GTA VI is due for release in November 2026, bringing renewed attention to one of gaming’s most established franchises. It arrives as part of a franchise that has sold more than 470 million units worldwide, according to Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive.
That scale gives GTA a level of recognition few gaming franchises can match. But does this widespread popularity within the gaming community translate into equally strong perceptions across every audience.
YouGov BrandIndex data shows that GTA’s standing against the wider video game franchise universe varies considerably depending on who is being asked. Among the U.S. general population, GTA trails the category on certain key measures. Among gamers, however, the picture changes substantially.
GTA’s performance among the wider public is mixed
Across U.S. adults overall, GTA underperforms the video game franchise average on four of the six BrandIndex metrics analyzed. The benchmark reflects more than 55 video game franchises tracked by YouGov BrandIndex.
The largest relative gap comes on Impression. GTA records a score of 12.2, compared with 24.2 for the wider video game franchise universe — a 12-point deficit.
Reputation also trails the category, at 17.3 versus 22.0, while GTA scores slightly lower on Value (17.1 vs. 19.3) and Recommend (19.0 vs. 21.0).
There are, however, measures where GTA performs more strongly. Its Quality score of 29.7 is ahead of the category average of 26.9, while Satisfaction stands at 55.8 compared with 53.3.
The picture among the general population is therefore not uniformly weak. Consumers rate the franchise comparatively well on the quality of its offering and satisfaction among those with experience of it, even as broader measures such as Impression and Reputation lag the category.
GTA outperforms the category across every metric among gamers
Among gamers, the comparison looks markedly different.
GTA scores above the video game franchise average on all six measures analyzed.
The biggest advantage comes on Quality. GTA records a score of 47.7 among gamers, nearly 13 points higher than the category average of 34.9.
Its lead is also substantial on Reputation, where GTA scores 40.0 compared with 30.5 for the wider category, and Recommend, at 40.1 versus 30.8.
The pattern extends across the remaining measures. GTA leads the category on Satisfaction (64.2 vs. 55.6), Value (37.0 vs. 29.5) and Impression (38.7 vs. 34.4).
In other words, the measures on which GTA struggles to stand out among the wider population become areas of relative strength when the analysis is restricted to gamers. Reputation moves from nearly five points below the category among U.S. adults overall to almost 10 points above it among gamers. Recommend shifts from a two-point deficit to an advantage of more than nine points.
That contrast provides useful context as GTA VI approaches release. GTA is already one of gaming’s most recognizable properties, but its relative brand strength is considerably more pronounced among people engaged with gaming than across the population as a whole.
For a franchise preparing for its first major new installment in more than a decade, the coming months will provide another test of how far that strength among gamers can translate into perceptions beyond its core audience.
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex collects data on thousands of brands every day. Impression measures whether consumers have an overall positive or negative impression of a brand; Quality measures perceptions of whether a brand represents good or poor quality; Value measures whether it represents good or poor value for money; Reputation measures whether consumers would be proud or embarrassed to work for a brand; Satisfaction measures whether customers are satisfied or dissatisfied; and Recommend measures whether consumers would recommend a brand to a friend or colleague. Scores are reported as net scores from -100 to +100. The analysis compares GTA with the video game franchise average among U.S. adults overall and among gamers. Sample size for gamers is (GTA n = 1,135; Industry average n = 37,878). Sample size for all U.S. adults is (GTA n = 4,024; Industry average n = 109,995)
