In line with gaming folklore, Sq. Enix should launch new Dragon Quest video games on the weekend in Japan. Why? As a result of the sequence is so in style, it will disrupt the nation’s economic system if everybody skipped faculty and work to go play. Effectively, the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 releases on a Thursday (November 19), so put together for some main schedule disruptions.
A brand new PCMag gaming survey finds that 8% of US grownup avid gamers plan to take PTO or modify their work or faculty schedules to play. Once we do the maths, that interprets to an estimated 12.5 million US avid gamers who plan to take break day simply to play Rockstar’s new open-world opus.
Curious to be taught extra? Let’s break down the numbers.
Key Findings: Vice Metropolis’s Siren Tune
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12.5 million US adults plan to take PTO or modify their work/faculty schedule to play GTA 6.
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Gen Z leads in adjusting their schedules for GTA 6, at 13%.
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Males (9%) are barely extra seemingly than ladies (7%) to regulate their calendars to play the brand new Vice Metropolis sport.
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With GTA 6 launching solely on current-generation consoles, 7% of gamers plan to upgrade their machines for this sport or one other main launch prefer it.
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Regardless of the recognition of GTA 6, 68% of US adults do not plan to play it at launch.
(Credit score: Cole Kan/PCMag/Getty/Rockstar)
Younger and Stressed
GTA 6 is a decidedly grownup sport, but it surely’s unsurprising that probably the most passionate followers skew youthful, with 13% of Gen Z planning to take break day to play. Additionally, whereas the sport stars a prison couple (Jason and the franchise’s first major female protagonist, Lucia), males are nonetheless extra more likely to block off their calendars to play than ladies (9% versus 7%).
(Credit score: Cole Kan/PCMag/Rockstar)
GTA on Your Phrases
GTA 6 will seemingly be an enormous, time-consuming sport, however what’s so modern in regards to the sequence is that it lets you deal with all it has to supply at your individual tempo. So many grownup avid gamers are discovering methods to squeeze GTA 6 into their current schedules. Of these we surveyed, 14% say they plan to suit the sport into their regular routines, whereas 4% plan to clear their evenings and weekends to play.
All In
For the actually dedicated, the GTA 6 launch is a prime precedence, which implies every thing else will get paused. Three p.c of gamers plan to take two or extra days off to play, one other 3% will take one full day, and a couple of% will take a half day or modify their hours.
Regulation-Abiding Residents
Even the most important sport on this planet isn’t for everybody, although. We discovered that 7% of gamers haven’t got set plans for partaking with GTA 6. And in the event you’re feeling omitted for not planning to play GTA 6 in any respect when it comes out, know that 68% of respondents are in your facet.
Bought Recreation? Get Set for GTA 6 and Extra With Our Vacation Workplace Hours from the Labs
The GTA Distinction
The truth that so lots of these planning to play GTA 6 are altering their schedules speaks to how singular this title is. GTA is as in style as it’s controversial, and GTA 6 particularly is evoking nostalgia for the beloved Grand Theft Auto: Vice Metropolis from 25 years in the past.
After GTA 5 smashed all kinds of sales records, it turned clear that no matter got here subsequent would have unprecedented expectations to reside as much as. Not solely can we need to play GTA 6, however we’re additionally curious to lastly see it. It is a sport that may drop an unique reveal on Netflix as a flex, in spite of everything.
Really useful by Our Editors
With GTA 6 launching solely on current-generation consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Sequence X/S), 7% of US adults really plan to upgrade particularly for it (or one other main launch prefer it). The anticipation is actual.
Whether or not you’re taking break day or not, be sure you’re prepared by buying the best console for GTA 6 and deciding on the suitable edition to buy. And if you have already got the sport, this is how to preload it.
Methodology
PCMag commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct the survey. All figures, except in any other case said, are from YouGov Plc. Complete pattern measurement was 2,024 adults, of whom 1,154 certified as avid gamers. Fieldwork was undertaken Oct. 23-27, 2026. The survey was carried out on-line. The figures have been weighted and are consultant of all US adults (aged 18+).
Of the 1,154 avid gamers, 8% plan to take PTO or modify their work/faculty schedule to play GTA 6. The 12.5 million determine relies on multiplying the gamer fee by the 8% response fee, then multiplying the outcome by the 2025 18+ US inhabitants determine calculated by the US Census Bureau: 269,763,509 x 0.5702 (avid gamers) x 0.0815 (up to date NET datapoint) = 12,536,261.
About Our Skilled
Jordan Minor
Principal Author, Software program
Expertise
My PCMag profession started in 2013 as an intern. Now, I am a senior author, utilizing the abilities I acquired at Northwestern College to jot down about courting apps, meal kits, programming software program, web site builders, video streaming providers, and video video games. I used to be beforehand a senior editor at Geek.com and have written for The A.V. Membership, Kotaku, and Paste Journal. I am the creator of the gaming historical past ebook Video Game of the Year: A Year-by-Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977, and the rationale every thing you recognize about Street Sharks is a lie.