In a mere 24 hours, the highly anticipated trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) has reached an impressive 100 million views, surpassing the previous record held by a MrBeast video for the most YouTube views in 24 hours.
This ranking excludes music videos, yet the fervor surrounding GTA 6 suggests it could potentially surpass even those records. Currently, the most-viewed YouTube video in 24 hours is the music video for BTS’ “Butter,” with 108 million views in that timeframe.
Originally scheduled for release on a Tuesday morning, Rockstar Games, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto series, faced an unexpected leak of the trailer on X a day before. In response, Rockstar opted to release the trailer ahead of schedule, urging viewers to watch the official version on YouTube. As of 12:10 AM, Dec 5, 2023, the official post on X got 1.1 million likes, 38k comments (Reply), 343K reposts, and over 90 million views.
The excitement for GTA 6 has been building for a decade, as the last installment in the franchise, Grand Theft Auto V, was released over 10 years ago in September 2013. Guinness World Records recognizes GTA V for breaking the record for the “highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours,” which is $815.7 million on release day, selling 11.21 million copies.
GTA V continues to hold the title of the second-best-selling video game of all time, trailing only behind Minecraft. Will GTA VI dethrone Minecraft? Only time will tell. However, the distinct nature of Grand Theft Auto which attempts to replicate scenarios such as bank robberies, carjacking, and prison breaks from the game shows that GTA VI isn’t just a game, it’s life and art combined with everything a game can be.