13 Years Ago Today, GTA 5 Launched

GTA 5 Celebrates Its Last Birthday Before We All Start Playing GTA 6 Instead Published Sep 17, 2026, 9:58 AM EDT Do you remember what you were doing when GTA 5 launched? I do. I was in my high school English Literature class, studying Much Ado About Nothing. My teacher looked around the class - easily missing half of its students - and laughed to himself, noting that everyone had caught "GTA-itus". That was September 17, 2013 - 13 years ago today. If that is enough to make you feel like your bones are turning to dust, I am sure you are not alone in that. GTA 5 is officially a teenager, not technically old enough to play a GTA game, but definitely playing one anyway. Anyone Born When GTA 5 Launched Is 13 Now, And Probably Asking For GTA 6 In November GTA 5 launched 13 years ago today on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It wouldn't be on PC until 2015, as Rockstar tends to prioritise console releases - something that is unchanged with GTA 6. But getting back to GTA 5, it was a worldwide phenomenon. That probably isn't too surprising to hear now, as the entire industry appears to revolve around GTA 6's launch, but back then, it was wild to see firsthand. It made $1 billion in sales just days after release, and famously became the most profitable media product of all time (as a single release). Those sales never really went away, either. You would often see one of the various GTA 5 re-releases on the sales charts, with the latest figures released by Take-Two putting lifetime sales at 230 million. GTA 5 launched five years after GTA 4. Believe it or not, that was considered a long gap between sequels back then. I wonder how we would have reacted if we knew that, 13 years on, we'd still be waiting for a follow-up? At the very least, this is (almost definitely) the last GTA 5 anniversary before GTA 6 drops. GTA 6 is set to launch on November 19, and it looks like Rockstar will actually stick to this date, after multiple delays. The marketing campaign is in full swing, too, including a rather controversial deal with Netflix to temporarily paywall the gameplay reveal. Another unexpected development is that, just weeks before the game's launch, Take-Two and Rockstar are in court with former employees. They are accused of union busting in relation to the firing of more than 30 employees last year. Leadership argues that the employees were sacked for sharing confidential material with people outside of Rockstar. The employees and their union argue that any discussions would have been protected union activity, and this was only done to stop organisation efforts. The case is being heard now, with both sides giving evidence. Speaking of leaks, there have been more than a few. Most recently, someone pushing their own crypto scam started dropping full GTA 6 gameplay clips. It is likely they had their own copy of the game, months ahead of launch. The leaker has since gone dark, and there's been no update on whether or not they have been identified. But getting back to the point: happy birthday, GTA 5. You've been the most recent GTA game to play for a stupidly long time now, but I don't think you'll ever really be forgotten, even once GTA 6 is with us. Released September 17, 2013 ESRB M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol Developer(s) Rockstar North Publisher(s) Rockstar Games Engine Rockstar Advanced Game Engine Genre(s) Open-World, Action