Game News

GTA 6's 27-minute 'Extended Look' tops Netflix with 31.1 million views and briefly crashes it

Rockstar's “Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look”, a 27-minute video of in-game footage, was the most-watched title on Netflix in its first week, Shacknews reported on 1 September, citing Variety. The video premiered on Netflix on Thursday 27 August and drew 31.1 million views, beating all of the service's films and series despite arriving late in the week. It went to Rockstar's YouTube channel after six hours of Netflix exclusivity.

Pakistan's Express Tribune said it ranked No. 1 on Netflix's English-language film list in 87 of 93 countries, ahead of The Whisper Man's 23.2 million views, and that Netflix briefly crashed on premiere day.

“Grand Theft Auto reveals have become cultural moments in their own right.” — Netflix vice president Brandon Riegg, via the Express Tribune

TechSpot described the footage, captured on PS5: Jason and Lucia across Vice City and the state of Leonida, with missions playable as either character or together. Citing Sensor Tower, it said Netflix's website traffic rose 125% and app use 50% compared with the previous 12 Thursdays. GTA 6 is due on 19 November for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

How each outlet framed it

• Shacknews — a game trailer beating Netflix's own shows.
• Express Tribune — the country-by-country chart and Netflix's view of the event.
• TechSpot — what the footage showed, and the strain on Netflix.

Where the numbers differ: YouTube views were over 17 million at Shacknews' count and over 20 million at TechSpot's. The Tribune reported concurrent users up 35% and downloads up 24%, measures different from TechSpot's 125% traffic rise.