Netflix might want to consider calling Rockstar Games to see if it's willing to bring more Grand Theft Auto games to its platform.
The GTA Trilogy remasters, which originally launched way back in November 2021, appears to have only gotten better with time. Two years and a surprise platform shift to Netflix Games later and it's arguably the reason why Netflix is thinking of expanding its video game offerings more.
According to Sensor Tower (as covered by TechCrunch), Netflix Games' download count experienced a 180% year-over-year increase to the tune of 81.2 million downloads across both the App Store and Google Play in 2023 compared to the year prior. Furthermore, the fourth quarter accounted for 53% of the said downloads, further proof that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition had a massive impact.
Sensor Tower estimates that Netflix Games downloads were at 28.7 million in 202 and 5.2 million in 2021.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, or the GTA Trilogy, as most people call it, is a collection of three of the most iconic PS2-era games of all time: GTA III, GTA: Vice City, and GTA San Andreas.
Initially lauded ahead of its launch, Rockstar Games instead found itself at the center of controversy due to a seemingly never-ending stream of technical issues. But, after two years' worth of effort, it seems that Rockstar has finally done the trio of games justice.
The Netflix release last December 2023 marks the streaming platform's biggest investment in its gaming arm yet.
Unfortunately, based on the charts, download numbers have since tapered off after peaking at 1 million with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Of course, this was to be expected — it's not everyday a GTA game releases on your platform. However, this does prove the kind of pull that even the "older" GTA titles have.
While it's unclear how much Netflix paid to get Rockstar to agree to this move, it's evident that both companies should revisit this partnership. Perhaps the next batch of games can include Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, which are already available for GTA+ members.
Of course, since we're already on the topic of wishful thinking, Netflix may want to write Rockstar a blank check to get first dibs on proper mobile ports and remasters of Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto IV — not that Rockstar needs the money given the financial expectations for Grand Theft Auto 6 and the kind of money GTA 5 continues to make.
