'GTA 5': 5 Reasons Why 'Grand Theft Auto 5' Has And Could Continue To Make Video Game Sales History

"Grand Theft Auto 5" was released on Sept. 17 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles after years of hype, speculation, data leaks and waiting. After all, it had been five years since "Grand Theft Auto 4" hit the market in 2008.

"GTA5" broke sales records on its first day and it may just be getting started.

Consider these five stunning items:

1. "GTA 5" Was A Cash-Spewing Volcano On Day One

The day before "Grand Theft Auto 5" was released, we reported that analysts Arvind Bhatia and Brett Strauser of Sterne Agee predicted whopping day one sales of $400 million. Bhatia and Strauser were a bit off the mark, to say the least. According to "GTA 5" publisher Take-Two Interactive Software's (TTWO) internal estimates, day one sales of "GTA 5" were a mind-blowing $800 million -- double the projections of the analysts mentioned above.

2. "GTA 5" Made $1 Billion In Three Days According To Company Estimates, A New Record

Take-Two Interactive Software just published a news release revealing that "GTA 5" has made $1 billion in three days, according to the firm's internal estimates. That's a new record, previously held by "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2," which took 15 days to reach the $1 billion mark. "GTA 5' took one-fifth the time that "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2" did to reach the $1 billion plateau.

3. "GTA 5" Puts Hollywood Blockbusters To Shame

Continuing an overall trend for the video game industry, "GTA 5" sales records could dwarf some of the biggest earners in movie history in a single month. Here's a bit of perspective: "The Dark Knight," one of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters ever, made a total of just over $1 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. "Avatar" made nearly $2.8 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. "GTA 5" is set to dwarf that figure in its first week of existence. Considering that "GTA 5" has already made $1 billion, it's not unreasonable to expect "GTA 5" sales to eclipse the box office dollars of both "The Dark Knight" and "Avatar" combined before November rolls around.

4. Xbox One, PS4 And PC "GTA 5" Releases Could Push Sales Past $5 Billion

At this point, "GTA 5" is only available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles. However, if recent evidence is any indication, that's likely to change before long.

Though developer Rockstar Games and Take-Two have yet to make any official announcements, "GTA 5" is expected to be released for three additional gaming platforms within the next year: the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. It's also likely that these releases will feature exclusive content not available in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, giving gamers additional incentives to purchase these yet-to-be announced versions of "GTA 5." If the game does indeed become available for PC, Xbox One and PS4, we wouldn't be surprised to see total "GTA 5" sales eclipse the $5 billion figure considering that the game has already made $1 billion in only three days.

5. "GTA 5" Is Likely The Last "GTA" Game Released For Xbox 360 And PS3

Considering that both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be released in about two months (Nov. 15 for the PS4, Nov. 22 for the Xbox One), "GTA 5" will likely be the last "Grand Theft Auto" game to come out for either the PS3 and Xbox 360. The superior hardware that will be available to consumers starting this November will likely only raise expectations for "GTA 6," especially when the monstrous sales numbers of "GTA 5" are factored in.

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