Why Grand Theft Auto 5 Continues to Sell Like Hot Cakes

gamerant.com:

When Grand Theft Auto 5 first burst onto the scene during the twilight of the PS3 and Xbox 360-era, few observers could have predicted the journey it would go on. Even in the face of the franchise’s wider standing within pop culture, it’s almost unheard of for a game to remain at the sharp end of popularity for more than a handful of years. Against all odds, that’s exactly what Rockstar Games’ latest modern-day crime simulator has managed to achieve.

Since debuting towards the end of 2013, it’s estimated that a staggering 160 million copies of Grand Theft Auto 5 have been sold. As it stands right now, that figure places the open-world thriller in second place on the all-time best-selling list of games. Only Minecraft, a family-friendly title that’s evolved into a multimedia empire, has sold more. Make no mistake, that accolade hasn’t been achieved through sheer luck alone though. Rockstar Games has capitalized on multiple developments along the way, that have allowed it to keep selling copies so incredibly well.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Currently Seems to be a Diamond in the Rough

When Grand Theft Auto 5 debuted on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it was arguably ahead of its time in many respects. While the mechanics at the core of its DNA have remained largely unchanged since the PS2-era, the way in which Rockstar Games has packaged the latest incarnation of its franchise is a radical departure from the norm. That’s because unlike previous installments, GTA 5 comes complete with its own bespoke multiplayer spin-off. Creating Grand Theft Auto: Online as a fully fleshed out game-within-a-game, is the biggest reason why GTA 5 has become such a sales juggernaut.

The way in which Rockstar Games has built GTA: Online to be an ever-evolving world