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The idea that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be a flop is unfathomable; it’s almost guaranteed to become the biggest-selling game of 2025, that is of course if Rockstar sticks to the initial trailer date, which I and about 200 million other gamers hope that they do. Some experts believe the game might not even reach our screens until 2026 – but hey, let’s not get too pessimistic, shall we?

Whenever a new GTA game is on the horizon, the entire world takes notice, not just the gaming world; it often finds its way into mainstream news. We can’t think of any other game in recent history that’s been able to do that. 

Given that Grand Theft Auto V remains the second biggest-selling video game of all time, despite only coming out in 2013, the omens look good. The potential for the next chapter of the GTA franchise shows all the potential landmarks of a monumental success. Rockstar will be quietly hoping that the next highly anticipated installment can go one better and eclipse its predecessor, but they’re under no illusions about how difficult it will be. 

Grand Theft Auto V – An Ongoing Success Story

It’s been over a decade since Grand Theft Auto V’s mammoth success. However, the game’s profitability has stemmed from its ability to generate revenue consistently via its online services—it has netted Rockstar an incredible $1 billion in profit. Despite being over a decade old, it continues to be one of the most profitable games in its entire library on a year-by-year basis. 

Grand Theft Auto brought an entirely new dimension to the franchise, providing an array of activities that were much more advanced than their older games. It had more in-depth online maps, storylines, and a more expansive and engaging casino than any older games in its catalog.

For those who enjoy Grand Theft Auto and online casino gaming, the GTA casino has all the characteristics of the real thing; the only difference is that you don’t use your real cash when you play at the GTA online casino. 

Playing at a casino online gives you access to all the same games that file into the casino gaming experience. If GTA 6 will expand on the online casino idea of GTA 5 remains to be seen. Still, you’d think that given its success and the fact that casino gamers are drawn to it, there will be a facility on GTA 6 – maybe with a few enhancements and perhaps the introduction of using alternate payment methods for in-game purchases.

What’s The Likelihood Of It Leapfrogging GTA V?

It’s become a running theme on social media for people to comment on bizarre or unique things happening “before GTA 6,” but the truth is, Rockstar didn’t need to rush into this. GTA V wasn’t just the game of 2013; it was the game that continued to generate a colossal audience because of how well it utilized its online strengths.

For it to become the best-selling game of all time, it would have to exceed the 300 million units of Minecraft that have been shifted since 2011 – the hard data puts it into perspective, as much as we all love GTA, 300 million units is basically the population of the US. While both games have an ardent fanbase, they’re very different titles, but you’d think if any game has the potential to do it, it will be GTA 6. Not only is GTA V considered one of the greatest games of the decade, alongside another Rockstar classic—Red Dead Redemption 2—but many believe it’s the best game of all time. So, it will be an enormously challenging benchmark to reach, but if you were to task anyone with trying to break this record, it’d be Rockstar – true gaming royalty.

Final Thoughts

Given the appropriate economic conditions, there’s no reason why the hysteria around the first GTA game for over a decade will not push it to sell millions of units within the first few weeks of its release. The tension for the first trailer was palpable. 

While it was derailed slightly, given the fact it was leaked on Twitter before Rockstar could officially announce it themselves, it’d be fair to say that no game in history has been able to generate the sort of hysteria with one trailer. Hopefully, the second trailer doesn’t find its way online courtesy of frustrating clout chasers.

Rockstar is no stranger to true gaming innovation; it’s part of the reason their games have developed such a passionate and loyal fanbase. The nostalgia it evokes for some of us of a certain age bracket is visceral, and if GTA 6 can bottle up the gaming magic that all their other titles have (excluding the remasters), it could become the biggest-selling game of all time.