Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) is always selling well, and has been for more than half a decade since release regardless of the platform. Fact is that every best-seller list remains incomplete without including the latest installment in the popular franchise. Strangely enough, even when GTA 5 is being offered for free, there are still players and fans out there who would rather purchase the game on their favorite platform of choice.
For those unaware, the Epic Games Store began offering the full stocked version of GTA 5 for free last week in a grand giveaway. Epic has been regularly offering freebies for a while but suffice to say, no one was expecting a game like GTA 5 to make that list. The incoming wave of players to benefit from the giveaway was so large that the marketplace actually took a hit a couple of days ago and went offline. However, and this may come as a surprise, GTA 5 was still the eighth best-selling game on Steam (via Blue’s News) during the same period.
Presumably, the sales charts probably did take a hit but just how much can only be verified by comparing the best-sellers of Steam from prior weeks. There are many players out there who prefer to keep a single library of games for easier management. Hence, the reason that it is quite common for such players to purchase a game on Steam instead of any other digital storefront on PC. Since the Epic Games Store went offline during the stampede, there could probably be a whole batch of players who decided to purchase GTA 5 on Steam instead.
In either case, the game is a shining milestone of the current generation. GTA 5 will continue to be available for free on the Epic Games Store until May 21. Those interested should rush to avail the promotion before the aforementioned date. Do note that the annual Steam Summer Sale is also about to begin in a few weeks. GTA 5 will be heavily discounted during the event, much like before. This, of course, is for those players who want to keep buying on Steam.
