Grand Theft Auto 4 ships 22 million

By Robert Purchese Published 15 September, 2011

Did you buy or Niko copy?

Grand Theft Auto 4 has now shipped a gargantuan 22 million copies worldwide since its April 2008 release.

That doesn't mean they've all been sold, but it's an indication of its enormous success nonetheless.

Company chairman Strauss Zelnick revealed the figure during a talk at ThinkEquity's annual Growth conference, reported IndustryGamers.

Take-Two (owner of 2K and Rockstar) said the Grand Theft Auto series has now shipped a total of 114 million units to shops around the world.

In comparison, breakout console success Red Dead Redemption has shipped 12.5 million copies. That game became the first of Take-Two's fleet to demonstrate anything like the success of GTA.

The two BioShock games have combined to ship 9 million units. A third BioShock game, BioShock Infinite, is being made for a 2012 release.

The Wii Carnival Games series shipped 8 million units.

The entire Midnight Club series shipped 18.5 million units. The Civilization series shipped 11 million units.

The Max Payne series managed to ship 7.5 million, and will also welcome a third instalment in 2012.

The two Mafia games shipped 5 million copies.

Borderlands, alone, shipped 4.5 million. Borderlands 2 will be released sometime between April 2012 and March 2013.

Last but not least, The Darkness, which shipped 1 million. Whether weak or not, it too is due a sequel, and that's also coming in 2012.

Notably absent from the Take-Two list was L.A. Noire, which we know to have shipped 4 million units.

Rumour has it that Take-Two is close to announcing Grand Theft Auto 5. But will Take-Two wish to detract attention from its already packed 2012 slate?

Max Payne 3 now has Rockstar's full attention.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 8 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • RawNinjaKid #1 8 months ago

    I didn't enjoy GTA 4 at all. Chinatown Wars story and game elements would have worked better as this generation's main stationary console release. But this is what happens when developers have nothing BUT improving the graphics in mind.



  • jablonski #2 8 months ago

    I loved this game at the time, but I tried playing it again last month and it looks hideous.

  • HyperTails #3 8 months ago

    I enjoyed it, but I don't play it anymore. Been out a while, played it to death. Roll on GTA V.

  • CaptainQuint #4 8 months ago

    Maybe some of that cash will get spent on making their next game's controls not handle like a bag of shite.

  • polaris70 #5 8 months ago

    Made up RDR was a huge hit, should get a sequel or a prequel for ir now.

  • DozyKipper #6 8 months ago

    Shipped? So does that mean that digital downloads including Steam aren't even included? Could be even more.

  • rojjer #7 8 months ago

    and max payne 3 looks like crap (just judging from the trailer)

    Looks like time would be better spent working on GTA V, unless they're waiting for next-gen console hardware..

  • bad09 #8 8 months ago

    Good for them. It may not be the most "fun" GTA in the series but it's a class game way ahead of anything else and holds a strong place in my heart. I have 3 back up versions of it. Original, fully modded (including proper in car view) and my favourite that gets rolled out every December, the Christmas version. Snow, icey roads, custom christmas radio station, christmastastic! Shame I can't roll it out this year :(

    Still once I get a new PC the first thing I'm doing it installing it and testdriving that awesome new mod that just makes me sex wee.

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXjsMRDPrls&feature=related
    ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXjsMRDPr...[/link]

    / hugs GTA4

  • TruSmiles #9 8 months ago

    My house mate gave me his copy for my birthday. Then took it back again after only playing it for 5 minutes xD

    So I haven't really had a proper go on it yet. I loved Red Dead Redemption though.

  • carlitoswagon #10 8 months ago

    Can't beat San Andreas. GTA IV needed it's humour.

  • Spong #11 8 months ago

    I've been a long-time fan of GTA, but I didn't jump on the GTAIV bandwagon for a long while, it'd been available for at least a year before I got my (second-hand) copy. I didn't like it, it took itself way too seriously. The Ballad of Gay Tony was its only saving grace.

    Still, it was better than RDR. God, do I ever regret buying that heap of cack. The same goes for LA Noire. Worst. Game. Ever.

  • jimdove76 #12 8 months ago

    didnt really enjoy gta4 that much, but will get round to finishing it one day. For all those who think it looks hideous, take a look here http://www.gta4-mods.com/misc/icenhancer... at how some tweaks and proper hardware can make the game look. Not limited by archaic consoles

  • Whatascoop #13 8 months ago

    Luckily they can't count the amount of badly optimised PC copies gathering dust or lying uninstalled on steam then.

  • CaptainKid #14 8 months ago

    Both. Bought it second hand on Xbox and torrented it on PC.

  • electrolite #15 8 months ago

    Well, I liked it anyway....

  • consoledelight #16 8 months ago

    i still go back for the swing if death, such fun.

  • sfp_noodle #17 8 months ago

    I enjoyed it, but nothing will compare to the hours of joy I got from GTA: Vice City. They might aswell call it GTA Scarface, because it's clear what the game was heavilly influenced by. Playing it now it doesn't hold up too well, but I'd still hand over my cash for an HD re-release. C'mon Rockstar, we know your're not going to release GTAV until next gen consoles now, just release an HD collection of the PS2 games and I'll happilly fail uni and say locked in my room for 6 months straight.

  • metalangel #18 8 months ago

    As a city, GTA4 was awesome. San Andreas remains the pinnacle, though.

    Anyone want to go bowling?

  • billy-beauts #19 8 months ago

    GTA 5. Uses 5 discs for xbox.

  • geeza2020 #20 8 months ago

    I'm sorry but San Andreas was shite*. Bloated, saggy, shitty characters and story, a horrible mess of a game IMO. Jetpacks and harriers for fucks sake. In a GTA game!?!?

    Vice City was infinitely superior in every way.

    EDIT: *compared to other GTA's
    Edited by geeza2020 at 15/09/11 @ 13:38

  • DirectAim #21 8 months ago

    I Hope Max Payne 3 still has the slow mo

  • bad09 #22 8 months ago

    Vice City is my fav to (80's setting and music is instant win by default) but did I really just read "San Andreas was shite"?

    A whole state to roam, BMX bikes, quad bikes, K-Rose and trucking missions, Jets, eating tons of junk and getting fat then buffing yourself up, shagging birds, gambling, Samuel L. Jackson. Shite? REALLY?

  • Architect_z #23 8 months ago

    I'm not the biggest fan of Grand Theft Auto games in all honesty, my favourite one was actually GTA3 (closley followed by San Andreas)
    I like messing around on these games, i.e. getting a high wanted level and seeing how long I lasted, before ending up dead, arrested, blown up by my own car that caught fire...etc.
    But GTA4 just seemed like a step back, the level was huge and the graphics were much nicer, but the cars were all pretty boring, the handling of the cars was horrible, and I don't even think I ever got the army to come after me no matter how much anarchy I produced.

    China town wars however. Fucking Awesome
    Edited by Architect_z at 15/09/11 @ 12:10

  • Monsieur_Blade #24 8 months ago

    Guess everyone has their different opinions but I'm not sure what all the hype was about for GTA IV? Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but reviewers were calling it the best game ever!?! And it got 9.5/10 and 10/10 reviews!

    I much preferred San Andreas and RDR. My scoring would go:

    RDR: 9.25/10
    GTA San Andreas: 9/10
    GTA IV: 8.5/10
    GTA Vice City: 7.5/10 (for some reason I just couldn't get into Vice City).

  • yashin #25 8 months ago

    I thought GTA IV had some very dark humour, but it lacked any real incentive to explore. As did Red Dead Redemption. Games have moved on and pretty, empty scenery isn't enough. Fallout 3 was a buggy mess, but every single location rewarded the player in a way that the GTA franchise never has. GTA will off the odd hidden weapon, the odd humorous billboard, but none of the subtlety of back story, weapon parts, armour parts, sub-quests.

    What does GTA have? Wonderfully detailed environments populated with little more than pigeons, the odd generic weapon, and a lot of randomly generated pedestrians. Even side-quests in GTA IV were limited to random street encounters, instead of specific to the interesting locations you might want to explore. We're not talking full-blown RPG for GTA V, just reward exploration by tying interactive elements more closely to the environment.

    Remember the thrill of finding the Dodo in GTA III? I want that back again.

  • bad09 #26 8 months ago

    LOL!

    Because of this article I've just been swooning over icenhancer vids and stumbled on these. God I love mods and I love Rockstar for letting people do these kind of things! (still hate them for no RDR though! Grrr...)

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=3WlII_9cMdI
    ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=3WlI...[/link]

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_tlMaE-ThU&feature=related
    ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_tlMaE-T...[/link]

    [link url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZny35V-Ips&feature=related
    ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZny35V-I...[/link]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXMkHdgy6...

  • shortyluke2010 #27 8 months ago

    Great game, but don't play it any more as other games take up my time.. Also focused on Saints Row: The Third

  • Yuroko #28 8 months ago

    There's so much hate for GTA IV. Personally, I loved it. One of my favourite games this generation. I love the car handling. The third person controls are a MASSIVE improvement over past GTA games although they still aren't perfect.

    I'm glad they dropped a lot of the silliness too. I never thought it sat very well with the other games in the series. The silliness is fine on its own but juxtaposed with their relatively serious stories it undermines the tone of the stories. At least Saint's Row is retarded throughout. I'm glad Saint's Row exists for the silliness because I would like GTA to continue it's serious path and we can play Saint's Row when we want to kill people with dildos.

  • Snake_2011 #29 8 months ago

    GTA 4 was a great game I grew up on them I loved the more adult approach on the last one hope we get a HD collection soon & a new one.

    carlitoswagon it had loads of humor in it imo.
    Edited by Snake_2011 at 15/09/11 @ 13:57

  • TheEarlOfZinger #30 8 months ago

    San Andreas shat on it from a great height. It was a step backwards imo.

  • Ryze #31 8 months ago

    @jablonski

    ...on the PS3 - right? Not surprised, as it did at launch. Jerky joke.

  • radlord #32 8 months ago

    The entire Civilization series has only shipped 11m units? That must be wrong, surely?

  • octavedoctor #33 8 months ago

    Can't wait for Saint's Row 3!

    oops wrong thread :D

    (seriously tho I did really enjoy GTA4 and RDR)

  • stryker1121 #34 8 months ago

    I liked GTAIV but I didn't think it quite deserved the universal praise it received. The city was gorgeous, but fairly inert, as you really couldn't go inside many buildings or interact w/ it many ways. GTA hasn't quite nailed combat either, and that includes RDR. I did not like the cover systems in either game and the shooting was medicocre at best. But what i really missed was the craziness from past GTAs. the attempt at 'seriousness' wore thin by the end of GTAIV's campaign. Vice City was the pinnacle of the series for me personally, largely b/c of the 80s setting/music, but there was just more stuff to do. I could run around for hours doing kill missions and launchiing my car of randomly placed ramps. IV took all the stuff away, to its detriment.

  • Ryze #35 8 months ago

    ^ Play Gay Tony.

  • cherryuk #36 8 months ago

    and I'm still trying to complete it, ahhhh not enough time to spare on games nowadays!

  • sourc0r #37 8 months ago

    bought it on Steam, count me in. squeezed everything out of it until it ran dry. virtually nobody online 's a big shame though

  • brod #38 8 months ago

    New Midnight Club game please.

  • bemaniac #39 8 months ago

    whoa a lot of people bought carnival games and i bet thats why there is second hand copies for like 99p everywhere

  • murrell96 #40 8 months ago

    yay