The highly-anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) has shattered records even before its official launch. In just 22 hours, the game’s first trailer garnered a staggering 85 million views on YouTube, surpassing the previous record held by MrBeast. While excluding music videos, the trailer’s immense popularity has the potential to challenge even the most-watched YouTube videos.
Key Takeaway
The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI shattered records with 85 million views on YouTube in just 22 hours, surpassing MrBeast’s previous record. The game’s popularity continues to soar as fans eagerly await its release in 2025.
Decade-Long Hype
The excitement surrounding GTA 6 has been building steadily for over a decade. Its predecessor, Grand Theft Auto V, hit the market over 10 years ago in September 2013. The game not only garnered critical acclaim but also broke Guinness World Records for generating the highest revenue within 24 hours. It earned a staggering $815.7 million from the sale of 11.21 million copies on release day alone, making it the second best-selling video game of all time, just behind Minecraft.
A Leaked Surprise
Rockstar Games, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, had scheduled the official release of the trailer for Tuesday morning. However, due to an unexpected leak on Twitter, the company decided to release the trailer prematurely and swiftly took down the leaked version. Rockstar Games addressed the leak on Twitter, urging fans to watch the “real thing” on YouTube. Their tweet received 1.1 million likes and the trailer itself accumulated an astounding 82 million views.
Moving forward, the question remains whether GTA 6 can overthrow the reigning champions, BTS, whose music video “Butter” holds the current record for the most views in 24 hours. The K-Pop sensation’s video was viewed a remarkable 108 million times during that window.
While MrBeast previously held the record for most YouTube views in 24 hours, with 59.4 million views for one of his philanthropic videos, his attempt to recreate the popular Netflix show “Squid Game” should not inspire any real-life criminal acts within the GTA 6 community.
As the release of GTA 6 draws nearer, fans can only anticipate the game’s potential to dominate the gaming industry and bring a new era of excitement and innovation.
