US Army battalion offers soldiers 4 days off to play GTA 6 but there's a catch

Grand Theft Auto 6 is almost guaranteed to be the biggest game launch in history, yet U.S. Army battalion soldiers have to accept re-enlistment if they want days off to play it at release.

It'd certainly be a bit of a coincidence if everyone suddenly pulls a sick day on November 19, and you can't blame people for booking time off to play a game that they've been waiting for over 13 years for— yet some are finding it harder than others to secure their free time.

As reported by Kotaku, soldiers of the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion in Fort Stewart, Georgia, have been offered a rather unexpected trade to secure four days off when GTA 6 launches, as they'll have to re-enlist for the army if they want to dive into Leonida's huge map at the same time as everyone else.

Shared on the 'USA Army WTF?! Moments' pages on both Instagram and Facebook, the memo outlines a 'Special Reenlistment Incentive' for GTA 6, and some can't quite believe that they're reading.

Soldiers given 4 days off for GTA 6 in exchange for re-enlistment

According to the memo, the purpose of this incentivized deal is "to establish a special reenlistment incentive program to promote retention, boost morale, and reward the continued dedication of the Soldiers within the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion (9th BEB)."

It appears to apply to all active-duty soldiers within the 9th BEB who are eligible for re-enlistment, with the contract needing to be signed at any point between August 1 and November 14 this year, cutting off five days before the game officially releases.

Soldiers have been offered time off to play GTA 6 — but they must re-enlist in order to get it (Instagram/usawtfm)

Intriguingly it does list the alignment of these four days with the dates of November 20-23, meaning that eligible soldiers won't actually get the day that the game launches off — leaving them potentially exposed to inevitable spoilers spreading like wildfire throughout social media.

There also aren't any additional loopholes that can be applied to extend this four-day period even further, as the memorandum specifically prohibits the combination of this incentive "with other passes to create an absence of more than four consecutive days."

What's more, soldiers who fail "to meet Army body composition or physical fitness standards at the time of the requested pass are ineligible to utilize this incentive until the flag is removed," so some might need to hit the gym and improve their physical health before they can vegetate in front of the TV for over half a week.

How have people reacted to the incentive?

There seems to be a split between people who have appreciated the option of extra time off and others who simply think that it's not a worthwhile trade — especially as you can just request leave to play it regularly in some cases.

"Imagine re-enlisting and GTA 6 sucks," joked one user, but that's certainly a possibility that many soldiers might have to content with — especially as we're three months from release with no official gameplay footage shown yet.

Many have called out this incentive, with some even fearful that the game might 'suck' (Rockstar Games)

"Genuinely pathetic," another proclaimed, "not only are they desperate for ideas, but the only people falling for this will be the most brain dead morons you'll ever meet."

A third commenter echoed a similar feeling towards this incentive, but admitted that they'd quietly sign the dotted line anyway as the desire to play GTA 6 at launch is simply too big to ignore.