GTA 6 Launch Fever: Streamers, Days Off and a $120K Job

The world is clearing its schedule for GTA 6. Streamers are planning marathons, companies from Logitech to the makers of Palworld are giving staff time off to play it, one company is even hiring someone to play it full time, other games are dodging its release date, and plenty of fans are booking November 19 off work. Here's how everyone is getting ready for GTA 6's launch.

Kai Cenat's five-game GTA marathon

Kai Cenat, one of the biggest streamers in the world, is warming up by playing through the classic games. His marathon starts on November 5 at 3pm ET on Twitch and YouTube, covering GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV and GTA VReported1. tribune.com.pk — Kai Cenat announces 5-Game 'Grand Theft Auto' marathon ahead of 'GTA 6' release. That gives him two weeks to get through all five before GTA 6 arrives. He admitted he never fully finished San Andreas, and said of first playing Vice City, "my life changed from there"Reported1. tribune.com.pk — Kai Cenat announces 5-Game 'Grand Theft Auto' marathon ahead of 'GTA 6' release.

Lacy and Clix: a Miami mansion marathon

Streamers Lacy and Clix plan to rent a mansion in Miami, the real city behind Vice City, for a GTA 6 marathon mixed with real-life missionsReported2. win.gg — Lacy Reveals GTA 6 Marathon Plans and Monthly Income Breakdown. Expect more creators to head to Florida: Rockstar's marketing has already turned parts of Miami into Vice City. Read how Miami is becoming Vice City.

How big will GTA 6 be on Twitch?

There are no reliable forecasts yet, but there's a benchmark. When Rockstar revealed GTA 6 gameplay in August, streams peaked at 3.97 million viewers at the same time across all platforms. Twitch took about 44% of hours watched, YouTube 35% and Kick 20%Reported9. streamscharts.com — GTA VI gameplay reveal viewership. Launch week should be bigger, since people will be playing, not just watching a trailer.

YouTube itself is joining in. Its official channel will run a 24-hour GTA 6 livestream from midnight ET on November 19, with a pre-show at 11pm ET the night before, in six languages including English, Spanish and HindiReported15. vgtimes.com — YouTube Goes Full GTA 6: Official Channel Gets Pink Neon Makeover Ahead of 24-Hour Livestream.

If you want to avoid spoilers, be careful from November 18: review copies are reportedly already out, with a review embargo set for the day before launchReported10. notebookcheck.net — GTA 6 review codes are out in the wild giving outlets just over three weeks. Our GTA 6 reviews guide has the details.

A studio boss: "Go play GTA 6"

Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead, the studio behind the shooter Wardogs, is giving his whole team December off after the game's early-access launch. His message to players: "Go play GTA 6, we need to detox"Reported3. kotaku.com — Wardogs Studio Boss Tells Players To 'F*ck Off' During December.

Companies giving staff the day off

Bulkhead isn't alone anymore:

• Logitech is giving about 7,000 employees, interns included, a paid day off on November 19 for what it calls Logi Game Day. Staff can play anything, or take the day later.
• Pocketpair, the studio behind Palworld, is giving its team five days of special leave, November 19 to 23. It calls it an urgent business trip to Vice City.

A $120,000 job playing GTA 6

Prediction market Kalshi has posted a contract role for a GTA 6 researcher. The pay is the equivalent of $100,000 to $120,000, plus perks like a $15,000 bonus and a 100-inch TV. The job: stream the campaign from midnight on November 19, look for ways to make money in the game and report on the Leonida economyReported14. vgtimes.com — You Can Get Paid $120,000 to Play Through GTA 6: Kalshi Is Hiring for an Unusual Experiment. The listing doesn't say how long the contract lastsReported14. vgtimes.com — You Can Get Paid $120,000 to Play Through GTA 6: Kalshi Is Hiring for an Unusual Experiment.

Other games are getting out of the way

Publishers have spent months avoiding GTA 6's launch window. According to The Ringer, a record 62 games scored 85 or higher on Metacritic by the end of October, as studios rushed out their games before November 19Reported6. theringer.com — We Got a Record Gaming Blitz Before 'GTA VI'. Circana analyst Mat Piscatella summed it up: "Just about everyone got out of the way"Reported6. theringer.com — We Got a Record Gaming Blitz Before 'GTA VI'.

• Named GTA 6 when delaying: Fable, Squadron 42 and Danganronpa 2x2Reported6. theringer.com — We Got a Record Gaming Blitz Before 'GTA VI'.
• Delayed, but for other reasons: Emberville moved to January 7, 2027, citing feedback on its demoReported7. gamingbible.com — GTA 6 strikes again as anticipated RPG delays to January one day before launch.

Fortnite's free item shop

Fortnite added a rare chest reward, the Pirate Shop, that makes everything in the Item Shop sold for V-Bucks free for 14 days. Real-money offers, gifting and the Battle Pass are excluded, and the drop rate hasn't been revealedReported4. dexerto.com — Fortnite adds rare reward that makes entire Item Shop free for 14 days, but there's limits. GameSpot called it Fortnite's plan to survive GTA 6, though Epic hasn't linked the twoReported4. dexerto.com — Fortnite adds rare reward that makes entire Item Shop free for 14 days, but there's limits5. gamespot.com — Fortnite's Plan To Survive GTA 6 Is Finally Revealed: Make Everything Free.

Fans are taking the day off

A BambooHR survey found 18% of US workers plan to take November 19 off, according to MarketWatch, and Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expects plenty of people to call in sickReported8. MarketWatch / Yahoo — Grand Theft Callout: 'GTA 6' fans are missing work on the game's release day because they 'don't want to wait' anymore. If you're one of them, plan ahead: pre-loading opens on November 10, so the 212GB download can be done long before launch night. See our GTA 6 launch guide.