Grand Theft Auto V Sells $800 Million in One Day

Though probably not a huge surprise, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V has hit some huge numbers in the wake of its release just this Tuesday, September 17. Already topping the $800 million mark, the game will easily overtake the $1 billion benchmark set by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which reached it in 15 days last November. Furthermore, this hasn’t factored in the future sales of potential ports to PC and PS4 consoles, so there’s no telling how far this fifth installment in Rockstar’s bestselling series will go.

Naturally, to bring in figures like that and to keep building on the successes of each of the previous titles, Rockstar Games pulled out all the stops spending-wise. GTA V cost about $265 million to make, earning it also the title of most expensive game in history. This little investment goes a long way, as GTA V boasts a world map that is bigger than all of the maps of the franchise’s previous games combined. GTA V focuses on Los Santos, a compressed fictionalized representation of LA and its surrounding countryside that the player can explore by freely switching between three different characters with unique abilities. Over the course of the 30-hour main story, players can play as Franklin, a young thug trying to get out of the hood, rich retired bank robber Michael who isn’t coping well living out of the crime game, and Trevor, a psychotic loose cannon.

While fans of the series and anyone who’s caught wind of its notoriety for carjacking, violence, sex and general player-orchestrated mayhem, the game gives players a chance to immerse themselves in a painstakingly researched and developed story world. Players can play golf, go to the strippers, go hiking, go hunting, or even just sit in their car and listen to the hours of farcical radio programming built into the game. The range of possible activities outside of the main storyline are complex to the point, they’ll even eventually get to try their hand at tackling a dumbed-down variety of financial enterprises including playing the stock market, property management and at long last, smuggling arms.

The sheer amount of choice available to the player goes right down to how much time and money they want to invest in the title. The game is currently available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in three different versions: the standard $59.99 version, the $79.99 special edition, and the GameStop-exclusive $149.99 collector’s edition.