Everyone is preparing for the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 in their own way. Some people are booking vacation days. Others are presumably preparing elaborate excuses for why they suddenly came down with an illness on Nov. 19. After 13 years without a new mainline Grand Theft Auto game, plenty of fans are carving out time well in advance to disappear into Vice City.
For some members of the U.S. Army, however, there is another way to guarantee a few uninterrupted days with the game shortly after launch. The catch is that they have to commit at least two more years of their lives to the military first.
In a deeply strange collision of American military recruitment and video game hype, an Army battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is offering eligible soldiers a special four-day pass timed around the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 if they reenlist.
Two more years in uniform, four days with GTA 6 — God bless America.
The offer comes from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division. Soldiers who sign a reenlistment contract between Aug. 1 and Nov. 14 can qualify for the pass, according to an internal memo that began circulating online and has since been confirmed as legitimate by Army officials.
Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, told PCMag that 20 out of 120 eligible soldiers had selected the incentive as of Wednesday. “The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in,” Tomko later told PC Gamer. The offer is not Army-wide, Tomko said, but unique to the 3rd Infantry Division.
Tomko told media outlets the idea came from a new career counselor looking for a more creative way to help the unit meet its fiscal 2027 reenlistment goals.
To be fair, left-field perks surrounding reenlistment aren’t entirely unusual. Army officials have noted that soldiers have previously reenlisted during ceremonies involving tanks, helicopters, NFL teams, and scenic destinations. The military also routinely uses everything from cash bonuses to schooling and preferred assignments as retention tools.
Rockstar has already turned the final stretch before launch into an event. On Aug. 27, Netflix will get a six-hour exclusive window on an extended look at GTA 6 before the footage hits YouTube and social media more broadly.
At the same time, the game has been hit by a fresh wave of leaks. A hacker using the name Cyberleek has circulated alleged gameplay showing everything from flying over Vice City to fights, tasers, and other previously unseen footage, while threatening to keep leaking material in protest of the game’s digital-only release.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on Nov. 19 with the standard edition priced at $79.99. The Army’s reenlistment offer is open to eligible soldiers through Nov. 14.