GTA 6 Launch Day: Time-Off Requests, Pre-Orders and What the Game Could Earn

Grand Theft Auto VI arrives on Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. That is a normal working day, one week before Thanksgiving. It is not a public holiday in the US or anywhere else.

It's still being treated like one. Workers are filing leave requests for the date, at least one company has said it will close, and Take-Two's CEO has publicly predicted a lot of sick calls. This guide separates what the data shows from what's just internet noise.

Is GTA 6 launch day a holiday?

No. There's no federal or state holiday on November 19, and no government has declared one. What exists is a surge in individual time-off requests.

HR software company BambooHR looked at leave records for more than 3.4 million US employees in October. Its findings:

• Requests for November 19 were running roughly 13% above comparable Thursdays in previous years. Media coverage quotes a range of 9% to 17%.
• Requests for the Friday after launch were up almost 11%, and the weekend after were up around 9%.
• In a separate survey of 1,530 full-time US workers, 18% said they planned to take launch day off. The share rises to 32% among Gen Z workers and 27% among millennials.
• BambooHR also reported an increase of about 8% in the UK.

There are caveats. BambooHR counted requests, not reasons, and it noted that overall PTO use is up a few percent in 2026. Someone requesting November 19 might be planning a long Thanksgiving trip. The timing makes GTA 6 the obvious explanation, but the data can't prove it.

Some employers have gone further. A California motorsports company reportedly told staff it would close for the day because of the volume of requests. That's one business's decision, not a rule.

Claims to treat with care

A few widely shared numbers are weaker than their headlines:

• "$1 billion lost in US productivity." The estimate traces back to an economist's comments on a Spanish radio show in 2025. No model, dataset or method has been published.
• "1.5 million Americans will skip work." This figure is repeated everywhere and I couldn't find a primary source for it.
• An Army memo offering four days off to people who reenlist. The claim went viral and hasn't been verified.
• Reader polls. An IGN poll found 42% of its readers had requested the day off. Gaming readers are a self-selected group, so it says little about the wider workforce.

Why GTA 6 is the most anticipated game in years

Several things stack up:

• The franchise is enormous. Take-Two says the GTA series has sold nearly 475 million copies.
• It's been a long wait. The last main GTA game, GTA V, came out in 2013. The first GTA 6 trailer arrived in December 2023.
• Two delays. The game slipped from a fall 2025 window to May 26, 2026, then to November 19, 2026. The date has held since.
• The setting. Leonida is Rockstar's version of Florida, with Vice City at its center, and the leads are Jason and Lucia.
• The history. GTA V reportedly made around $800 million in its first 24 hours in 2013, which set the bar for entertainment launches.

Price, pre-orders and preload

Rockstar has not published pre-order numbers. Two estimates are in circulation: about 5.2 million copies, reported by Money, and around 6 million digital pre-orders, from Sensor Tower. Neither is official. Take-Two has reportedly said pre-orders were above its expectations.

If you plan to play on day one, preload as soon as you can. A 212 GB download is slow on many home connections, and everyone will be pulling the same files in the last days.

How much could GTA 6 earn?

Nobody knows yet, and any precise number before launch is a guess. What you can do is the arithmetic.

At the $79.99 list price, every million copies is roughly $80 million before platform fees, discounts and the pricier Ultimate Edition. Five million pre-orders would be around $400 million at list price. That's a rough illustration, not a forecast.

Some headlines have claimed 46 million copies and $3 billion on day one. Those figures come from unsourced analyst talk and I wouldn't rely on them. Official numbers will come from Take-Two, usually in a press release or earnings call after launch.

What to do before November 19

• If you want the day off, request it now. Approved leave gives your manager notice, whereas sick calls arrive the same morning, which is harder for them. Booking honestly protects you more than calling in sick.
• If you manage a team, expect higher-than-usual absence on that Thursday and Friday and plan cover.
• If you're a player, preload now and check Rockstar and your console store for the exact unlock time, which Rockstar hasn't confirmed.

The short version

GTA 6 launch day is not a holiday, but the evidence of unusual demand for that day off is real: BambooHR's data shows requests running well above normal. The bigger sales and "economy" numbers are mostly guesses until Take-Two publishes real figures.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GTA 6 launch day a public holiday? No. November 19, 2026 is a regular Thursday. There's no federal or state holiday, though many individual employees have requested the day off.

When does GTA 6 come out? November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

How much does GTA 6 cost? The Standard Edition is $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition is $99.99.

How big is the GTA 6 preload? Up to 212 GB, according to Rockstar. Preloading opened on November 10 and the game unlocks on launch day.

How many people pre-ordered GTA 6? Rockstar hasn't said. Estimates range from about 5.2 million to around 6 million, and neither is official.

How much will GTA 6 make on day one? It isn't known. At list price, each million copies is about $80 million before fees. Take-Two will publish official figures after launch.

Are people really taking the day off for GTA 6? Requests for November 19 are running about 13% above comparable Thursdays, according to BambooHR's data on more than 3.4 million US employees. The data can't show every request is for the game.

Is there a PC version of GTA 6? Rockstar hasn't announced a PC version, release date or price.