Grand Theft Auto 5 finds itself on the list of best-selling games this year, which should surprise absolutely no one. GTA 5 graces these lists more often than not, to the point that one could argue that it should be excluded from the data, and the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6 (delayed or otherwise) would likely push these sales further. And while this is obviously good for fans of the GTA series, Rockstar, and all those who profit from it, I worry about the expectations GTA 5‘s sales could set.
Grand Theft Auto 6
Action Adventure Systems
- Released
- May 26, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
DIGITAL
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As reported by GameSpot and Circana, GTA 5 lands in the 15th spot of the 20 best-selling games this year so far. The fact that it’s that low is the surprising information, if anything, as GTA 5 became the most profitable entertainment product of all time back in 2018, earning around $6 billion in profits after selling around 90 million units. Come 2025, GTA 5 has now sold 215 million copies since 2013—putting the GTA franchise within spitting distance of moving half a billion units overall.
The cited report covers January 5-August 2, 2025, focusing on physical and digital sales data if available from publishers. Furthermore, this is based on dollar sales, not unit sales, and does not include information such as add-on revenue or services like Xbox Game Pass. Some products may not have available data, yet remain on this list because of the data that is available.
The Best Selling Games of 2025
- Monster Hunter Wilds
- Oblivion Remastered
- College Football 26
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
- MLB The Show 25
- Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
- WWE 2K25
- Elden Ring Nightreign
- Split Fiction
- NBA 2K25
- Forza Horizon
- EA Sports MVP Bundle
- Minecraft
- Civilization 7
- GTA 5
- PGA Tour 2K25
- Doom: The Dark Ages
- EA Sports FC 25
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Donkey Kong Bananza
GTA 5 Sets High Expectations
Following a massive success is difficult. Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 sold (and obviously still sells) very well, but it is a far cry from GTA 5. This, combined with the length of video game development, has led to worries about whether fans will ever get Red Dead Redemption 3. Given its sales are much higher than several other games, it shouldn’t feel like such a 50/50, but the reality is that fans will not see another brand new AAA game from Rockstar Games in the 2020s after GTA 6. Even then, GTA 6 is likely the real test for a successor to GTA 5 for obvious reasons. The two biggest issues with sequels to massive, genre-defining, and industry-defining games are expectations from fans and from sales.
Expectations
The success of GTA 5 has obviously resonated with fans ever since 2013, meaning that GTA 6 has to follow up on 12 years of hype. So far, it doesn’t seem to have let fans down and its profits mean Rockstar can spend all the time it wants on the game, but still, what happens if GTA 6 doesn’t live up to the hype? I like to abide by what I call the golden rule of this industry: anything can flop for any reason. Hype =/= quality, and quality =/= success, as sad as that sounds. The release of Cyberpunk 2077 is all the evidence I really need, even if the game eventually became good, as several other games did not stick their landing, crashing instead, and never recovered. It’s not even about performance or the quality of the game sometimes; developers face a reality where they can release objectively good games and still be laid off. GTA 6 is not one that needs to cut through the noise, but still, there are more ways a video game launch can go wrong than it can go right.
The first fans of any game are, of course, its developers. Among developers, pressure from expectations is a real thing (combined with sales, too). Larian has said as much before about Baldur’s Gate 3, with CEO Swen Vincke saying there was a moment of “incredible pressure” to match the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 with Larian’s next RPG. A former Bethesda senior game designer, Bruce Nesmith, said it was also “almost impossible” for The Elder Scrolls 6 to meet fan expectations. Most Square Enix releases do not meet expectations, to the point that it’s almost a meme among gamers. All of this can be true of any company, with any game, and it’s not like it’s any specific developer or fans’ fault. With sales and critical receptions, there’s a general and very human ambition to go upward, and how do you go upward when games like GTA 5, Skyrim, and BG3 are accredited to your name?
For what it’s worth, the rest of Vincke’s quote is exactly how I feel fans and developers should think about this: “…where we felt incredible pressure, and then I said, ‘Guys, just forget about all of it. Right? We’re going to make a game again, and we’ll focus on that.” Not every game can, or should be, a GTA 5, Skyrim, or BG3; that does not mean it has any less inherent value. A game should be judged on its own merits, simple as that, and making a game should tap into the same fun and passion any fan feels when they’re playing their favorite games—even if their favorite is not moving millions and millions of units.
Can GTA 6 Live Up to the Hype?
For better or worse, hype is an all-important factor in the pre-release period of any game, and all of this is to say that the general hype, fan expectations, and sales expectations (even if no one outside Rockstar knows its internal goals) behind Grand Theft Auto 6 are astronomical by any indicator within the industry. It is impossible that GTA 6 will live up to the expectations set by GTA 5, and perhaps what’s more worrying is if it does. Already, by nature of the industry, Rockstar will not release another brand new AAA game this decade. If GTA 6 breaks records that were once broken by GTA 5, the expectations are going to triple/quadruple down on GTA 7 or whatever game comes from Rockstar next.
GTA 6 is releasing in an environment already facing tons of economic and workplace pressure, and many are looking to it (and dev teams are avoiding it) because of all the expectations. It cannot simply be a good game; by all expectations, it has to be the second coming of the industry. And I’d argue that it’s unfair to GTA 6 to expect it to be anything other than a good game, much less a video game (said with tons of positivity about the nature of just being a video game). With whatever faults and hallmarks and successes it launches with, being a video game should be enough.