Skip to main content

Ain’t it grand? ‘GTA V’ has shipped 75 million copies since its 2013 release

grand theft auto v 75 million gta trevor pointing over chair
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Grand Theft Auto V has been one of the highest-selling games of all time since shortly after its release back in 2013, but that has been firmly cemented by new statistics released by publisher Take Two. To date, GTA V has shipped over 75 million copies around the world, more than 10 times some of its other big title releases.

Rockstar’s GTA franchise has been a powerhouse in the world of gaming for closing in on two decades. Ever since GTA 3 opened up the explosive criminal simulator to a three-dimensional world, new installments and downloadable content for the games have earned the developer and its publisher untold millions. GTA V really took things to a new level though.

Released at the tail end of the last generation of consoles, GTA V ended up spanning generations, releasing again on the PS4 and Xbox One and then the PC several months after that. That has helped it sell tens of millions of copies and the digital revenue from the online mode has kept a steady flood of money pouring into Take Two and Rockstar’s coffers.

It is worth pointing out that while Take Two cites 75 million copies of the game have been “shipped,” that takes into account all copies sent to retailers and is a different statistics than those ‘sold’ to consumers. Still, there’s no arguing that those physical copies are sitting on shelves. Despite it being nearly three and a half years since its original release, GTA V is still the second-hottest-selling game in the United Kingdom at the moment.

However, even taking shipping versus sold numbers with a pinch of salt, Take Two’s second-most-successful game in recent memory is NBA 2K17, which in comparison has shipped just 7 million.

That’s a monumentally successful game, but not even in the same ballpark as Grand Theft Auto V.

Both franchises contributed to Take Two pulling in $477 million in revenue for 2016, with digital revenue — that is, micro-transaction and DLC-based sales — accounted for $240 million of that (thanks, Gamespot) proving that GTA V’s online mode continues to be a great source of income for the company.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Rockstar Games hacker reportedly arrested following GTA 6 leak
Lester plans a heist in GTA V key art.

Last weekend, someone hacked Rockstar Games and leaked over 90 videos of the still-in-development Grand Theft Auto 6. Now, the City of London Police in the United Kingdom reportedly arrested the 17-year-old individual responsible for the hack.

BBC and the City of London Police's Twitter account confirmed the arrest took place in Oxfordshire earlier today. The official statement only says that this 17-year-old individual was arrested "on suspicion of hacking, as part of an investigation supported by the NCA UK's National Cyber Crime Unit," but journalist Matthew Keys reports that this is the person who leaked Grand Theft Auto 6 after they hacked Rockstar Games (and possibly hacked Uber as well). 

Read more
Rockstar says Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks won’t have ‘long-term’ effects on development
Rockstar Teaser Image 2

After a massive leak showing off in-development footage of Grand Theft Auto 6 hit the internet this weekend, Rockstar Games has publicly responded to the breach. In doing so, the company has officially confirmed the authenticity of the leaked videos, but noted that they won't have "long-term" effects on the game's development.

https://twitter.com/rockstargames/status/1571849091860029455?s=46&t=05w9VvD36ZQLHzYQOZBTsg

Read more
Grand Theft Auto 6 will reportedly feature the series’ first female protagonist
Stylized character art for GTA V.

The highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 will reportedly include a Latina protagonist who will be one of two leading characters in the upcoming game. If accurate, this will mark the first entry with a playable woman as the lead role. The decision coincides with Rockstar's internal push to improve workplace practices and culture, with less required overtime and improvements to the company's gender gap.

This comes by way of a Bloomberg report, citing people familiar with the game's development. The outlet spoke with over 20 current and former Rockstar employees, who mostly consider the company's recent changes to be positive, leading to an improvement in morale, overall.

Read more