Take-Two Interactive, the firm behind Rockstar Games, has revealed Grand Theft Auto V was the best-selling video game of 2013, citing NPD research data.

Rockstar Games sold a whopping 32.5 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V during the year, boosting Take-Two Interactive to record earnings and making it NPD's top video game publisher of 2013.

"Take-Two's business continued to outperform expectations significantly during the fiscal third quarter," said Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Take-Two.

"Our results were driven by robust holiday demand for Grand Theft Auto V, the franchise record-breaking launch of NBA 2K14, the successful release of WWE 2K14 and strong growth in digitally delivered revenues led by Grand Theft Auto Online.

"Take-Two was the top video game publisher of 2013, according to the NPD Group, underscoring our positive momentum over the past year."

Released on 17 September for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto V landed worldwide except for Japan and Brazil. The controversial crime sim game was one of the most anticipated releases of the autumn (maybe even the year), and its sales numbers show just how eager people were to play. The game is said to have cost Rockstar Games $266 million to make, which was returned to the company in a matter of hours.

It's expected Grand Theft Auto V sales will continue to be massive in 2014, as the title still hasn't landed for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC. A rumoured launch date for all three platforms is 13 June, but it has yet to be confirmed by Rockstar Games.

Take-Two Interactive's stock fell slightly in extended trading on Monday, even though the company posted $767 million in revenue, up from $405 million in the same ago quarter of the previous year.