GTA V named biggest game of 2013, sells 32m copies

A scene from Grand Theft Auto V.

Gangland videogame Grand Theft Auto V has sold more than 32 million copies, its publisher has revealed, claiming the title of the biggest selling game of 2013.

Take-Two Interactive announced the game's total sales between its September 17 launch and the end of 2013, alongside the company's third-quarter earnings.

They cited NPD research data as the source behind their claim at having made the best-selling game of last year.

The figure includes the 29 million copies that were sold by the end of October 2013.

Take-Two also revealed that 70 per cent of its players had played GTA Online, which it said contributed to the company's "strong growth".

"Take-Two's business continued to outperform expectations significantly during the fiscal third quarter," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two.

"Take-Two was the top video game publisher of 2013, according to the NPD Group, underscoring our positive momentum over the past year," he added.

In October, the Guiness World Records confirmed that the game had smashed six world records, including becoming the fastest entertainment property to gross US$1 billion - doing so in just three days.

It was also had the highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours.

It is believed to have cost Rockstar Games US$266 million to make, a figure that was returned with hours of the game's release.

Sales of the game are expected to stay high in 2014, with its PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC releases rumoured for June - a date not yet been confirmed by Take-Two.

- Independent