Entire NFS Franchise Has Not Sold As Many Copies as GTA V and It’s Not Even Close
NFS' success may have paved the way for Rockstar to achieve global renown with GTA 5, a title that is yet to be dethroned in modern gaming.
- The Need for Speed franchise from Electronic Arts has been a very successful franchise for the studio.
- Its inspiration for other studios is best seen in Rockstar Games' GTA 5, a title that features many of its mechanics in an open world setting that catapulted the studio to fame.
- GTA continues to outperform NFS owing to GTA 5 while GTA 6 is slated to carry its lead even further when it releases in 2025.
Fans of racing games are sure to know the name Need for Speed (NFS), a franchise from the stables of Electronic Arts that has been a crucial part of modern gaming history with close to 25 individual titles bookmarking its illustrious journey through the industry over the past 30 years. While each title brought unique mechanics even as it integrated existing ones from past games, the franchise’s ability to allow its players to embody the role of a street racer (for the most part) has allowed it to secure a niche that others have found hard to emulate.
However, the entire franchise has not been enough to come close to one of modern gaming’s most historical bestsellers, a feat that its maker Rockstar Games would certainly be proud of. The game in question is Grand Theft Auto 5 (or GTA 5 as it’s popularly called), an installment to the popular franchise that has managed to stay relevant despite being released nearly 11 years ago.
Blazing a Path to Racing Glory in Modern Gaming
EA’s journey to fame in the racing genre began with the release of The Need for Speed in 1994 for Windows and PlayStation, introducing the world to a street racing title that would catapult the franchise to global fame and renown. Featuring several mechanics that would eventually make their way to future installments such as police pursuits, the game was a groundbreaking addition to a genre that was hitherto focused on recreating professional racing events.
Several installments in the franchise have been memorable – and profitable – outings for EA. For instance, its 2003 addition to the franchise titled Need for Speed: Underground sold more than 15 million copies and marked the beginning of a very successful run for the franchise. A sequel to Underground was also well-received with over 11 million copies sold while Need for Speed: Most Wanted, one of the most prolific additions to the franchise was able to surpass Underground with 17.8 million copies sold.
Subsequent additions to the franchise may not have been able to emulate the success of Most Wanted but were able to contribute significantly to the franchise’s overall sales with Carbon, Pro Street, and Undercover gaining similar if not equal traction with gamers who could not get enough of the game’s police pursuit mechanics and a plethora of upgradeable cars taken straight from the streets of the real world. Available data indicates a lifetime sales volume of 150 million copies for the franchise, cementing its place as one of the most popular presences in modern gaming.
Rockstar Game’s GTA 5 Takes NFS’ Crown
While NFS remains among the most popular franchises in gaming history, Rockstar Games’ take on emulating life on the streets of virtual cities culminated with GTA 5, a title that remains among the most successful ones for the studio and also among the greatest games to grace the screens of players since its release in 2013.
It could be argued that Rockstar took inspiration from NFS with regard to the addition of several usable vehicles for its three protagonists with the addition of mechanics that emulated the Wanted System from Most Wanted, creating a dynamic system in which local law enforcement would be aware of a player’s actions and respond accordingly as and when required.
With several vehicles that included motorcycles and even military vehicles, NFS’ influence on GTA 5 showcases Rockstar’s ability to learn from the best in the industry while adding innovative flourishes of its own that were well ahead of its time, allowing GTA 5 to sell more than 205 million copies worldwide, a feat made possible by the groundwork NFS laid down for its take on organized crime while the franchise has managed to sell over 435 million units since its inception in 1997, a mere three years after the original NFS title’s release.
It is a feat that even Rockstar has been unable to beat with the Red Dead Redemption franchise coming close but not close enough to threaten GTA 5’s success. With GTA 6 inching ever closer to its Autumn 2025 release date, however, it seems that the studio will finally be able to surpass its own record considering how every GTA 5 player is sure to be eagerly waiting for its upcoming title to hit the shelves next year.
