Skip to main content

GTA V has sold 160 million units, second only to Minecraft

Grand Theft Auto V has sold 160 million units since its launch, cementing it as the second bestselling game of all time behind Minecraft, according to Take-Two Interactive’s latest investor presentation.

The figure for GTA V‘s sales is massive compared not only to other games by themselves, but entire franchises. According to Statista, by November 2020, the Assassin’s Creed franchise had sold 155 million copies. That number doesn’t include Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, which was released that same month, but even when you add the sales of that title in, GTA V‘s sales come extremely close to the total sales of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.

Take-Two Interactive’s presentation also claimed that the Grand Theft Auto franchise has, in total, sold over 370 million units. To put that in perspective, according to the Pokémon company’s website, the Pokémon franchise has sold a total of 380 million units.

GTAV‘s massive sales number isn’t surprising considering how successful the game’s multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online, has been since it launched in 2013. Over the course of the past nine years, GTA Online‘s player base has ballooned, mainly thanks to constant support from Rockstar. According to Take-Two’s presentation, GTA Online has had over 40 free content updates to date.

However, GTA V‘s massive sales figure is sure to put some stress on Rockstar to ensure that the next entry in the franchise performs similarly. While fans have been looking forward to something like “GTA 6 for years now, creating a game that will sell more than entire franchises, especially when its online component is set to become a stand-alone release, is a tall task.

Editors' Recommendations

Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
The hacker who leaked Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced
Key art for Grand Theft Auto VI.

The Rockstar Games hacker responsible for the September 2022 leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced in the U.K. Arion Kurtaj, the 18-year-old Lapsus$ member behind the hacks of Rockstar Games, Uber, and Nvidia, was just sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, according to the BBC.

Kurtaj's sentence is based on a number of factors. The young hacker has autism, said that he wanted to continue committing cybercrimes, and has reportedly been violent while in custody. The court ultimately decided that he would "remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."

Read more
The most underrated Final Fantasy game is coming to PS Plus this month
Garland towers over Jack, Ash, Jed, Sophia, and Neon in

Sony unveiled December 2023's new titles for PlayStation Plus Premium and the Extra Game Catalog, and it contains some heavy hitters. While the addition of the PlayStation 4 and PS5 versions of Grand Theft Auto V will probably be the biggest draw for most players, I want to shout out the addition of what might be the most underrated modern Final Fantasy game: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.

Released in March 2022, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is technically a prequel to the original Final Fantasy that reveals the origin story of that game's villain, Garland. In reality, Stranger of Paradise becomes a metacontextual analysis of the cyclical nature of the Final Fantasy series, serving as both a celebration and a biting critique of one of gaming's oldest RPG franchises. It also features one of the most bonkers video game endings I've ever experienced, so going through the adventure is worth it for that alone. Thankfully, it's enjoyable to play along the way as a more approachable class-based Soulslike from Team Ninja, the developer behind NioH and next year's Rise of the Ronin.

Read more
5 key details we noticed in the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer
Lucia is interview in prison in Grand Theft Auto VI.

Rockstar finally dropped the first trailer for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 on Monday night after it leaked early. In less than 24 hours, it has already amassed over 77 million views. Outside of what's featured in the trailer, Rockstar isn't revealing much more about GTA 6. Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser simply stated in a press release that Rockstar wants to "push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences."

Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 1

Read more