US Army Unit Offers Soldiers a Four-Day Pass to Play GTA 6 — If They Re-Enlist
A US Army engineering battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, is offering soldiers a four-day pass timed to the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI — if they sign up for another stint in the military.
The 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, part of the 3rd Infantry Division, pitched the incentive as a way to connect re-enlistment to something soldiers actually care about. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told CBS News the programme was "designed as a unique" incentive connecting to soldiers' interests CBS News.
According to an Army memo, soldiers who sign a re-enlistment contract between 1 August and 14 November will receive a four-day pass coinciding with the GTA 6 launch. The pass lines up with the game's release on 19 November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S GameSpot.
To qualify, soldiers must re-enlist for a minimum of two years, with options up to six. Around 130 soldiers at Fort Stewart were reported eligible, and as of the Army's statement to CBS News, 20 had already agreed to the incentive.
The programme is not service-wide. It was proposed exclusively for the 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, though Lt. Col. Tomko indicated it could potentially be expanded elsewhere. Task & Purpose and Military.com were the first outlets to authenticate the Army letter detailing the offer.
Grand Theft Auto VI is one of the most anticipated entertainment releases of the decade — the latest entry in a series that has historically sold over 40 million copies per mainline instalment. A four-day pass to play it at launch is, by any measure, an unusual military perk.
For the Army, the maths is straightforward: retention is a constant challenge, and the incentive costs the institution nothing beyond granting leave that soldiers could request through other channels. For soldiers weighing whether to stay in, a long weekend with one of the biggest games of the year is a sweetener that few other employers could match — or would think to try.
Whether other battalions follow Fort Stewart's lead may depend on how the first wave of re-enlistments looks when the numbers come in.
