Grand Theft Auto (GTA), one of the most iconic franchises of the gaming industry, reached an important milestone of 150 mln lifetime sales in August 2021, further solidifying its place in electronic entertainment history.
Grand Theft Auto has sold over 350 mln total units in its entire lifetime, developed by Rockstar Games which falls under the umbrella of Take-Two Interactive’s group of companies.
In 2013 the latest full version of the game, GTA V, was released and as of August 2021, has sold 150 mln units in its lifetime, according to data presented by Safe Betting Sites.
In the 2020 calendar year, GTA V sold more than 20 mln units, more than any other year since its release.
According to Take-Two Interactive’s latest investor presentation, GTA V reached $1 bln in retail sales faster than any entertainment release in history. The company also boasts that GTA V is the best-selling game in the US in both unit and dollar sales.
Such is the success of GTA V that an expanded and enhanced version of the game is set to be launched in November 2021, specifically for next-generation consoles.
Over 1 bln hours watched on Twitch
GTA V is also one of the most popular games when it comes to the video game streaming segment.
The game is in a period of resurgence in popularity and has been streamed by an average of 3,000 concurrent streams or more since February 2021. The average concurrent viewers by month have also reached six digits since the same period and reached a high of 341,000 in May 2021.
In the first half of 2021 alone, GTA V was watched for more than 1 bln hours on streaming platform Twitch, recording a high of 253 mln hours watched in May 2021.
“GTA is as iconic as they come with regards to gaming franchises and GTA V’s longevity only adds to its already storied legacy,” said Rex Pascual, eSports editor at Safe Betting Sites.
“The franchise is also largely credited with popularising the open-world genre which is now one of the most popular genres in all of gaming. Despite constant rumours about the next version of the game and the 10-year mark fast approaching, GTA V shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.”
