GTA 6 Launch Could Trigger a Nationwide Wave of Sickies on November 19

Australians have already booked £3.14 million ($6.1 million) worth of annual leave for November 19 alone — and 5% of UK leave requests for that date explicitly cite Grand Theft Auto 6, according to workforce software firm BrightHR. Employers down under should brace for the same pattern when Rockstar's record-breaking franchise returns after 13 years.

GTA 6 launches in Australia next week, on Thursday, November 19. Pre-downloads have already commenced, meaning gamers can start playing the second the servers open. That convenience is exactly what has shift-management platform Deputy worried.

What does the launch change for employers?

Deputy's data shows shift absenteeism rose when other blockbuster titles — Elden Ring and Overwatch 2 among them — went live. But GTA 6 is broadly tipped to be the biggest video game launch of the year, if not the decade, and Deputy expects the unplanned-leave impact to be larger accordingly.

The crunch actually starts before launch day. Deputy chief technology officer Ciaran Hale said businesses should watch for no-shows as early as Wednesday, November 18.

"The real trap for businesses is the day-before download spike — shift workers clear their schedules 24 hours before a game releases so they can play the second the servers open," Hale said in a statement.

"With GTA 6's level of anticipation, it's likely to cause a major, multi-day scheduling crunch across the frontline workforce."

In practical terms, that means frontline-heavy operators — hospitality, retail, logistics — should expect a scheduling squeeze spanning Wednesday and Thursday, not a single-day dip. Hale's framing suggests managers should treat this like any forecast demand event: get leave requests in early, backfill rosters in advance, and don't count on last-minute volunteers.

The regulator has already weighed in

The risk of rogue sickies is real enough that the Fair Work Ombudsman has issued its own semi-serious warning. The regulator took to social media with a "gentle reminder to get your leave request in sooner rather than later," while reminding employees of their obligations when they don't have paid leave approved.

It's a rare intervention. Workplace regulators don't typically comment on video game launches, and the Ombudsman's move signals just how widely absenteeism is expected to hit.

The numbers behind the sickie wave

BrightHR, a UK-based software company, has tried to quantify the hit to hours worked. Its figures show 5% of November 19 leave requests cited GTA 6 directly, with the value of annual leave booked for that single day reaching £3.14 million ($6.1 million).

Scale that pattern to Australia's frontline workforce and the multi-day window Hale describes, and the cost of unplanned absences could run well past a one-day figure. For shift-based businesses running lean rosters, even a handful of no-shows per site compounds quickly.

What should managers actually do?

The playbook writes itself from the data. Approve legitimate leave requests now rather than on the day, so rosters can be rebalanced. Flag November 18 and 19 as high-risk dates for unplanned absences in shift-heavy teams. And use the Ombudsman's own guidance as cover: workers who request leave properly are covered; those who don't face the usual consequences of unapproved absence.

Deputy's data on Elden Ring and Overwatch 2 gives employers a benchmark — absenteeism rose measurably at those launches, and this one is expected to be bigger.

The so-what is straightforward. If the biggest entertainment launch of the decade lands mid-week, frontline operators who plan for a two-day scheduling crunch will ride it out. Those who don't will find out on Thursday morning exactly how many staff own a console.