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Grand Theft Auto is a controversial sandbox game series. It is one of the biggest franchises, having sold more than 335 million units and formerly owning the record for biggest video game launch in the United States and United Kingdom until the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.[1]

Sales[]

Year Platform Title Sales
1997 / 1998 / 1999 PC / PS1 / GBC Grand Theft Auto 3 million[2]
1999 / 2000 PS1, PC / DC, GBC Grand Theft Auto II 2 million
2001 / 2002 / 2003 PS2 / PC / Xbox Grand Theft Auto III 14.5 million (March 2008)[3]
2002 / 2003 PS2 / PC, Xbox Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 17.5 million (March 2008)[3]
2004 / 2005 PS2 / PC, Xbox Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 21.5 million (March 2008)[3]
2005 / 2006 PSP / PS2 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories 11 million [3]
2006 / 2007 PSP / PS2 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories 6 million [3]
2008 PS3, Xbox 360, PC Grand Theft Auto IV 25 million (November 2012)[4]
2009 Nintendo DS, PSP Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars 1.2 million (November 2013)
2009 / 2010 PS3, Xbox 360, PC Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City 3 million (November 2013)
2013 PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series Grand Theft Auto V 140 million (March 2021)[5]

History[]

Grand Theft Auto III[]

As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto III has sold 14.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive,[3] over 7.3 million of which was in the United States.[6] The game reached the one million mark in the UK alone on November 2002.[7]

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City[]

As of March 26, 2008, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has sold 17.5 million units according to Take-Two Interactive[3] and over 6.2 million in the United States alone.[8] The title sold more than 3 million units worldwide in its first 2 months and 1.5m in its first week in the United States.[9] 250K units were sold in the UK in its first week.[10]

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories[]

As of March 19, 2017, Liberty City Stories has sold 11 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive.[3]

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories[]

As of March 19, 2017, Vice City Stories has sold 6 million copies according to Take-Two Interactive.[3]

Grand Theft Auto IV[]

Grand Theft Auto 4 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 sold over 6 million copies in its first week and 3.6 million on day one. This equates to a worldwide sales value of $500 million after one week and $310 million on release day, which was a new all-time sales record for any form of entertainment, including movie industry. In its first day in the United Kingdom, the title sold an estimated 609,000 in one day and 926,000 for one week, both records.[11]. 514,000 units were sold on the Xbox 360 and 413,000 on the PlayStation 3. [12]

According to NPD sales data, GTA4 set Canadian sales records by selling 270,000 copies translating to $17 million. In comparison, Halo 2, in November 2004, sold 222,000 units at launch. Last month "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" debuted at 197,000 copies while "Halo 3" sold 191,000 during its launch in September 2007. [13]

As stated by Take Two, first-day sales for the game was over 3.6 million, equivalent to $310 million. In its first week, Grand Theft Auto IV sold over 6 million units globally, generating income of approximately $500 million. These staggering sales easily beats out Halo 3's first day ($170 million) and week-long ($300 million) sales, the last record for largest amount of sales in this given time. As Take Two chairman, Strauss Zelnick, stated, "Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date."[14]

According to retailers more than 60% of all GTA games sold in the first week were the Xbox 360 version, although UK supermarket ASDA reported that their PlayStation 3 version was outselling the 360 version 3 to 1. According to retailers, roughly 40% of Xbox 360 consoles are now bought with a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV, and Xbox sales increased by 54% in the week of the GTA IV launch. France sold 525K units in its first month.[15]

Within the first week, GTA IV also became the most played game on Xbox LIVE. More than 2.3 million gamers played GTA IV online in that week, and that had unlocked 12 million achievements worth 100 million Gamerscore points between them. The average Xbox LIVE gamer spent 4 hours player GTA IV online that week, meaning Xbox LIVE hit 1 million concurrent users within the launch week of GTA IV.

It was revealed by NPD that the game sold 2.85 million units in the U.S., split by 1.85M for the Xbox 360 and 1.0M for the PS3, in April, making it one of the biggest video game launches.

As of June 2008, GTA 4 has shipped 8.5 million copies.[16]

According to the NPD Group and GfK Chart-Track, the game has sold 4.711 million units in the US and 1.582 million in the UK, respectively, for a total of 6.293 million units as of 1 August 2008.[17] As of 16 August 2008, the title has sold over 10 million copies through to consumers, according to Take-Two Interactive.[18]

In September 2011, Strauss Zelnick revealed on the ThinkEquity's annual Growth conference that sale numbers have shipped 22 million.[4]

http://www.edge-online.com/news/gta-iv-tie-ratios-highest-ever

Analysis[]

With the Xbox 360 having 2.4x more systems than the PS3, it was universally expected the 360 version of GTA4 would outsell the PS3 version. The monthly results in NPD April 2008 (1.8m to 1m) gave the 360 a 1.8:1 ratio, much lower than their install base advantage. However, this was also to be expected because unlike titles like Call of Duty 4, GTA4 had significant "Sony loyalty" - as did Devil May Cry 4. In the United Kingdom, the 360 outsold the PS3 version 55/45 in the first week and 62/38 in the second. [1]

Grand Theft Auto V[]

GTA 5 is a game created by rockstar games in 2013, best known for its controversial content and massive online mode.

See also[]

References[]

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Predictions[]

UBS analyst Ben Schachter points to 7-8 million for "Grand Theft Auto IV," with upwards of 10.5 million units by the end of the year.
Best selling franchises
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See also: Best selling games · Best selling games worldwide · Highest grossing franchises
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