Rockstar Games is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its most successful game edition so far, GTA 5. The game which released on September 17, 2013, has completed a decade today and to date remains to be one of the most loved and popular games of all time.
But GTA 5’s popularity isn’t something that has taken all these years. Sure Rockstar Games has made sure to keep up the hype and fame with some great features and evolving with time. But the game was an instant hit among fans of the GTA franchise and the overall gamers community alike back when it was released 10 years ago.
The game shattered several records within just hours of its release back in the day. As Rockstar commemorates 10 years of GTA 5 and GTA Online, let’s take a walk down memory lane and reminisce about the records GTA 5 broke at its launch.
Records broken by GTA 5
Some reports suggest that GTA 5 officially broke around seven Guinness world records at the time of its release in 2013. It is to be noted that in early 2010 the video game markets were much smaller than what they are today. At a time when video games and consoles were gradually gaining popularity, GTA 5 was a groundbreaking revolution in the gaming world. including the highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours.
GTA 5 debuted on September 17, 2023, for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 and managed to sell 11.21 million units in just the first 24 hours which collected a revenue of $815.7 for the developer Rockstar North as well as publisher Rockstar Games. The title then went on to reach $1 billion in sales within just three days post-launch in the market.
Besides that GTA 5 also crushed the records formerly held by the Call of Duty video game series as well as blockbuster movies like The Avengers and Avatar. As announced by Guinness World Records back then, GTA 5 broke numerous records.
The editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, Craig Glenday, had said, “GTA totally deserves to be recognized as an icon of modern British culture, and we’re thrilled to be able to feature the game in the record books.” He further added, “Gaming is no longer a niche hobby, as GTA 5 has proved, and how exciting that it’s taken on the might of Hollywood and won!”
To sum it up, here are the records Rockstar Games broke with GTA 5:
- Best-selling action-adventure videogame in 24 hours
- Best-selling videogame in 24 hours
- Fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion
- Fastest videogame to gross $1 billion
- Highest grossing videogame in 24 hours
- Highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours
- Most viewed trailer for an action-adventure videogame
Looking at the records, one can imagine what big of a deal GTA 5 was back in the day. Over the years, some of these records were later overtaken by other game releases, but GTA 5 continues to be known as a legendary one to set the bar high. With GTA 6 in the books, fans can expect Rockstar Games to shatter even more records.
