NOW PLAYING is HR Dive Reporter Caroline Colvin’s column at the intersection of HR and entertainment.
Gamers have been waiting for Grand Theft Auto VI for what feels like forever — and that heated anticipation may have negative repercussions for the workplace.
GTA 6, as it’s colloquially called, officially drops on Nov. 19, 2026, with pre-loading starting on Nov. 12. Because of this, HR may see time-off requests — yes, really — as early as this week, if they haven’t approved PTO already.
According to an October report from Zety, 11% of workers are planning to take time off for GTA 6 or tweak their schedules. The data shows it’s more common among younger workers compared to older workers and more so among men than women to make these schedule adjustments.
Zety is only the latest source to claim that gamers’ return to Vice City will be bad for productivity. Back in September, Steven Adams of the Houston Rockets said even the NBA’s performance would plummet because of GTA 6 in November. Adams’ prediction may actually be supported, too, by a recent Money.com report suggesting that Nov. 19 will be a “billion-dollar sick day” thanks to GTA 6.
While 1 in 10 workers being OOO or AFK for GTA probably wasn’t on HR’s bingo card for the year, 9% of respondents told Zety that they have taken PTO for a video game before. The survey also polled workers about a variety of entertainment events, with workers revealing that they’re not always going to request time off; they may just call in “sick.”
HR has experienced that phenomenon before. After the Super Bowl, millions of people call in sick the following Monday. Historically, March Madness has been a workplace distraction for the ages, though this ongoing tournament in particular has sometimes been used to re-engage burnt-out employees.
What should HR do about GTA 6? I think they should take a similarly positive, proactive approach.
I, like many, see workers as fully realized people and think they should take time off for whatever they need. I’m inspired by my own team in this area, with my fellow HR Dive team members not just taking time off for illness or emergencies, but for homeroom parties, family vacations, sporting events, concerts and yes, even video game releases.
PTO should be used freely, not for the sake of frivolity, but because it allows people to show up at work as individuals. It also gives them a chance to recharge and return to work with renewed energy. With this in mind, HR should get out ahead of whatever they think may hurt worker productivity in the short term — be it GTA 6 now or Jay-Z’s Super Bowl soon — to bolster worker productivity in the long term.
It’s much better to have a game plan that accommodates everyone’s desires than to be caught short-staffed that day.
