Grand Theft Auto VI economic impact
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The gist
An economics professor estimates GTA VI's Nov 19 launch could cost the US economy around $1 billion in lost productivity.
The figure is a projection, and the game's publisher expects it to drive over $1 billion in cash flow.
Background
Grand Theft Auto VI is the long-awaited sequel to 2013's Grand Theft Auto V, developed by Rockstar Games and led by its Edinburgh-based Rockstar North studio; it was unveiled in February 2022 and has been delayed multiple times. It is set to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, a week before Thanksgiving. The economic-impact discussion follows the pattern of GTA V, when reports found as many as 6% of workers aged 18 to 35 in cities such as Los Angeles and New York took the day off to play it.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2022Rockstar Games unveiled Grand Theft Auto VI.
- 2025The game was originally slated for release but has been delayed multiple times.
- Oct 20, 2026Reports published estimates that the GTA VI launch could cost the US economy around $1 billion in lost productivity.
- Nov 19, 2026Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, one week before Thanksgiving.
Who’s saying what
- Expert
- Economics professor José García Montalvo estimates about 1.5 million Americans will skip work, creating a productivity dip of around 2 percent based on average yearly output of about $70,000 per US worker.
- Analysts
- BambooHR says paid-time-off requests for the third Thursday of November are running 9 to 17 percent above historical averages across more than 30,000 US companies, but acknowledges it cannot prove GTA VI is the sole reason.
- Bulls
- Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick told shareholders the company expects more than $1 billion in operating cash flow this fiscal year, with GTA VI as the main driver.
- Caution
- Moneycontrol reported that the $1 billion figure remains a projection and should not be treated as a confirmed economic loss.
Still unverified
The $1 billion figure is an estimate by economics professor José García Montalvo, not a verified measurement; BambooHR acknowledged it cannot definitively prove GTA VI is the sole reason for the rise in PTO requests, and the projected impact depends on how many employees miss work, for how long, and how much productivity businesses lose.