Could GTA 6 overtake GTA 5 in sales?

GTA 5 is the second best-selling game in video game history, which means GTA 6 has enormous shoes to fill.

Throughout the past several years, GTA 5 has sold over 155,000,000 copies. They are only behind Minecraft in terms of sales. Remember that GTA 5 made over a billion dollars in the first three days of release. There was so much hype going into this monumental game that it cannot be understated.

GTA 6 has yet to be publicly announced, yet players have been waiting a very long time for it. There is no doubt that it will smash records once it's finally released. However, will GTA 6 will ever surpass GTA 5 in sales? The question remains. It ultimately depends on Rockstar's decisions with the games.

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GTA 6 has a long way to go before it can overtake GTA 5 in sales

Realistically, this can happen only when Rockstar stops giving support to GTA 5. Most of its popularity has to do with the online mode. If that moves onto the next game instead, it will have a significant impact.

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A standalone GTA Online may affect GTA 5 sales in the future

GTA Online is undoubtedly the main reason why GTA 5 has sold millions of copies. While the single-player story has not been updated since 2013, GTA Online is still going strong with constant updates.

However, Rockstar plans to sell GTA Online as a standalone title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This means fewer players will buy GTA 5 if they only want the online mode. Even if that wasn't the case, there is another point to consider. Everybody's attention will be on GTA 6 and its online modes.

At some point, Rockstar will likely shut down operations for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Given the dwindling player base, they already did it to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. GTA 5 will no longer have the main reason why it was successful in the first place.

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Here is how GTA 5 could lose its placement

GTA 6 will have a lot of hype going into it. It might even break the previous records for Rockstar games. However, GTA 5 will likely have a decade-long head start. It took several years for the game to sell 155,000,000 copies. However, its support cannot last forever, especially when the new iteration comes out.

By this point, GTA 5 will be relegated to players from a previous console generation. This will undoubtedly cause a drop in sales since newer players will likely play the standalone GTA Online instead. Rockstar will turn its attention to the latest trends.

Ultimately, it also depends on the hype for the next game. The latest game should break sales records as long as Rockstar avoids a Cyberpunk 2077 situation. However, it will take several years before it can happen. Either way, players would be grateful to play the game in the first place.

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Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.