2025 is looking like a major year for AAA titles, with highly awaited games such as Death Stranding 2, Doom: The Dark Ages, Avowed, and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows all ready to hit gaming platforms worldwide. Yet, the most eagerly awaited game of all is undoubtedly Grand Theft Auto VI.
Anticipation Builds
After keeping fans waiting for nearly ten years, Rockstar unveiled GTA 6 with a trailer in December 2023. This trailer has received over 230 million views, highlighting the strong demand from gamers who have been longing for a new GTA since GTA V was released in September 2013. According to estimates from DFC Intelligence, this demand might push GTA 6 to surpass GTA V in earnings, with a predicted 2x revenue increase in its first year.
Revenue Expectations
As per DFC Intelligence’s report (shared through Financial Times), GTA VI is projected to generate an astonishing $3.2 billion in revenue within its first year. This figure includes an estimated $1 billion from pre-orders.
To give you an idea of just how significant this revenue could be, consider that Avatar (2009), the highest-grossing film ever, has earned $2.9 billion throughout its entire run. If GTA VI surpasses Avatar’s total earnings in just a year, it would be an extraordinary accomplishment.
Future Comparisons
Should GTA 6 indeed surpass the $3 billion mark in its opening year, it would likely outpace GTA V’s total sales over time, especially since there are rumors that Rockstar may delay the PC release compared to consoles, effectively allowing them to sell the game twice.
As of now, GTA V has sold over 200 million copies and has brought in over $8.6 billion in revenue. A significant portion of this amount comes from GTA Online, the multiplayer part of the game. For example, GTA Online reportedly generated $500 million in revenue just in 2022. Once Rockstar launches the multiplayer feature of GTA 6 after the single-player mode, we can expect a further increase in the game’s overall earnings.
In short, GTA 6 is on track to be a much larger title than its predecessor, both in terms of scale and financial success. The only question that remains is whether Rockstar will launch the game in 2025 or delay it. Many fans are apprehensive about a potential delay, especially since there’s been little news following the first trailer’s release in 2023.
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