It is no secret that Grand Theft Auto IV has been smashing some serious records since its release, and new figures released by ISP PlusNet suggest the game's online presence is as strong as its shelf presence.

At one point, more than 90,000 people (one-third of its broadband customers) were gaming online.

Gaming traffic surged on 30 April, the day after the game's release release, with a 50% increase compared to the day before. In fact, the period between 9-10pm that day was the second busiest the company had ever seen.

Neil Armstrong, PlusNet products director, said: "The demand to play Grand Theft Auto IV online has been absolutely phenomenal. Broadband usage figures have gone through the roof as customers battle it out on the streets of Liberty City".

The unprecedented demand began after the game's UK release on midnight 28 April.

PlusNet also witnessed an increase in gaming traffic of up to 35% between 4.00-7.00am on 30 April over the previous Wednesday as excited fans stayed up all night to play.

"Grand Theft Auto IV has captured the imagination of gamers in a way not previously seen", added Neil. "We believe that if this has happened to us then it will be a similar story with other ISPs."