GTA 6 sick days predicted to cost the US $1 billion

GamingGTAbyNathan WarbyPublished: Oct 22, 2026, 14:35Rockstar GamesAdd as a preferred source on GoogleFollow on Google News

The release of GTA 6 could cost the US economy around $1 billion, with an estimated 1.5 million people reportedly planning to take time off work to play Rockstar’s long-awaited sequel.

After more than 13 years without a new mainline Grand Theft Auto game, fans are preparing for the November 19 launch of GTA 6. But while millions are exploring Vice City, some businesses could find themselves short-staffed.

According to the International Business Times, economist José García Montalvo, a professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, has predicted that GTA 6 could cause widespread workplace absences.

Over one million people predicted to call in sick for GTA 6 launch

The report claims that approximately 1.5 million people could miss work on release day, potentially costing the US around $1 billion in lost productivity.

Men aged between 18 and 30 are expected to account for a significant portion of those taking time off, with technology companies potentially being the ones that take the brunt of it.

However, these figures are estimates rather than confirmed numbers, so the true impact remains unclear. This also works on the assumption that the average salary of those who don’t show up on launch day is $70,000 a year.

Of course, the game’s launch is also expected to generate an enormous amount of money for Rockstar and publisher Take-Two. So although the country as a whole could lose out, one of its largest video game companies will benefit.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick even predicted this wave of absences, saying back in April he thinks “a lot of people will be calling in sick on November 19.”

We’ve already seen some companies anticipating workers not showing up, as a car company announced that it would be pausing operations on this date and many employees had already informed them that they would be off.