GTA 5 statistics 2026: Sales, revenue & records

GTA 5 has sold 225+ million copies and generated $8.5 billion in lifetime revenue.

Oliver GrantUpdated:
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games

Grand Theft Auto V launched in September 2013 and grossed $800 million in its first day — then the fastest entertainment product of any kind to reach $1 billion. Thirteen years later, it is still selling 5 million copies every quarter. At 225+ million total sales, it is the second best-selling video game in history. For broader market context, see our video game industry statistics. Here are the verified numbers.

GTA 5 key statistics

  • 225 million+ total copies sold — the second best-selling video game in history.
  • $800 million grossed on launch day, September 17, 2013.
  • $1 billion in three days — the fastest entertainment product ever to reach that milestone.
  • $8.5 billion+ in lifetime revenue as of late 2023.
  • $9.72 billion in total GTA franchise revenue as of Take-Two FY2025.
  • 5 million copies still sold every quarter as of Holiday 2025.
  • ~$9.6 million per week generated by GTA Online (leaked Rockstar data, Sept 2025–Apr 2026).
  • $5 billion+ earned by GTA Online from Shark Cards alone since 2013.
  • 50+ awards and accolades including 3 BAFTAs.

GTA 5 sales

GTA 5 has sold over 225 million copies — the second best-selling game in history

(Source: Take-Two Interactive earnings, Holiday 2025; TweakTown)

GTA 5 has sold over 225 million copies worldwide.

  • GTA 5 reached 225 million total copies sold as of Take-Two’s Holiday 2025 quarterly earnings report — up 5 million from the prior quarter.
  • It is the second best-selling video game in history, behind Minecraft (350M+).
  • It has sold at least 5 million copies every quarter since launch in 2013, without exception.
  • Sales milestones: 90M (2018), 110M (May 2019), 120M (mid-2020), 170M (2022), 200M+ (2023), 215M (May 2025), 225M (Holiday 2025).

No other single game release has sustained quarterly sales of 5 million or more for over a decade. GTA 5 achieved this across five console generations — PS3/Xbox 360 (2013), PS4/Xbox One (2014), PC (2015), and PS5/Xbox Series X|S (2022) — with each re-release extending the commercial cycle. The total cost to develop and market the game was approximately $265 million. It recouped that budget before the end of its first day on sale.

GTA 5 earned $800 million on day one and $1 billion in three days

(Source: Reuters; Take-Two / Rockstar, 2013)

  • On September 17, 2013, GTA 5 grossed $800 million worldwide in a single day — a new industry record.
  • Within three days, it crossed $1 billion in sales — making it the fastest entertainment product in history to reach that milestone, surpassing film and music records at the time.
  • It sold 11 million copies in its first 24 hours.

The $1 billion in three days record stood for years and has since been approached by only a handful of other entertainment products. For context: the fastest-earning film openings at the time were around $300–400 million in a first weekend. GTA 5 did more than double the previous entertainment record in 72 hours.

GTA 5 has generated over $8.5 billion in lifetime revenue

(Source: Barron’s / Wikipedia, late 2023; TweakTown FY2025)

  • GTA 5’s lifetime revenue reached approximately $8.5 billion by late 2023, per Barron’s reporting on Take-Two disclosures.
  • The broader GTA franchise — which includes GTA Online’s ongoing revenue — has generated $9.72 billion in total as of Take-Two’s FY2025 results.
  • In Take-Two’s FY2025 alone, the GTA franchise generated $710 million in revenue.

$8.5 billion from a single release over 12 years, before the sequel has even launched, is a result with no precedent in entertainment. For comparison, the highest-grossing film franchises — Marvel, Star Wars — generate those revenues across dozens of individual releases. GTA 5 generated more than the entire lifetime box office of the Transformers franchise from a single title.

GTA Online revenue

GTA Online generates approximately $9.6 million per week

(Source: Leaked Rockstar financial data, reported by Game World Observer, April 2026)

  • Leaked Rockstar Games financial data confirmed GTA Online generates an average of approximately $9.6 million per week in revenue.
  • ~74% ($7.3M/week) comes from Shark Card microtransaction purchases.
  • ~26% ($2.3M/week) comes from the GTA+ subscription service.
  • In the seven-month period from September 2025 to April 2026, GTA Online generated approximately $500 million in total revenue.

GTA Online has earned over $5 billion from Shark Cards since 2013

(Source: Leaked Rockstar financial data; ResetEra)

  • Since GTA Online launched in October 2013, Shark Card sales have accumulated over $5 billion in revenue.
  • GTA Online’s weekly revenue has ranged from a minimum of $4.8 million to a maximum of $27.9 million depending on content update cycles and platform activity.
  • PS5 leads all platforms in both revenue and active users.

GTA Online’s Shark Card model has become one of the most studied examples of live-service monetisation in gaming. Players pay real money for in-game currency (GTA$) to accelerate progression in a multiplayer environment. The system has been controversial — it creates a pay-to-advance dynamic in a competitive setting — but commercially it has proven extraordinarily durable, generating nine-figure revenue annually for over a decade from a product that had no additional development cost after the base game.

GTA 5 records and awards

GTA 5 broke seven Guinness World Records on release

(Source: Guinness World Records; IMDB)

  • GTA 5 holds multiple Guinness World Records including fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion and highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours.
  • The game has received over 50 awards and accolades across its lifetime.
  • Award highlights: 3 BAFTA wins from 6 nominations; 4 Steam Award wins; multiple nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and NAVGTR.

GTA franchise context

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has sold over 465 million copies total

(Source: Take-Two Interactive, Holiday 2025)

  • The GTA franchise has sold over 465 million total copies across all mainline entries.
  • GTA 5 alone accounts for 225 million — nearly half of all franchise sales.
  • Other major titles: GTA San Andreas (~27.5M), GTA IV (~25M), GTA Vice City (~17.5M), GTA III (~14.5M).

GTA 5’s dominance of its own franchise is unique in gaming. The best-selling individual Call of Duty, Mario, or FIFA entry typically represents a fraction of franchise totals. GTA 5 represents 48% of everything the GTA series has ever sold — because it arrived at the exact point where open-world gaming, digital distribution, and always-online multiplayer all converged, and then sustained that position across every subsequent console generation.

GTA 5 historical milestones

  • September 17, 2013 — GTA 5 launches on PS3 and Xbox 360; $800M on day one, $1B in three days.
  • November 2014 — Releases on PS4 and Xbox One; becomes available to a new generation of hardware owners.
  • April 2015 — PC release; sets record peak concurrent Steam players.
  • 2017 — Crosses $6 billion in lifetime revenue; GTA Online surpasses 100M registered players.
  • 2018 copies sold — 90 million; still selling over 15 million copies annually.
  • March 2022 — Expanded and Enhanced version launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
  • Late 2023 — Lifetime revenue confirmed at $8.5 billion by Barron’s.
  • 2024 copies — GTA franchise total crosses $9.72 billion; GTA 5 still selling 5M per quarter.
  • Holiday 2025 — GTA 5 reaches 225 million copies sold; GTA Online generating $9.6M/week.
  • November 19, 2026 — GTA VI launches — the game GTA 5 has spent 13 years making room for.

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