Take-Two misses its own Q2 forecast and leaves GTA 6 to carry the year

Take-Two Interactive heads into GTA 6 launch week with a soft quarter behind it. These are the last official numbers from Rockstar’s parent company before GTA 6 comes out. GAAP net revenue came in at $1.50 billion, down from $1.77 billion a year before.

The quarter also fell short of Take-Two’s own plan. Recurrent consumer spending fell 9%. That category covers in-game purchases, virtual currency and add-ons. Guidance had called for a 5% decline, and management blamed NBA 2K for the gap.

NBA 2K27 sold well but still fell short

NBA 2K27 has sold more than 4 million copies since its early-September launch. It posted the second-highest net bookings in the series’ history. Even so, it missed the company’s forecast for the period.

CEO Strauss Zelnick believes anticipation for GTA 6 helped drag NBA 2K27 below expectations. If he is right, players are already holding back spending for Rockstar’s game.

The pattern is not new this year. In August, first-quarter net bookings fell 3% to $1.39 billion. Take-Two left its full-year target unchanged then, too.

GTA 6 now has to carry the holiday quarter

Take-Two will not release pre-order numbers. On the earnings call, CFO Lainie Goldstein called the volume of GTA 6 pre-orders extraordinary. The company held its guidance because the launch was just 10 days away, VGC reported.

Only one outlook moved. Full-year GAAP net revenue is now expected at $7,980 million to $8,180 million. That is slightly higher than the $7,900 million to $8,100 million range given in August.

The launch quarter is where the pressure sits. The October–December forecast compares with $1.76 billion in the year-earlier quarter. The top of the range is still slightly below the $3.51 billion analyst average. Operating expenses are expected to rise about 21%, mostly because of GTA 6 marketing.

Take-Two Q2 net bookings fall 18% to $1.6bn as NBA 2K27 misses forecast but GTA 6 pre-orders are "tracking far in excess" of expectationshttps://t.co/vezkX865C8 pic.twitter.com/dZ5A2NMsrm

— GamesIndustry (@GIBiz) November 9, 2026

For players, this sets a clear yardstick. A weak second quarter and an unchanged annual target leave little room for GTA 6 to underperform. The holiday-quarter result will show whether the game delivered what Take-Two has built its year around.

Fans have been able to order since pre-orders opened at midnight local time on June 25, 2026. The standard edition costs $79.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Digital pre-loading started November 10 at midnight local time on PS5 and at 12 a.m. GMT worldwide on Xbox Series X|S. The download can take up to 212 GB. GTA 6 launches on November 19.

Sources

• TAKE TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE INC – Form 8-K – FY2026 (Q2 fiscal 2027 earnings release) (Take-Two Interactive (SEC))
• Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Reports Results for Fiscal First Quarter 2027 (Take-Two Interactive via Business Wire)
• GTA 6 pre-orders are 'far above initial expectations' but NBA 2K27 was 'below our forecast', Take-Two says (VGC)
• Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-Load Begins on November 10 (Rockstar Games)

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