A memo reportedly issued by a US Army unit is offering soldiers paid time off to play Grand Theft Auto VI in exchange for signing a new contract. The document is credited to the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, and carries the subject line “Special Reenlistment Incentive, Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) 4-Day Pass.”
GTA 6 launches on November 19, and anticipation for the game has already produced some unusual reactions from employers. This appears to be the first case involving a branch of the US military.
According to the memo, dated July 28 and reportedly signed by commanding officer Lt. Col. Ryan D. Hodgson, any soldier who signs a re-enlistment contract between August 1 and November 14 qualifies for the pass, which would run from November 20 through November 23.
Any Soldier who signs a re-enlistment contract between 1 August 2026 and 14 November 2026 will be authorized for a special 4-day pass. This special pass is specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).
The memo surfaced on August 17 via the Instagram account US Army WTF! Moments before spreading to the Grand Theft Auto subreddit, and neither the Army nor Fort Stewart has confirmed it’s genuine. Some details do check out, including Hodgson’s recent arrival as the battalion’s commander and formatting that reportedly matches standard Army memo conventions.
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GTA 6’s Pre-Orders Explain Why The Hype Is Real
Real or not, the memo taps into pre-order numbers that help explain why Grand Theft Auto VI is generating this level of reaction in the first place. Analytics firm Sensor Tower reported that 89 percent of pre-orders have gone to the $100 Ultimate Edition over the $80 standard release, a split its SVP Karl Kontus called something he had “never seen before,” since premium editions typically capture just 10 to 20 percent of pre-order sales.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has echoed that framing without disclosing hard sales figures, previously calling the pre-order period “unprecedented and astonishing.” The publisher also reported $1.39 billion in sales during the quarter its pre-order window opened, a number that includes revenue well beyond just GTA 6 but still points to the scale investors are watching.
Whether or not the battalion’s pass turns out to be authentic, it fits a launch cycle already producing outsized numbers on every front, from premium edition splits to earnings calls. Grand Theft Auto VI releases November 19, and Fort Stewart has yet to issue any statement confirming or denying the memo.