Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says GTA is so successful because of its "sense of freedom," and because it "smashed together" shooting, driving, and simulation genres in a way games hadn't done before

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"Those were the first games that showed you this idea of just living in this fake place"

GTA 3
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has explained why he thinks the Grand Theft Auto series became so successful.

I don't think I need to explain how popular GTA is. While it will always be in the shadow of DMA Design's (now Rockstar North) monumental hit Space Station Silicon Valley, it's done pretty well for itself, with GTA 5 being the second-best-selling game of all time behind Minecraft. And while people liked the first two entries, it was the series' jump to 3D with 2001's GTA 3 that sent it to its superstar status, with the momentum of that release sticking around to all of its sequels through to today – even when it'll have been 13 years since the last entry when GTA 6 releases.

Scott McCrae
Scott McCrae
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Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

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