The famous Guinness World’s Records: Gamers Edition announced today that Grand Theft Auto IV has officially broken the record for biggest entertainment release of all time. GTA IV set the record by selling 3.6 million units and earning $310 million in its first 24 hours of release.

GTA IV earned the Guinness World Record for highest grossing video game in 24 hours and highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours. According to the Guinness book the previous fastest selling video game in 24 hours was Halo 3 with $170 million.

The fastest selling theatrical movie in 24 hours was Spider-Man 3 at $60 million. The fastest selling book in 24 hours was Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows at $220 million. GTA IV sold more than Harry Potter and Spider Man 3 combined in its first 24 hours. When you consider that Halo 3 was a one console release and GTA IV was multi-platform the Halo 3 numbers are still very impressive.

Via Guinness World Records: Gamer Edition 2008