Sony is poised to rake in billions when Grand Theft Auto VI launches next year, with analysts tipping the release to supercharge PlayStation 5 sales and cement Sony’s dominance over Microsoft’s Xbox.

Twelve years after the release of GTA V, developer Rockstar Games has confirmed May 26 next year as the release date for its highly anticipated sequel.

Market research firm DFC Intelligence projects 40 million copies sold in the first year, generating US$3.2 billion (A$4.8 billion) in revenue.

Ongoing online features are expected to add billions more, echoing the impact of GTA V, which still pulls in around half a billion annually.

For Sony, the timing is perfect. The PS5 has already outsold Xbox Series X/S by more than two-to-one, with 80.2 million units sold since launch.

By the end of this year, Omdia forecasts the gap will widen to 86 million PS5s versus just 36 million Xbox consoles. With GTA VI not expected to launch on PC until at least 2027, PlayStation will be the default platform for most gamers.

Sony is also tipped to strike a marketing deal to push its more powerful PS5 Pro as “the ultimate way” to experience GTA VI. Beyond hardware sales, Sony takes a 30% cut of all digital and in-game purchases – revenue that will surge once Rockstar rolls out GTA VI’s online mode.

The strategy underscores Sony’s broader pivot to IP development, echoing Nintendo’s push into films and theme parks. With studios like Naughty Dog (developers of The Last of Us), Sony has successfully spun games into cross-media franchises.

Challenges remain including soaring development costs, competition from mobile platforms and younger audiences spending more time on TikTok than consoles.

But with GTA VI locked in as the biggest gaming release in a generation, Sony looks set to cash in.