Nintendo blockbuster game sold 10,000,000 copies in first three days of release, still couldn't topple $1 billion record set by GTA 5

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) are two record-breaking titles in their own special ways. The former went live earlier this year and sold many copies within the first three days of release. GTA 5, on the other hand, sold so many copies on its first day that it's still considered a global record in gaming.

Although there are major differences with respect to the platforms and the general theme of the games, both The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and GTA 5 have set some impressive records at launch.

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Despite massive sales, The Legend of Zelda fails to break GTA 5's record

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom sold around 10,000,000 physical copies within three days of launch. To date, no other game has sold these many physical copies. What's more interesting is that this number does not include the digital copies that were sold globally.

The numbers have made Tears of the Kingdom the fastest-selling console-exclusive title in history. But GTA 5 is a different breed altogether. On the day it launched, the title sold around $800 million worth of copies, and the number shot up to a staggering $1bililon within the first three days of release.

While Breath of the Wild firmly established the grounds for Tears of the Kingdom to succeed, the online mode in GTA 5 is the major reason the game is so successful today. Released in 2013, no other title offers such a diverse single-player and multiplayer experience to this date.

Moreover, given that the game supports mods, many modded servers are also available for players to explore and play on, allowing players to have an experience different from the standard GTA feel. Tears of the Kingdom, on the other hand, is a single-player title.

Furthermore, GTA 5 appeals to a larger playerbase compared to Tears of the Kingdom. That's because of two primary reasons. Firstly, the game has a huge open world; secondly, players can do whatever they want. No other game has such a diverse offering. It'll be worth seeing how things go once GTA 6 goes live, but it's safe to assume that this game won't go out of popularity soon.

Funnily enough, the only game to hit the $1 Billion sales mark this year was Hogwarts Legacy, and that's only because the game went live on almost every platform available. The Nintendo Switch version is yet to go live and has been delayed to November 11. Once that happens, the sales numbers could increase, making it the highest-selling game this year.