During a recent appearance on the People by WTF podcast with fellow billionaire Nikhil Kamath, Elon Musk admitted he can't bring himself to play one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time. When Kamath asked whether Musk had ever played Grand Theft Auto, the tech mogul's response was unexpected. He explained that he tried playing Grand Theft Auto 5 but gave up almost immediately because the game required him to shoot at police officers to progress through the story.
Musk's stance is like buying a racing game and refusing to drive fast. The entire premise of GTA revolves around playing as a criminal in an open-world environment where breaking the law is baked into the gameplay itself. The series has sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide precisely because of this award-winning gameplay.
Musk's specific sticking point came during the game's opening mission, a bank heist featuring characters Michael De Santa and Trevor Phillips. Within minutes of starting the game, police arrive at the scene, and players must fight their way to the getaway vehicle. This is where Musk drew the line. He explained during the podcast that he simply doesn't enjoy harming non-player characters in video games, particularly law enforcement officers (but causing harm to actual demographics in real life is fine, apparently).
Make no mistake, this revelation puts Musk in an extraordinarily small minority. GTA 5 alone has sold more than 210 million copies since its 2013 release, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. The franchise's success is built on its no-holds-barred approach to virtual crime, allowing players to engage in everything from street racing to elaborate heists. For most players, the ability to cause virtual chaos without real-world consequences is the entire appeal and is exactly why Grand Theft Auto Online is as popular as it is.
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This isn't the first time Musk's relationship with GTA has made headlines. When the GTA 6 trailer initially leaked on X (formerly Twitter), Rockstar Games notably delayed posting the official version to the platform for several hours, despite Musk publicly requesting they share it there. The games company instead directed traffic to YouTube first, only later sharing it on X after the initial wave of interest had peaked.
With that said, Musk's abstention is unlikely to impact their bottom line. With GTA 6 expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, losing one billionaire player - known to pay people to play games instead of him - won't make a dent in their sales projections. If anything, his comments have simply added another talking point to the already massive conversation surrounding the franchise.
The irony here is rich. Musk owns a platform where the GTA 6 trailer became one of the most viral pieces of content in gaming history, yet he personally can't bring himself to play the games that generated all that engagement. The trailer that leaked prematurely on his own platform was for a game he performatively claims he'll never touch.
There's also something amusing about a tech mogul drawing a hard line at pretend violence against police in a video game. The man bought companies that are literally building rockets and (at least attempting) brain-computer interfaces, but shooting fake cops in Los Santos? That's where he taps out.
While Musk's gaming library might not include GTA, judging by the franchise's unprecedented success, he's pretty much alone in that decision. When Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19, 2026, millions of players will be lining up to experience Vice City's crime-filled streets.
Elon Musk just won't be one of them - and Rockstar? They're probably fine with that.
