Brandwave

How popular isGrand Theft Auto?

In September 2026, people searched for Grand Theft Auto by name about 550,000 times worldwide, an 18.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 1% of all global video game franchise searches, placing Grand Theft Auto seventh out of nine franchises. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about video game franchises, Grand Theft Auto appeared in three of the five answers and was the sixth most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Grand Theft Auto is the seventh most searched of 9 competitors and the sixth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. MinecraftShare of searches 46%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. Resident EvilShare of searches 20.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
  3. PokémonShare of searches 13.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  4. FortniteShare of searches 11.3%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 8th
  5. Grand Theft AutoShare of searches 1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

+4 more

Grand Theft Auto website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Grand Theft Auto and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top video game franchises in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Grand Theft Auto was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Grand Theft Auto is the sixth most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Pokémon1st
  2. Call of Duty2nd
  3. The Legend of Zelda3rd
  4. Minecraft4th
  5. Mario Kart5th
  6. Grand Theft Auto6th
  7. Resident Evil7th
  8. Fortnite8th
  9. EA Sports FC–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • The Legend of Zelda4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Minecraft3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Call of Duty3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Grand Theft Auto3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mario Kart3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Resident Evil2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Pokémon2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fortnite1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • EA Sports FC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about video game franchises

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Which video game franchises compete with Grand Theft Auto?

Grand Theft Auto against video game franchises worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Minecraft, Resident Evil, Pokémon, Fortnite, Call of Duty, The Legend of Zelda, Grand Theft Auto. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthMinecraftResident EvilPokémonFortniteCall of DutyThe Legend of ZeldaGrand Theft AutoMario KartEA Sports FC
Oct 202557.8%3.5%14.2%14.2%5.2%2%1.6%1.3%0.18%
Nov 202554.1%3.3%13.3%19.9%4.9%2.1%1.2%1.2%0.14%
Dec 202558.5%2.9%11.8%17.6%5.3%1.7%0.87%1.3%0.12%
Jan 202661%3.7%12.3%15%3.7%2%1.1%1.1%0.19%
Feb 202656.5%5.1%17%13.9%3.4%1.9%1%1%0.21%
Mar 202655.4%7.5%16.6%13.6%3.3%1.8%0.67%1%0.12%
Apr 202655.4%5%16.7%13.6%4.1%2.3%1.5%1.2%0.17%
May 202657.9%4.3%17.4%11.6%4.3%2.3%1%1%0.22%
Jun 202659.7%4.4%14.7%12%4.4%2.3%1.3%0.88%0.27%
Jul 202659.5%4.4%14.6%12%4.4%2.2%1.3%1.3%0.34%
Aug 202656%4.1%16.8%13.8%4.1%2.2%1.5%1.2%0.26%
Sep 202646%20.5%13.8%11.3%3.4%3.1%1%0.83%0.12%

  1. 1.Minecraft

    46%

    Held 1st. 24.9M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -10 points.

  2. 2.Resident Evil

    20.5%

    Moved from 5th to 2nd. 11.1M estimated branded searches, +506.6% vs prior month. Share +16.4 points.

  3. 3.Pokémon

    13.8%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -3 points.

  4. 4.Fortnite

    11.3%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 6.1M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.5 points.

  5. 5.Call of Duty

    3.4%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 1.8M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

  6. 6.The Legend of Zelda

    3.1%

    Held 6th. 1.7M estimated branded searches, +71.8% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  7. 7.Grand Theft Auto

    1%

    Held 7th. 550K estimated branded searches, -18.3% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  8. 8.Mario Kart

    0.83%

    Held 8th. 450K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  9. 9.EA Sports FC

    0.12%

    Held 9th. 65.9K estimated branded searches, -42.9% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Grand Theft Auto and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Grand Theft Auto

8 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Grand Theft Auto changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Grand Theft Auto worldwide fell from 673K to 550K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Grand Theft Auto’s share of searches among video game franchises worldwide decreased from 1.6% to 1%.

How did search popularity change for video game franchises worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Resident Evil overtook Pokémon and 2 others to rank 2nd among video game franchises worldwide, with 20.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, The Legend of Zelda gained share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 2.2% to 3.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Minecraft lost share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 56% to 46%.

  4. In September 2026, Pokémon lost share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 16.8% to 13.8%.

  5. In September 2026, Fortnite lost share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 13.8% to 11.3%.

  6. In September 2026, Call of Duty lost share of searches among video game franchises worldwide, from 4.1% to 3.4%.

How are Grand Theft Auto’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Grand Theft Auto’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • grand theft auto

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Grand Theft Auto?

Grand Theft Auto is owned by Rockstar Games. Brandwave does not track any other brands owned by Rockstar Games.

Do you work for Grand Theft Auto? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Grand Theft Auto your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free