How Many Copies of GTA 5 Have Been Sold? Everything to Know

Released in 2013 by Rockstar Games, GTA V is one of the most successful video games ever created and has managed to lead the sales chart for more than a decade across multiple platforms. What made the players interested and engaged in the game is the continuous updates and expansion packs released by the game developers.

The numbers behind the definitive success of the Grand Theft Auto gaming title tell a remarkable success story of the popularity and fame the game has gathered since its first public release. There are very few games in the history of the video game industry that have managed to consistently sell the game, attract new players, and generate revenue, while sustaining relevancy for over twelve years.

Let’s explore the total sales figures, break down the numbers, and all while examining the platforms that contributed most to the success of GTA V, making it a gaming wonder.

The Sales Figures of Grand Theft Auto V

According to the reports, Rockstar Games has sold over 215 million copies of GTA V around the world across all platforms since its first release back in 2013, which makes it the second best-selling video game of all time. In case you are wondering which game has secured the first spot, it is Minecraft.

During 2020 alone, over twenty million copies of the game were sold, which marked it as the game’s best-selling year since the initial release of the game.

Interestingly, these sales figures don’t account for the free distribution of the game by Epic Games during the Mega Sale 2020 in the month of May, which itself had a significant impact on the overall growth of the player base of the game.

This offer went on for over a week and even resulted in Epic Games Store server crashes and 500 errors as millions of video game enthusiasts claimed their free copy. Another impact of this event was the creation of GTA 5 accounts in massive numbers, which is beyond the sales generated and recorded officially.

There were subscribers of Xbox and PC Game Pass; those gamers also accessed and claimed their free copy of the title without purchasing individual copies for their consoles. These are all the game download figures where all the data went to Microsoft; however, it can be estimated that there could be over a million additional downloads and GTA 5 players who never made it to the traditional sales data, as those copies were all given away for free.

Gaming marketplaces like GameBoost make the calculations even more complicated as they offer certain discount keys that may not reflect in the official statistics that were released by the publisher. These sales figures establish GTA V as a cultural phenomenon that surpasses typical video game success metrics.

Where You Can Play GTA V

Most of the success of GTA V is because the game has been available on multiple platforms and consoles, including physical game stores and online stores, which has maximized the potential of attracting a larger audience.

Let’s look into the platforms and the consoles where the game is available:

When it comes to the platforms that offer wider compatibility, PC players are mostly at an advantage, as they have the widest selection of online stores to choose from.

When it comes to playing GTA V on PC, the Steam Store dominates with the strongest userbase, Epic Games has provided the community with a free giveaway offer, whereas Rockstar Launcher is designed to give you direct access to the game served directly from the publisher.

Another interesting fact about the game is its compatibility of the game among different generations of gaming consoles, which allowed the game to be playable on different generations of hardware. For instance, if you had purchased GTA V for PS4, then you will be able to continue playing the same game on PS5, all while maintaining the saved gameplay progress and getting to enjoy the improved features.

There is a slight limitation to all this, though. If you have bought the game on PS3 or Xbox 360, then you will not be able to transfer it to the newer generation of gaming consoles.

This broad platform support explains how Rockstar Games has maintained GTA V sales momentum for more than a decade. Furthermore, the new console launches brought fresh waves of players as they were discovering the game for the first time or upgrading from the previous versions.

How Much Money GTA V Made

According to the analysis performed by TweakTown, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has managed to generate over $9.5 billion since the first public release of GTA V in September 2013 till the end of 2024. The statistics were released by Take-Two during Q3 of fiscal year 2025.

When we are talking about the revenue, it is important to highlight that the game made over $800 million in sales on the first day and over $1 billion within the first three days of its release.

Out of all this, GTA Online contributes to the biggest chunk of the ongoing revenue through microtransactions. Players buy Shark Cards containing in-game currency for vehicles, properties, and weapons. This in-game purchases model generates over $500 million annually for Rockstar Games.

Talking about the game overall, it maintains approximately 22 million monthly active players who continue spending money on the virtual items. What keeps players engaged in the game every season is their regular content updates and seasonal events, as well as purchases of new content.

Take-Two Interactive further reports that GTA V consistently ranks among its highest-earning properties even more than a decade after release.

Concluding Thoughts

GTA V is one of those games in the entertainment and gaming industry that has broken all the previous records set by different games, all while maintaining relevancy across multiple gaming consoles and platforms.

The game established the template for modern blockbuster titles, massive launch sales followed by years of online revenue generation. This success influenced how major publishers approach game development and monetization strategies.

For the future, GTA V’s sequel, i.e., GTA VI, is already in the pipeline. And the gaming industry is speculating whether it can match GTA V’s commercial success and gain the same level of attention and appreciation from the gaming community. As we already know, there are very few entertainment products that will ever reach such heights.