Grand Theft Auto V ranked third on Sony's European PS5 download charts last month, above most new releases. Twelve years of live service updates have made walking away from Los Santos harder than Rockstar Games critics expected.
At some point, we probably need to stop treating Grand Theft Auto V and its decades-long success as “surprising," because it clearly isn't anymore.
GTA V is still one of the biggest games on the market, even though the game originally launched back in 2013 on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
According to Sony’s monthly charts, GTA V was the third most downloaded PlayStation 5 game in Europe last month. The only games ahead of it were Crimson Desert and EA Sports FC 26. Meanwhile, in the United States and Canada, the game climbed from eighth place to seventh. Even its success on the older PlayStation 4 console remains strong, jumping to 9th place (from 14th) in Europe and 12th place (from 14th) in North America.
A thirteen-year-old game outperforming newer releases would normally feel like an anomaly, but with Rockstar Games, it's more of a business model than anything else.
Someone who casually plays Grand Theft Auto once every few weeks might not even realize they are participating in a live service economy that has essentially outlasted an entire console generation, and then some.
PlayStation Store Download Rankings: April 2026
| Platform | Region | April Rank | March Rank | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PS5 | Europe | 3rd | 4th | Up 1 |
PS5 | USA / Canada | 7th | 8th | Up 1 |
PS4 | Europe | 9th | 14th | Up 5 |
PS4 | USA / Canada | 12th | 14th | Up 2 |
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A lot of modern AAA releases struggle to establish long-term identity. They launch, trend on social media for two weeks, then disappear from public conversation entirely. This is where Rockstar is different. GTA V, partially because of Grand Theft Auto Online, remains culturally relevant. Los Santos is no longer where you play as Michael De Santa, Trevor Philips, or Franklin Clinton. It's become a digital hangout space that has lived through the years because of constant updates and, now, an official mod marketplace.
Critics are not entirely wrong when they point out that Rockstar has spent over a decade monetizing the same foundation while competitors pushed out multiple sequels and new IPs.
At the same time, can you blame Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive?
After all, why would they say no to supporting GTA V when its success affords them time?
Besides, instead of bouncing between dozens of new releases annually, today's audiences increasingly commit to a handful of long-term titles, including GTA Online. For all the complaints about Rockstar milking GTA V, players continue to reward the company for it.
Ironically, Rockstar itself may have to face a similar issue with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6.
Sony is telling PS4 owners to upgrade to a PS5 to play the next GTA. Although it's probably a way to drive console sales, it's also telling people to actually stop playing GTA V or GTA Online, at least for a while, to try out a new game. Make no mistake, people will flock to GTA 6, but player behavior doesn't change just like that. You can't just make people stop mucking around in Los Santos to pay Vice City a visit just because the next big thing came out, especially given the recent price increases. Sometimes, people need a little push.
With that said, it'll be interesting to see how Rockstar manages GTA 6 so that it can stay relevant for just as long, if not longer.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said on record that the expectations for GTA 6 are "terrifying," even though he's partly to blame for the hype.
We'll find out soon enough on November 19 if GTA 6 will be worth all this hullabaloo. Until then, don't expect players to stop playing GTA Online, especially with the next summer update just right around the corner.