Rockstar's criminal sandbox game Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to top the sales charts years after its release on PC and consoles. Grand Theft Auto 5 has shipped 80 million copies across the globe, which is absolutely phenomenal if not to be expected from such a high profile series entry.

Already the best-selling game in the United States since NPD tracking began, one could assume that almost everyone who wants the game already owns it. It doesn't appear that this is the case, though, as the game is still selling phenomenally even in 2017, with the latest NPD stating that GTA 5 is the fourth best-selling game in the United States this year. The Rockstar game even managed to beat brand new releases Horizon: Zero Dawn and Mass Effect: Andromeda, which were fifth and seventh, respectively.

The fact that it beat Horizon: Zero Dawn may come as a surprise, as the PS4 exclusive has been a hit in terms of sales and reviews, but it may not be a huge shock that GTA 5 has outdone the latest Mass Effect release. Mass Effect: Andromeda's visuals were eviscerated by fans prior to release, as fans mocked poor facial animations, something which may have led to lower sales.

Post-launch for the sci-fi RPG wasn't any better, as Andromeda was also panned by critics. The game reviewed so poorly, in fact, that the BioWare development team that made the game was downsized. The future of the series is said to be unclear, for although work on a sequel was set to begin almost as soon as the game launched, plans are now up in the air.

Grand Theft Auto 5 did have a bit of a head start as Andromeda and Horizon: Zero Dawn were not released until March. However, the steady pace of DLC releases for GTA 5 will have also helped the Rockstar game beat out any fresh blood. Rockstar continues to introduce new game modes and content for its Grand Theft Auto Online multiplayer mode. This includes a brand new vehicle adversary mode. In addition to encouraging sales, the new DLC also encourages players to spend real money on accessing the new items introduced with each update, making the game a total cash cow as well.

It's unclear at this point whether Grand Theft Auto 5 will still be one of the top 10 best-selling games of the year come 2017's end. Rockstar would have a better chance at maintaining its sales status if it finally releases some GTA 5 single-player DLC. Of course, high profile titles like Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: WW2 are sure to shake things up.

Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

Source: GamesBeat