Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV has broken all previous day one sales records in the UK, selling an estimated 609 000 copies for the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined for the 29th of April.

This is according to ELSPA, who reported that day one sales of GTA IV beat the previous record of 501 000 copies which was set by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PS2 in October 2004.

“The scale of GTA’s day one sales are phenomenal and reflect a vibrant market which continues to grow. Gamers are from all age groups and demographics with estimates putting the total number of people in the UK who enjoy games at over 20 million,” said ELSPA managing director, Mike Rawlinson.

Microsoft’s Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 recorded sales of 266 000 copies on day one in September 2007. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 335 000 copies on day one.

The previous record for the PS3 was Sony’s Gran Turismo 5: Prologue which recorded day one sales of 80 000 copies in March 2008. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 274 000 copies on day one.

Chart Track figures are due to be released tomorrow so stay tuned.