GTA 6 Launch Day: Time Off Requests Spike Up to 17%

HR software company BambooHR told Money in September that requests to take off Thursday, November 19 were running 9% to 17% above normal, and IGN covered the numbers today. November 19 is the day Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto VI. For resellers, it is a rare hard number on how much attention one game launch is pulling, and the date falls one week before Thanksgiving.

What GTA 6 Is and Why People Want the Day Off

Grand Theft Auto VI is the next main game in Rockstar's crime series and the first new one since Grand Theft Auto V in 2013. Rockstar bills it as the biggest leap the series has made. The story is set in the state of Leonida, which brings back Vice City, and follows two leads, Lucia and Jason.

Now for what the time off data actually says. GameSpot reported that BambooHR's software is used by more than 30,000 companies. The numbers come from paid time off requests by active US workers, and the bump showed up at every point the company checked. BambooHR also said it cannot prove GTA 6 is the reason. A spokesperson told Money the rise could partly come from people feeling freer to use their days off.

Money also pointed to a Reddit post from July. A worker asked for November 19 and 20 off, and the manager guessed why, approved it and booked the same days off. Hard to argue with that.

The buzz got loud enough that a $1 billion lost productivity estimate started making the rounds. Fortune reported the launch probably will not cost the US economy that much, and an economist it spoke with noted that workers are shifting days off, not adding new ones.

When GTA 6 Comes Out and What It Costs

Rockstar confirmed on its Newswire that GTA 6 launches Thursday, November 19, 2026. The game was first planned for 2025 and then for May 26, 2026. Rockstar apologized for the longer wait and said the extra months were about finishing the game to the standard fans expect. That is the plain answer to why it was delayed.

Here is what has been announced, as of October 2026:

• Platforms: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Rockstar has not announced a PC version.
• Price: $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition in the US, as Rockstar set them in June.
• Pre-orders: open since June 25, 2026, according to Red Bull's GTA 6 guide.
• Downloads: start November 12 for both digital and physical copies, per the same guide.

Digital copies sell through the PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store, and physical boxes go through stores that carry console games. If you want a box during launch week, you can check Walmart stock before you drive instead of guessing. Dates and prices can change, so confirm on the listing before you pay.

Early Resale Signs Around the GTA 6 Time Off Spike

As of October 27, 2026, we have not found a named outlet reporting a GTA 6 sellout, a raffle or a count of sold listings. What outlets have reported is demand. Pre-orders had passed 5.2 million copies by September, per the Money story, and the BambooHR data shows more people than usual asking for that Thursday off.

Demand alone is not a reason to buy, though. Before you buy anything tied to this launch, run the same checks you would use for spotting hot items to resell. Look at sold listings (not asking prices), how fast they sell and when to stop buying. Then compare seller fees on the main reselling apps before you list anything.

One more detail if you resell games. Rockstar says the physical version comes with a download code inside the box, so check your marketplace's rules for code-based games before you list one.

Bottom Line

GTA 6 has millions of reported pre-orders, and BambooHR's data shows more workers than usual asking for launch day off, one week before Thanksgiving. No outlet we found has reported a shortage, so watch real sold data before you buy anything around this launch.

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