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Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto VI on Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, 13 years after the last main entry in the franchise. The game is widely expected to become the biggest release of the decade.
The series debuted in 1997 with two games that used a top-down view, in which players took on the role of a criminal on missions around cities. Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, combined a three-dimensional open world with advanced graphics and drew wide critical acclaim.
Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games' parent company, published figures on Monday showing the franchise has sold 480 million games. GTA V alone has sold nearly 235 million units since its 2013 release, making it the second best-selling video game after Minecraft.
Take-Two says GTA V reached $1 billion in retail sales in three days, two days faster than the film “Avengers: Endgame” and the quickest of any entertainment product. With GTA VI, the series totals 17 stand-alone titles and expansion packs, plus GTA Online.
GTA Online launched two weeks after GTA V in 2013. It shares the same core gameplay, with heists and combat missions set in a virtual city inspired by Los Angeles, but lets players create custom characters, form teams and compete against rival groups.
Market research firm Circana ranked GTA V, including its online component, as the third most-played game on PlayStation and Xbox consoles in the United States last year. The game has more than 15 million monthly active users worldwide in 2026.
“It is a phenomenally, massively successful thing,” Christopher Dring, head of the specialist publication The Game Business, told AFP.
He said the online mode accounts for much of the nearly $500 million in annual revenue the franchise generates, including money players spend on virtual currency, vehicles and other items.
Roleplay is a key driver of engagement, with players taking on roles such as police officer, doctor or gangster.
Gabriel Berranger, a 19-year-old history student and former in-game police officer, said, “It’s a bit like improvisational theater.” Rockstar has not announced an online follow-up, but many analysts expect a GTA Online 2 in 2027.
Critics have accused the series since its start of glorifying violence and encouraging criminal behavior, allegations Take-Two executives have denied.
The games have also drawn criticism for misogynistic portrayals of women, caricatures of ethnic minorities and depictions of torture, while receiving praise for cultural satire.
The level of violence has at times led to bans and restrictions in some countries, and retailer Target Australia stopped selling GTA V in 2014, citing customer concerns.
Guinness World Records called the series the world’s most controversial video game franchise in 2009.
The games carry a mature-audiences-only rating, and Take-Two executives say customers should be free to choose what they buy.
The series has also become part of popular culture, generating online memes and references to its scenes and dialogue.
Actor Ray Liotta voiced Tommy Vercetti, the lead character in 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and other cameos include Samuel L. Jackson, Burt Reynolds, musician Phil Collins and comedian Ricky Gervais. French electronic duo Justice composes the GTA VI soundtrack.
Rockstar formally revealed GTA VI with a trailer in December 2023. The game is set in Leonida, a fictionalized version of the state of Florida that includes a return to Vice City, a Miami-inspired setting. It follows a criminal couple, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.
Rockstar promises a map twice as big as GTA V's, whose fictional city of Los Santos and its suburbs cover 75 square kilometers (29 square miles).
The game was initially scheduled for late 2025 and was delayed twice, with Rockstar saying it needed additional time to meet expected quality standards.
It reportedly cost between $1 billion and $1.5 billion to produce, making it the most expensive cultural product ever.
The game takes up 212 gigabytes at launch, making it one of the largest video games created. Rockstar opened pre-loading this week to ease server pressure on launch day. The download takes at least 45 minutes and possibly hours, depending on internet speed.
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