Netflix saw a bump in app downloads thanks to debuting an extended first look of Grand Theft Auto VI, according to new data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The company found that last Thursday, total U.S. app downloads for Netflix increased by 24% compared to the previous day. Downloads that day were also 20% higher compared to the average daily downloads registered in the prior 30 days.
Most of the app download gains were driven by users on Apple devices. Netflix app downloads increased 54% compared to the previous day for iOS devices. Last Thursday, the Netflix app ranked 35th on the App Store’s list of free iOS apps, a jump from the 96th spot it held the previous day. That’s also significantly higher from the Netflix app’s average position on the App Store, which rests around the 76th place. That momentum continued throughout the weekend. On Sunday, Netflix was the 40th most downloaded free iOS app. As for Android devices, those actually saw a 13% decline.
And GTA VI still seems to be going strong on Netflix. As of Monday morning, the first-look footage was the third most-watched movie on the streamer, beating “The Angry Birds Movie 2” and “Facing El Chapo.” This is despite the fact that the footage has been available on YouTube since Friday. Rockstar’s debut of the footage has been viewed more than 15.6 million times on YouTube.
It’s difficult to find a game with more hype around it than GTA VI. The first Grand Theft Auto game was released in 1997 and was a commercial success. But 2001’s Grand Theft Auto III was the title that set the tone for the long-running game franchise, offering players an open world where they could commit crimes and pull off gravity-defying car stunts. That title became one of the bestselling games ever made and generated a wave of controversies for its violence and sexual content. If anything, that outrage boosted sales for a franchise that’s always explored the criminal underworld. The series is widely considered to be one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
That’s especially impressive considering that the last GTA installment was released 13 years ago. That reputation paired with a massive wait time for this title, multiple development delays, several leaks, the leap in graphics and gameplay over the past decade and the still-loyal following around Grand Theft Auto Online have combined to make the release of GTA VI one of the most anticipated game titles of all time.
That was true before Netflix dropped the extended first-look footage, and it’s certainly true after. On the day Netflix dropped the footage, pre-orders for GTA VI increased by 436% compared to the previous day, with PlayStation pre-orders increasing by 606% and Xbox preorders increasing by 127%. By Friday — the day that the footage was available on both Netflix and YouTube — total pre-orders were up 572% compared to the average preorders in the previous 30 days.
GTA VI will be released on Nov. 19 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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