A new study conducted by gaming experts from GTA BOOM has assembled the ultimate playlist from Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, analyzing a whopping 1,764 songs, 1,320 artists and 82 in-game radio stations. 

New data has revealed the top ten most popular tracks played in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise 

The data analyzed the number of Spotify streams for all songs played through GTA’s in-game radio stations 

The top ten songs each have over one billion streams, with Roddy Rich named most popular with 1.8 billion plays 

The GTA 6 trailer drop has seen a surge in interest for Tom Petty 

Mainstream songs and artists have consistently played a pivotal role in the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video game series, serving as a cornerstone for the franchise's immersive and culturally rich environments. By meticulously curating soundtracks that feature a diverse array of popular tracks spanning multiple genres and eras, the series effectively captures the zeitgeist of the periods and locations it portrays. This strategic incorporation of well-known music not only enhances the authenticity of the game's setting but also deepens player engagement by providing a familiar auditory landscape. Furthermore, the presence of renowned artists within the game's radio stations and soundscapes underscores Rockstar Games' commitment to creating a vibrant, lifelike virtual world, thereby reinforcing the game's cultural relevance and appeal to a broad audience. This symbiotic relationship between mainstream music and the GTA series highlights the significant impact that a thoughtfully selected soundtrack can have on the overall gaming experience.

The study collates all songs played through in-game radio stations of every GTA title and cross-references them with the total number of streams on Spotify, revealing the most popular songs, in-game radio stations, and musicians.  

The most played track is The Box by Roddy Rich, with 1,844,560,655 Spotify streams, which 195% more than the average across all songs’ playcount. The track is featured on the Radio Los Santos station in both GTA V and GTA San Andreas. 

Placing as the second most popular track is Africa by Toto at a total of 1,675,837,937 plays - 11% more than the average across the top ten tracks. The song features in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on radio station Emotion 98.3.  

Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean ranks third, with 1,660,141,361 total Spotify streams. Jackson’s iconic song is used in Flash FM’s arsenal in GTA Vice City. 

HIGHEST IN THE ROOM by Travis Scott and Still D.R.E by Doctor Dre ft. Snoop Dog are fourth and fifth, at 1,547,829,949 and 1,365,357,215 streams respectively. Both songs appear in GTA V on the iFruit and West Coast Classics stations.  

The top ten most listened-to songs featured in the GTA video game franchise 

As well as revealing which existing tracks prove most popular, the study looks into the impact so far of the highly anticipated GTA 6 trailer from a music perspective.  

Tom Petty’s Love Is a Long Road featured in the GTA 6 trailer has seen a surge in popularity due to being featured.  

Prior to the trailer officially dropping on December 5^th last year, the track had a maintained popularity rating on Spotify between 46 and 50 and a playlist count average of 36 between January 2021 and November 2023.  

It now sits with a popularity rating of 74% and a colossal playlist reach increase of 32,034% at 48.2 million. The trailer itself currently stands at 181 million views on YouTube, and upon its release the song had a 100% increase in Google searches. 

The top ten most listened-to radio stations in the GTA video game franchise 

While GTA V is the newest and has been the most prominent title in the franchise for the past decade, the GTA fanbase overall proves to be one of the strongest. With such an array of titles in the top ten radio stations, players clearly orient towards the older titles and the music.  

Speaking on the findings, Matt Gibbs, founder of GTA BOOM said: “The groundbreaking ongoing success of the Grand Theft Auto franchise is a remarkable feat by Rockstar, with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 on the horizon there’s no doubt players will be hyping themselves up this year before the highly anticipated title finally drops after a decade of waiting. 

“Rockstar managed to get such a rich and diverse collection of songs for fans to enjoy, being able to provide players with soundtrack autonomy for their chaotic and law-breaking fictional adventures.  

“With such an array of titles, it’s excellent to see love for so many other titles aside from V, which has dominated video game charts worldwide since its release. GTA titles definitely wouldn’t be as fun without the addition of such eclectic soundtracks.”  

Author: Adam Bailey

Adam is a regular contributor for established press release distribution website Release-News.com. He writes on a wide range of topics including music.