• A projected 31,943 Georgians could take the day off work for the release of Grand Theft Auto VI on Thursday, November 19
• The cost in wages for these absent workers is projected to hit $9.1 million statewide.
• Nearly 1 million Americans are projected to miss work on release day, costing $301.5 million in wages for missed work nationwide.

With less than two weeks until Grand Theft Auto VI releases on Thursday, November 19, new research has revealed that 31,943 Georgian workers could miss work on release day, costing Georgia $9.1 million in lost wages.

The research, by online slots site Amazon Slots, used information on what gamers are planning to do on Grand Theft Auto VI’s release day to estimate how many gamers might take the day off work to play the latest installment in the infamous franchise. They then used the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to estimate the total wage cost across each state and nationwide for these workers missing work.

The study also found which states will have the most absences on launch day, based on each state’s demographics and how likely workers in those demographics would be to own consoles that can play GTA VI.

According to data from BambooHR, time-off requests for GTA VI’s release day are up to 17% higher than on a typical third Thursday in November, and roughly 1.86% of employees have approved time-off requests on a typical day. When this is applied to the full American workforce of 162.7 million people, this would mean 514,451 more workers than usual with time off on launch day, if all are approved. In Georgia, this comes to 16,611 more workers on time off across a workforce of 5.3 million.

Additionally, many gamers have said they will take a day off sick to play GTA VI. According to a GameSquare survey, 36% of gamers plan to take a sick day, compared to 39% who plan to book time off. This ratio would mean a further 474,878 will be off sick nationwide to play the game on November 19, with 15,333 of these in Georgia.

This means a total of 31,943 Georgians and 989,329 workers nationwide could miss work above the norm on release day, resulting in GTA VI’s release costing Georgia $9.1 million and America $301.5 million in the value of wages for work not done that day.

Georgia compared with the 10 states that have the most projected absences from work per 1,000 employed on Grand Theft Auto VI’s release day on Thursday, November 19, 2026

The study also found the states where people are expected to miss work at the highest rates on GTA VI’s release day, with Utah set to have the highest proportion of its workforce off that day. There will be an estimated 6.715 absences per 1,000 employed in Utah if absences follow the national projection, with the wages for the projected 11,876 absent employees costing over $3 million.

Georgia ranks 34th for the rate its workers are predicted to take time off for GTA VI’s release day. An extra 31,943 Georgians could miss work on release day at a rate of 5.999 absences per 1,000 employed in the state. This will cost $9.1 million statewide in wages for the time not worked.

North Dakota is second, with 6.477 projected absences per 1,000 employed, and the wage bill for these 2,725 absent workers will be $701,000.

Idaho ranks third, with 6.414 projected absences per 1,000 employed and costing $1.4 million in wages.

Texas is fourth, with 6.356 absences per 1,000 and $29.4 million in lost wages, and Colorado is fifth, with 6.353 absences per 1,000 and over $6.2 million in missed wages.

Washington, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, and Arizona complete the top 10 states with the highest proportion of their workforces predicted to miss work for GTA VI.

Hawaii is expected to have the smallest proportion of its workforce off work for GTA VI’s release. Just 5.567 absences per 1,000 employed are predicted in the Aloha State, costing $1 million in missed wages.

Mukesh Pawar of Amazon Slots commented on the findings:

“Grand Theft Auto VI is shaping up to be the biggest event in gaming in decades, and it’s likely going to be one of the biggest launches in entertainment on record, if previous GTAs are anything to go by. A lot of this is because of the hype that has built around GTA VI. Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest names in gaming, but the series hasn’t had a new mainline installment since GTA V released in 2013. This 13-year wait is why so many people will be keen to take release day off and play it as soon as possible.

“It was also interesting to see which states ranked high and which ranked low. The demographics that are the most likely to be interested in a game like GTA VI will tend to be young and male. This means that states with young workforces with proportionally more men, like Utah and North Dakota, will have more predicted absences than states with demographics that tend to be older and have more women, like Hawaii.

“Georgia ranked as it did because its adult workforce has fewer men proportionally than the rest of America, and its workforce is older on average. Both of these factors lowered the state’s projected absence rate for GTA VI’s release day.”