Palworld developer Pocketpair announced on November 12 that it will grant its employees a five-day special holiday to coincide with the release of GTA 6. The leave period runs from November 19, when GTA 6 launches, through November 23. Any employee intending to play GTA 6 is eligible to take time off. However, since November 21 and 22 fall on a weekend, the actual time off work consists of three business days: November 19, 20, and 23.
Pocketpair shared the news by posting an image of the internal notice on the official Palworld X (formerly Twitter) account. In the notice, the company wrote that on November 19, millions of gamers around the world would find themselves sitting at school or work, gazing longingly out the window while waiting for a new era of gaming to begin.
Pocketpair explained that such a historic occasion deserves full attention. During the leave, instead of working, employees were advised to take a business trip to Vice City, the virtual city that serves as the setting for GTA 6. In the X post, the company referred to this time off as an "urgent business trip to Vice City."
The notice also included a separate section reassuring players that update work for Palworld and Craftopia is progressing smoothly and will proceed as scheduled. This appears to address concerns from users that the announcement of special leave might delay upcoming updates. Pocketpair CEO Takuro Mizobe also posted on his personal X account, stating that he will be taking a break for a while to play GTA 6.
This is not the first time Pocketpair has declared a day off for a major game release. In February 2025, the studio designated February 28—the release date of Capcom's Monster Hunter Wilds—as a company-wide holiday, excluding a few essential departments. At the time, the studio cited a high number of employees reporting that they might be "feeling unwell."
Meanwhile, company closures tied to the release of GTA 6 have also surfaced outside the gaming industry. Burger Motorsports, an automotive performance parts manufacturer based in California, announced in an Instagram post on June 11 that it would pause company operations for the day on November 19. Management explained that after several team members notified them they would be taking the day off, operating normally would be difficult. Additionally, an engineer battalion at Fort Stewart in Georgia offered a four-day leave tied to the release of GTA 6 as a reenlistment incentive for soldiers signing a four-year contract extension.
GTA 6 will launch on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Originally targeted for fall 2025, the release date was delayed to May 26, 2026, before being pushed back again to November 19, when it was finally set. A release date for the PC version has not yet been announced.
