GTA 5 is the Best-Selling Game of the Decade in the US

Publisher Take-Two Interactive announced today that Grand Theft Auto V has officially passed 130 million copies sold worldwide. According to the NPD Group, the game is also the best-selling of the last decade in the U.S. That statistic accounts for both profits, and units sold. Notably, the number of units does not account for free copies of the game given away via the Epic Games Store, so the game has been played by even more players. It's an amazing achievement for the franchise, and it shows just how popular Grand Theft Auto V remains, nearly seven years after its initial release!

The 130 million figure comes from Take-Two's financial briefing with investors, and follows an announcement in February that the game had passed 120 million units sold. According to Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners, the Grand Theft Auto franchise has sold approximately 325 million units to date. That means that Grand Theft Auto V has accounted for nearly 40% of total sales for the franchise! That's a staggering number, and the game's longevity is impressive, to say the least.

There are many reasons that can be attributed to the game's continued success. Grand Theft Auto V's strong reviews have certainly played some role. However, Take-Two continues to support Grand Theft Auto Online, which has probably helped to pull-in plenty of new users. GTA V has also been made available across a number of different platforms, so it seems likely that some players that purchased the game on its release platforms may have upgraded, over the years.

Just checked the numbers and the GTA franchise has sold more than 325 million units in total.

130m means GTA V is 40% of total GTA game sales.

Borderlands around 60m, Red Dead around 52m, Bioshock around 35m, NBA nearly 100m.

— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) May 20, 2020

While there are a lot of possible reasons for Grand Theft Auto V's success, the fact remains that new fans are clearly still discovering the game. In the financial briefing, Take-Two revealed that they currently have 93 games planned for the next five years. While Grand Theft Auto VI has not been officially announced by the company, it seems like a safe bet that a follow-up can be expected in the near future.

Are you a fan of Grand Theft Auto V? Are you one of the 130 million gamers that have purchased the game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!