You’ve probably heard the legends. A game so big it makes Hollywood blockbusters look like indie projects. When Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) dropped back in 2013, it felt like a cultural reset, but nobody—not even the suits at Take-Two Interactive—fully grasped the financial monster they’d just unleashed.
Fast forward to early 2026, and the numbers are honestly terrifying.
While the world bites its nails waiting for the recently delayed Grand Theft Auto VI to finally show up in November 2026, its predecessor is still out here printing money. We aren't just talking about a "successful game" anymore. We’re talking about a decade-long economic anomaly.
How Much Has GTA 5 Made Since Launch?
The short answer? A lot. The more precise answer involves enough zeros to make your head spin. As of the most recent financial reports from late 2025 and heading into 2026, the Grand Theft Auto V ecosystem has generated roughly $10.22 billion in total revenue.
Let that sink in for a second.
Most "triple-A" games are lucky to break $500 million. Many struggle to even recoup their development costs. But GTA 5? It crossed the $1 billion mark in just three days back in 2013. Since then, it’s been a steady climb fueled by three different console generations and a PC community that refuses to let go.
The revenue isn't just from the initial $60 purchase you made back on the PS3. In fact, that's only part of the story. The real secret sauce is the "recurrent consumer spending"—which is basically corporate speak for Shark Cards and GTA+ subscriptions. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, Take-Two reported that nearly 73% of their net bookings came from these recurring sources.
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Basically, we're all still buying virtual mansions and neon-lit supercars, and Rockstar is laughing all the way to the bank.
Why 220 Million Copies Sold is Only Half the Story
If you look at the raw sales data, GTA 5 has shipped over 220 million units. It’s the second best-selling video game of all time, trailing only Minecraft. But the way it sells is what’s truly weird. Usually, a game sells 80% of its lifetime copies in the first six months.
GTA 5 is different.
In 2025 alone, the game was still moving about 5 million copies every single quarter. Think about that. Every three months, 5 million people are deciding it’s finally time to buy a game that came out when the iPhone 5S was the latest tech.
Why? Because Los Santos has become a digital playground that survives on its own momentum.
The GTA Online Engine
It’s impossible to talk about the revenue without mentioning GTA Online. It’s the heartbeat of the game. Even with GTA 6 on the horizon, Rockstar is still pumping out updates like Bottom Dollar Bounties and Agents of Sabotage.
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They even launched a subscription service called GTA+ which, despite initial groans from the community, has seen double-digit growth. It’s a recurring revenue stream that ensures even when people stop "buying" the game, they never stop "paying" for it.
The Role of FiveM and Roleplay
There’s also the FiveM factor. Rockstar eventually acquired the team behind the massive roleplay (RP) platform, effectively bringing the "modding" community under the official umbrella. This turned a niche PC hobby into a mainstream powerhouse. You’ve got streamers playing as cops, paramedics, or low-level crooks for audiences of hundreds of thousands.
Every time a big streamer hops on an RP server, it drives another wave of sales. It’s free marketing that keeps the game at the top of the Twitch charts and, by extension, the sales charts.
Comparing the Billions: Gaming vs. Hollywood
To really understand the scale, you have to look at other industries.
- Avengers: Endgame: Made about $2.8 billion.
- Avatar: Roughly $2.9 billion.
- Star Wars (The Entire Franchise): Huge, obviously, but on a per-product basis, nothing touches GTA 5.
The game has outgrossed the entire lifetime earnings of most film franchises. It’s not just the "most profitable video game"—it’s arguably the most profitable single piece of entertainment media ever created.
The Road to $11 Billion and Beyond
We are currently in a weird holding pattern. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick recently confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI is now slated for November 19, 2026. Usually, a delay like that would be a disaster for a company’s stock.
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But for Take-Two? They just raised their revenue forecasts.
They expect to hit record levels of net bookings in fiscal 2027 (which starts in April 2026), largely because they know GTA 5 will keep the lights on until the sequel arrives. They are projecting revenue in the range of $6.4 billion for the current fiscal year.
It’s a safety net made of pure gold.
What This Means for You
If you're a player, this financial success is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it means Rockstar has the infinite resources needed to make GTA 6 the most complex game ever. On the other hand, the sheer profitability of GTA Online is exactly why we had to wait 13 years between mainline entries.
When you’re making $150 million to $200 million every quarter from a game you finished a decade ago, there isn't exactly a huge rush to replace it.
Next Steps for Players:
If you're still part of the Los Santos ecosystem, keep an eye on your GTA+ benefits and the FiveM integration updates. Rockstar is clearly using these as testbeds for how they’ll monetize the next game. For those looking to see where the money is going, tracking the quarterly Take-Two earnings calls (usually in February, May, August, and November) is the only way to get the "real" numbers before the public PR machine spins them.
The $10 billion milestone is in the rearview mirror now. The next stop is seeing if GTA 6 can break the same records—or if the original king is simply impossible to dethrone.