the release. We'll know a lot more once it happens," Bloomberg quotes Zelnik as saying.

The previous installment of Grand Theft Auto was released 13 years ago and remains one of the best-selling video games in history, according to Barron’s. Expectations for GTA VI’s performance are high: the publication reports that the release is projected to drive significant growth in pre-orders next year.

Gamers have already purchased 7.71 million copies of GTA VI, totaling $751 million, according to a report last week by the analytics firm Sensor Tower. This is close to the $800 million that GTA V earned in the first 24 hours after its release, even though the game’s release is still 10 days away, Barron’s notes.

In premarket trading on November 10, Take-Two shares rose nearly 4%. However, compared to the start of 2026, the stock is trading 19% lower and is now significantly below its July high of $265.94.

Nevertheless, The Motley Fool believes the stock is hardly cheap. Take-Two expects earnings of just $0.57 to $0.75 per share for the full year—figures that are being weighed down by accounting expenses related to past acquisitions and stock-based compensation, the publication notes. As a result, the P/E ratio at the upper end of the range exceeds 275, meaning investors are effectively paying in advance for periods following the release. As a result, the stock is trading at more than 275 times the upper end of this range, and investors are effectively paying in advance for periods following the earnings release, the publication notes.

If you do the math, the forecast seems conservative. It assumes that GTA VI will generate minimal sales in its second through fourth months. But games in the GTA series continue to sell for years. According to the report, Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, has sold more than 230 million copies, The Motley Fool reports.

In late October, analysts at Bank of America reaffirmed their “buy” rating on Take-Two shares. “The stock remains undervalued given its long-term growth potential, which we believe will soon become apparent,” said BofA analyst Omar Dessouki at the time.

Jefferies also recommends buying Take-Two shares: in mid-October, it reaffirmed its “Buy” rating and $300 price target. According to Jefferies analysts, investors are underestimating the potential of GTA VI.

30 out of 32 analysts covering the video game publisher's stock recommend buying it. One each recommends holding and selling.

This article was AI-translated and verified by a human editor