GTA 6 Could Cost US $1 Billion in Sick Days

What would you do if the biggest game of the decade launched on a Tuesday? For 1.5 million Americans, the answer is apparently: call in sick. That's the projection from economics professor José García Montalvo, who estimates that GTA 6's November 19 launch could trigger a mass case of "GTA flu"—and cost the US economy around $1 billion.

Here's the math: if each of those 1.5 million workers earns an annual salary of $70,000, the lost productivity adds up to roughly $1 billion. But here's the twist—GTA 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive is also estimated to make that same $1 billion on launch day. So the economy isn't necessarily losing money; it's just changing hands. From the country's pockets to one multi-billion-dollar corporation. The rich get richer, right?

Now, this isn't an official forecast—it's an academic projection. But the hype is real. Back in September 2013, an IGN poll found that 46% of nearly 11,000 respondents planned to take the day off for GTA 5's launch. That's a self-selected poll, sure, but it shows how Rockstar games become a pop culture moment—a monoculture we haven't had in a while.

And some people are taking it very seriously. Streamer and father of three Bud Burruss told the Wall Street Journal he's planning a five-day vacation for GTA 6. Others on social media are sharing similar sentiments—some couples are even drafting contracts and labeling the act of playing the game as "cheating." Even the military is getting in on it: soldiers at Fort Stewart, Georgia, are being offered days off to play GTA 6. So yeah, the "GTA flu" is real.

Will you be calling in sick on November 19? Or are you just going to tough it out and play after work? Let us know in the comments!