NEW YORK, July 4, 2026, 12:04 EDT
- U.S. markets stayed closed Friday for the observed Independence Day holiday. Nasdaq will open again Monday.
- Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. NASDAQ:TTWO gained 6.9% in the holiday-shortened week, beating moves in both the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500.
- BTIG figures GTA VI preorders could add $240 million to $360 million in gross player spend if 12 million to 18 million people go for the $99.99 Ultimate Edition instead of the $79.99 base version.
U.S. stock trading was shut Friday, with both the Nasdaq and NYSE observing the July 3, 2026 Independence Day holiday. Nasdaq’s normal trading hours run 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on business days.
Take-Two finished Thursday at $254.99, up 1.87%, to clock its fourth straight daily gain as it heads into the new week. The stock rose 6.9% for the holiday week, from $238.53 at the June 26 close, according to WSJ. Over that period, the Nasdaq Composite was up 2.1% and the S&P 500 added 1.8%, both measured close-to-close.
| Instrument | June 26 close | July 2 close | Week move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take-Two NASDAQ:TTWO | $238.53 | $254.99 | up 6.9% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 25,297.62 | 25,832.67 | up 2.1% |
| S&P 500 | 7,354.02 | 7,483.24 | gained 1.8% |
Investor chatter is mixed, not just driven by launch buzz. Rockstar Games, under Take-Two, opened preorders for Grand Theft Auto VI on June 25. The game officially launches Nov. 19. Standard edition is $79.99, Ultimate Edition is $99.99. The physical release only has a code for download. Digital versions can be preloaded starting Nov. 12.
BTIG’s Clark Lampen stuck with his buy rating and $293 target, telling Investor’s Business Daily that third-party data pointed to “positive signals for demand, pricing and bookings.” Lampen is looking for 15 million to 22 million in first preorders, with 12 million to 18 million for the Ultimate Edition. Nicolas Camia at Cdiscount said GTA VI preorders at his shop ran six times higher than he usually sees for a big franchise. Investor’s Business Daily
| GTA VI preorder variable | Low case | High case |
|---|---|---|
| BTIG puts initial preorders at | 15 mln | 22 mln |
| BTIG sees Ultimate Edition buyers at | 12 mln | 18 mln |
| Price difference to standard | $20 | $20 |
| Extra gross spend vs all-standard sales | $240 mln | $360 mln |
| Take-Two FY2027 bookings midpoint share | 3.0% | 4.4% |
This is notable because Take-Two is projecting $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings for fiscal 2027, with leadership saying the midpoint is around 20% higher than fiscal 2026 and mainly comes from GTA VI. The $240 million to $360 million is gross player spend, before any platform or retail cuts—it’s not net bookings—but it gives a basic sense of how much premium sales could shift the numbers in the launch year.
The company hasn’t given first-week sales numbers yet. That leaves the stock reacting to channel checks until Take-Two drops an official figure or analysts tighten their estimates with more digital and retail data.
Take-Two shares finished higher Thursday, even as tech indexes and many other gaming stocks dropped. The peer tape stood out.
| Thursday close snapshot | Price | Day move |
|---|---|---|
| Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. NASDAQ:TTWO | $254.99 | up 1.87% |
| Electronic Arts Inc. NASDAQ:EA | $205.21 | down 0.12% |
| Roblox Corp. NYSE:RBLX | $55.41 | fell 4.38% |
| Nasdaq Composite | 25,832.67 | lost 0.80% |
Take-Two ended Thursday 3.8% under its 52-week high of $264.79, so investors haven’t treated preorders as a clear breakout. WSJ’s FactSet table has 27 buys, two overweights, two holds and one underweight, with the average price target at $284.52—11.6% above where shares closed Thursday.
The bearish case is still on the table. Back in May, Reuters said Take-Two’s projections for fiscal 2027 bookings came in at $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion, lagging the LSEG average of $9.10 billion. The company is holding on to its Nov. 19 launch date for GTA VI. Wedbush Securities’ Alicia Reese said the main thing investors watched this quarter was whether Rockstar would actually set a date, since the studio has pushed back launches before.
Pricing still matters. Joost van Dreunen, who teaches games at NYU’s Stern School of Business, told Reuters that the $80 starting price was “a rounding error against the anticipation.” He also said GTA VI “widens the gap between the haves and the have-nots.” Reuters
U.S. stocks reopen Monday, kicking off the week. For now, the focus is on whether Take-Two’s GTA VI move can avoid getting caught in the chip drag pulling on the Nasdaq. WSJ lists Aug. 10 as the next scheduled earnings date.
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