Records, Sales and Awards
Grand Theft Auto V is one of the most successful entertainment products ever made. It broke records within hours of launch, collected Game of the Year awards across the industry and has kept selling for more than a decade. This guide gathers the most important numbers and achievements in one place.
- More than 230 million copies sold-in as of mid-2026
- About $815 million in revenue in the first 24 hours
- $1 billion in three days, the fastest of any entertainment product
- Seven Guinness World Records confirmed in October 2013
- Metacritic score of 97 on PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One
A Record-Breaking Launch
When Grand Theft Auto V launched on September 17, 2013, it earned more than $815 million worldwide in its first 24 hours, selling about 11.21 million copies. Within three days, revenue passed $1 billion. No entertainment product, whether a film, an album or a game, had reached that mark so quickly.
Guinness World Records confirmed seven records on October 8, 2013, including the fastest video game to gross $1 billion. Few launches in any medium have come close since.
Sales Over the Years
What makes Grand Theft Auto V unique is not just its launch but its staying power. Each new version, from PS4 and Xbox One in 2014 to PC in 2015 and current consoles in 2022, brought a new wave of players. In August 2026, Take-Two reported that the game had sold-in more than 230 million units across three console generations, making it the second best-selling video game of all time.
| Milestone | Figure |
|---|---|
| First 24 hours | About $815 million, 11.21 million copies |
| First three days | $1 billion in revenue |
| Mid-2026 | More than 230 million units sold-in |
| Whole GTA series | Almost 475 million units sold-in |
Take-Two has also described it as the best-selling title of its decade, both in units and in revenue.
Critical Reception
Critics were as impressed as players. The original release scored 97 out of 100 on Metacritic, a level of “universal acclaim” few games reach. The re-releases kept the bar high.
| Version | Metacritic |
|---|---|
| PlayStation 3 / Xbox 360 | 97 |
| PlayStation 4 | 97 |
| Xbox One | 97 |
| PC | 96 |
| PlayStation 5 | 81 |
| Xbox Series X|S | 79 |
Reviewers praised the three-protagonist structure, the open world and the presentation. IGN called it “one of the very best video games ever made.” The lower scores for the 2022 versions reflect the fact that they are upgrades of a game already nine years old, not a judgment on the game itself.
Game of the Year Awards
Grand Theft Auto V won Game of the Year from a wide range of outlets and ceremonies, including:
The 31st edition named it Game of the Year.
Game of the Year at the show that became The Game Awards.
The influential magazine’s top pick.
Named its game of the year.
It also won Game of the Year from CNET, Slant Magazine and the Inside Gaming Awards, among others.
The Scale Behind the Success
Development began around 2008, near the release of Grand Theft Auto IV, and the team grew to more than 1,000 people. Analysts estimated the development and marketing budget at more than $265 million, one of the largest of its time. The soundtrack alone includes more than 241 licensed tracks across 15 music stations, plus two talk stations.
Why It Keeps Selling
Several things keep Grand Theft Auto V on the charts. Each new console generation has given players a reason to come back. GTA Online has received a steady stream of updates, from heists to the July 2026 Kortz Center Heist, keeping a large community active. And the story mode remains one of the most complete single-player open worlds ever made. With Grand Theft Auto VI arriving on November 19, 2026, many players are replaying it to prepare. See how the two compare in GTA V and GTA VI.
Join the hundreds of millions who have explored Los Santos by playing it here on GTA 5 in Browser.