The four-day week is here thanks to GTA 6—some employers are giving staff a one-off shorter week to steal cars in the long-anticipated video game

After a series of delays, the highly anticipated video game Grand Theft Auto VI, often referred to as GTA VI, is set to release later this year. This launch is expected to be one of the biggest in video game history. One U.S. Army unit in Fort Stewart, Georgia, is taking advantage of the hype by offering active-duty soldiers a four-day pass to play the game as an incentive to reenlist.

This unique incentive program has already attracted 20 soldiers out of the Division's 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, who are committed to a minimum two-year reenlistment, which can extend for up to six years. While incentive programs are not uncommon, tying one specifically to a video game is an unusual acknowledgement of the anticipation around GTA VI.

The game is expected to bring in billions of dollars, and one company, Take-Two Interactive, which owns the publishing rights for various game franchises, stands to gain significantly. The game's trailer has garnered nearly 300 million views on YouTube alone, and its release date has been pushed from 2025 to November 19. Some small business owners have also recognized the impact of the game and have announced a pause in operations on launch day.

This unprecedented cultural event is particularly significant as it is being driven by a single piece of entertainment by a generation that is known for its loneliness. Young men in the U.S. are among the country's loneliest demographic, and the launch of GTA VI could provide a rare shared experience for them.