After 4 years and over $250 million, Rockstar Games' iconic series has made its triumphant return this week with Grand Theft Auto V. The instant smash hit title has raked in $800 million in its first day alone, and is poised to set records across the board - namely for breaking the $1 billion barrier in the shortest amount of time. To put this in perspective: in a single day, GTA 5 has sold the same number of copies that its predecessor did in a year. Sales aside, however, it also appears that the landmark open-world game is set to break another huge record.

Currently, Metacritic holds GTA 5 at the top of its charts with a 98% average for the Xbox 360 version, and 97% for the PS3 version. The only other game in history to achieve this has, of course, been GTA 4. With a staggering 37 perfect scores from around the globe and online, hype is only increasing for the game that has literally made people go crazy. With so much success already under its belt, the mythical 99% average score could be in Rockstar's near future.

While GTA 5 has been hijacking its way towards the pinnacle of critical acclaim, its Metacritic user scores sit at 83% for the PS3 version, and 82% for Xbox 360. While this is still a fantastic achievement, fan favorites such as Half-Life 2 and Super Mario Galaxy 2 top those charts without a doubt. With that in mind, is it possible that reviewers may have jumped the gun? Users have already begun experiencing bugs, game freezing and install issues, and while this is to be expected with a brand new release, there is a clear distinction between reviewer scores and user scores.

Ranters, it's safe to assume you have already jumped into GTA 5 with both feet, so tell us what you think! Is Rockstar Games' next iteration of its infamous franchise worthy of its praise? Only time will tell how the it holds up over time, but with Grand Theft Auto Online ready to make its move, it's clear that Rockstar intends to keep the game fresh and exciting for as long as possible.

Grand Theft Auto V is developed by Rockstar Games, and is currently available for Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Source: MCVUK