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Gaming console sales have surged in the UK, following the Extended Look at the Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) reveal on Netflix.

GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated games of the generation, arriving 13 years after GTA V. Set in a modern-day Vice City, the game promises a huge open world. Its Netflix extended look marked a first-of-its-kind streaming partnership, giving you an extra sneak peek into the game.

And with over 30 million viewers tuned in to watch the GTA 6 Extended Look on Netflix, the excitement appears to have translated into the purchase of a new gaming console to play the game.

The PS5 Pro has been flying off shelves, with the £789.99 console also nearly sold out across the UK. Several stores in the UK have since sold out of PS5 stock entirely. Some third-party sellers on eBay were even asking as much as $1,500 (£1,287) for the premium hardware.

NielsenIQ figures, shared via The Game Business, show that PS5 console purchases climbed 33% in the UK during the week of the reveal. The XBOX Series X and S weren't far behind, with a 34% rise over the same period.

However, this sales boost also comes against a pretty grim backdrop for consoles in the UK.

The PS5 now costs 67% more in inflation-adjusted terms than it did at launch, and XBOX consoles are roughly twice as expensive. This comes from the massive boom in Artificial Intelligence (AI), with data centres gobbling up memory supplies faster than manufacturers can make them.

It's affected several other tech products, like Apple's MacBook Neo, Roku's streaming sticks, Fire TV Sticks, and more.

It seems like the price hikes had a negative effect initially, too. Hardware sales were down 14.4% year-on-year by the end of July, with PS5 shifting 32% fewer units compared to the same period last year. XBOX Series X and S sales were actually up 3.1%, but that's from a much smaller base.

And despite the recent spike in sales, some are not convinced GTA 6 will dramatically change the picture long-term. Consultant Ronan Patrick told The Game Business: "We expect, because of [GTA] and Call of Duty, to see an uptick in the install base, but nothing particularly massive.

"But perhaps some of the fears are overblown when it comes to software. It’s important to remember that the lion’s share of time is often spent on older titles, and the closest analogy we have to a hardware shock is during the 2020-2021 GPU shortage, and you didn’t see engagement or revenue being taken off course. You basically saw a reallocation of spend into software.”

Sony appears to be leaning into the GTA 6 excitement, too. During its latest State of Play presentation, the company unveiled two limited-edition DualSense wireless controllers themed around the game's Vice City setting.

There's a black version and a white version, each featuring a colour-shifting shimmer designed to evoke neon-lit nights and sun-drenched coastlines. Both controllers also have palm tree details physically moulded into the surface, along with official GTA 6 branding.

The white edition is meant to capture the feel of Vice City at dawn — think pastel skies and white sand. The black edition channels the city's nightlife energy. The black model will be sold exclusively through PlayStation Direct where available, while the white version will also be stocked at participating retailers.

Both go on sale from November 19 at £74.99 — the same day GTA 6 will be available to everyone. However, if you want to guarantee one for yourself, pre-orders will open on September 10 at 10am.

Sony seems to be able to afford to ride this wave rather than chase new customers. Sony's CEO Hiroki Totoki recently told The Wall Street Journal in a video that with the PS5 in the latter half of its lifecycle, the focus is on "recurring revenue from the current user base" rather than aggressive marketing.

The numbers back that up. Analyst Daniel Ahmad found that Sony's average annual revenue per active PlayStation user has grown 59% since the PS4 era — roughly $230 (£179) more per person.

With GTA 6 set to land on November 19, it's clear Rockstar Games' blockbuster remains the single biggest force shaping the console market right now.