GTA V Defies Age, Remains Top-Played Game Across Platforms

Leaving no record unbroken in its wake, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online continue to dominate the gaming industry, drawing in crowds of gamers regardless of platform despite its age. The statistics come courtesy of Circana, as posted by Mat Piscatella on BlueSky.

Over a year after Grand Theft Auto 6 should've taken the spotlight over from its predecessor, the 2013 title is still one of the most played games today. In fact, as of last week, February 15, it remained the third-most played PlayStation game, and was the fourth-most-played game on the Xbox.

While the base game has never received any DLC, GTA Online remains a significant draw for players. Rockstar Games consistently delivers weekly content updates, introducing new missions, vehicles, and events that keep the online component feeling fresh and exciting.

As a matter of fact, Rockstar is teasing something huge for March 4, and this is on top of the upcoming free upgrade for PC gamers who will finally get to enjoy all the bells and whistles that Rockstar added to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X versions of the game with the launch of Grand Theft Auto V: Expanded and Enhanced two years ago.

GTA 5's success has afforded Rockstar the luxury of taking their time with the development of GTA 6, even if it has sometimes come at the expense of post-launch single player content for GTA 5. Take-Two is also well aware of its popularity. Take-Two Interactive has promised that the company will continue supporting GTA Online after GTA 6 hits the store shelves.

All of this has removed the pressure from Rockstar to rush a new title to market, allowing the studio to focus on crafting a worthy successor that lives up to the immense expectations. This patient approach may ultimately benefit players, as it allows for a more polished and feature-rich experience upon release.

Aside from the return-to-office mandate last year, we've heard nothing but positive things about GTA 6 from Take-Two CEO, Strauss Zelnick, who's insistent that it remains on track for a fall 2025 release.

With that said, we might only be weeks away from hearing more official news about GTA 6. In a recent earnings call, Take-Two revealed that it has alloted a significant amount of its annual budget for marketing for the next fiscal year. Although this is understandable considering Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country are both coming out this fiscal year as well, there's little doubt that GTA 6 figures into this as well.