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Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto news and guides, Rockstar Games' open-world crime franchise.
Total Apex Take
GTA 6 is the most anticipated game in a decade, and the wait is testing Rockstar's famously patient release philosophy.
GTA Online has spent over a decade proving a single open-world game can keep generating meaningful revenue years after launch, which is exactly why Rockstar has never felt rushed on a sequel — there was no financial pressure to replace a game still making money. That changed once GTA 6 was officially confirmed and a release window set, and every delay since has become its own news cycle given how little Rockstar has actually shown.
Our take is that the hype is earned by Rockstar's track record, not by anything concrete we've seen about GTA 6 itself — the marketing has been almost entirely vibes and a couple of trailers, which is a deliberate contrast to how much other studios overshow their games pre-launch.
The thing worth watching is less the single-player campaign, which Rockstar will almost certainly deliver well, and more whether GTA Online's successor can replicate a decade of ongoing revenue in a gaming landscape that's gotten much more crowded with live-service competitors since 2013.
About Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto is Rockstar Games' long-running open-world action franchise, known for its satirical take on American crime culture, sprawling open cities, and freedom to explore far beyond each game's main storyline. Since its 1997 debut, the series has become one of the best-selling and most culturally influential video game franchises ever made.
Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, became one of the best-selling entertainment products of all time across any medium, powered in large part by its ongoing online multiplayer mode, GTA Online, which Rockstar has continued updating for over a decade.
History
1997–2001
Top-down era
The original Grand Theft Auto games use a top-down perspective before the series shifts to full 3D with Grand Theft Auto III.
2001–2008
3D era
Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, San Andreas, and IV define the modern open-world crime genre.
2013–present
GTA V & Online era
Grand Theft Auto V and its online mode become a sustained, years-long commercial phenomenon ahead of the series' next mainline entry.
Key People
Sam Houser
Co-founder of Rockstar Games and longtime creative force behind the GTA series
Dan Houser
Former Rockstar writer, co-wrote several mainline GTA entries before departing in 2020
Rockstar North
Edinburgh-based studio primarily responsible for developing the mainline GTA titles
Key Grand Theft Auto Releases
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | 2001 | Shifted the series into full 3D open-world gameplay |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 2004 | Widely praised for its scale and ambition |
| Grand Theft Auto V | 2013 | One of the best-selling entertainment products of all time |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | TBA | Rockstar's next mainline entry, among the most anticipated games in development |
Financials
| GTA V lifetime sales | Surpassed roughly 195 million copies sold |
|---|---|
| Franchise lifetime sales | Over 405 million copies across all Grand Theft Auto titles |
| Publisher | Rockstar Games, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive |
How It Compares
| Compared To | Key Difference |
|---|---|
| Saints Row | Saints Row emerged as a more openly comedic, over-the-top take on the open-world crime genre GTA popularized, trading GTA's satire for outright absurdity. |
| Red Dead Redemption | Both are Rockstar open-world franchises, but Red Dead trades GTA's modern urban crime setting for the American frontier. |
Trivia & Fan Culture
Started as a top-down shooter
The original 1997 Grand Theft Auto used a top-down perspective; the series didn't adopt its now-signature 3D open-world format until Grand Theft Auto III in 2001.
GTA V's record-setting launch
Grand Theft Auto V set multiple entertainment-industry records for revenue generated in its opening days upon release in 2013.
GTA Online's long tail
Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer mode bundled with GTA V, has remained a major ongoing revenue driver for Take-Two for more than a decade after the base game's release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is GTA Online a separate game from GTA V?
GTA Online is an online multiplayer mode included with and built around Grand Theft Auto V, continuously updated by Rockstar since 2013 rather than sold as a standalone game.
Who develops Grand Theft Auto?
Rockstar Games develops the series, primarily through its Rockstar North studio, with support from other studios within the wider Rockstar Games group.
Who develops Grand Theft Auto?
Rockstar Games develops the series, primarily through its Rockstar North studio in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Is Grand Theft Auto VI confirmed?
Yes, Rockstar Games has officially announced Grand Theft Auto VI, with marketing and trailers released ahead of its anticipated launch.
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