GTA V dominates global search interest as Grand Theft Auto VI nears release

Key points

• GTA V leads Google search interest across most countries
• San Andreas remains strongest in parts of Africa and Latin America
• Vice City leads in China and a small number of other markets

Grand Theft Auto V appears to be the most searched of three major GTA titles across much of the world, according to the Google Trends comparison shown in the map, highlighting the game's staying power more than a decade after its release.

The map compares Google search interest in Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. GTA V leads across most of North America, Europe, Africa and large parts of Asia. San Andreas shows stronger interest in several countries in South America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, while Vice City leads in China and a smaller group of markets.

There is an important accuracy point. Google Trends does not measure game sales or the number of players. It measures relative Google search interest for the selected terms, location and time period. The map should therefore be described as showing the most searched GTA title, rather than definitively the "most popular" one.

GTA V's dominance is backed by its extraordinary commercial reach. Publisher Take-Two Interactive said the game, first released in 2013, has now sold in more than 225 million copies worldwide.

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San Andreas and Vice City, meanwhile, remain two of the series' best-known older games. Rockstar describes San Andreas as the story of Carl "CJ" Johnson across the fictional state of San Andreas, while Vice City follows Tommy Vercetti in a 1980s-inspired tropical city.

Interest in the franchise is also surging ahead of Grand Theft Auto VI, which Rockstar says will be released on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The new game returns the series to a modern version of Vice City.

That anticipation is already visible online. GTA 6 was among Google's biggest trending searches on August 27, recording more than 100,000 searches during its latest spike.