GTA V is #1 on the UK Games Chart for the 10th Time
By Jasmine Henry 16 January 2017
Grand Theft Auto 5 takes the top spot in the latest UK sales chart for the 10th time in its history, despite the Rockstar Games title launching over 100 weeks ago.
While Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold well across the world, with 70 million copies shipped globally, the game has done especially well in the United Kingdom. Rockstar Games recently revealed that its open-world crime sandbox has sold six million copies alone in the region. But while GTA 5‘s UK sales figures would be impressive even if they stayed flat at six million, the game’s success in Britain continues to increase as once again the game has hit the top of the UK games sales charts.
In the UK games sales chart for the week ending January 14, GTA 5 was able to pip several other heavy hitters to the top spot, giving the game its 10th ‘number one seller’ title since release. The Rockstar Games release, which launched in the UK 174 weeks ago, was able to outdo several 2016 titles including Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, FIFA 17, Battlefield 1 and Forza Horizon 3.
It should be noted that the UK sales chart only takes into account physical retail sales, which could skew overall sales figures quite a bit given that many gamers these days download their games rather than buy them in store. However, the fact that GTA V has still been able to outsell the likes of Battlefield 1, which sold phenomenally upon launch and FIFA 17, which was the UK’s best selling game at retail in 2016, is still impressive.
GTA V‘s continued success, even so long after its initial release, is no doubt down to the regular stream of updates to its multiplayer mode, GTA Online. Although GTA Online support for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions has come to an end, the PC, PS4 and Xbox One versions regularly get new content, with one recent addition including the Import/Export DLC which allows players to make bank by stealing (and delivering) high-end vehicles.
Rockstar Games is able to make bank both from GTA Online microtransactions as players fork out real money to afford the new items that each update adds. The updates also serve as marketing, getting people interested and giving them a reason to buy the game when they hear about a content drop that they like the sound of.
However, some would argue that GTA V sales (and Rockstar’s revenue) would increase even more if the company was to deliver story DLC for the game, instead of just GTA Online content. Unfortunately, it seems that this story DLC has been scrapped for a GTA Online map expansion but who knows, if the growing GTA V playerbase continues to ask for it, then Rockstar may just reconsider.
