// PC GAMER — GAMING
US Army confirms it's offering 4 days to play GTA 6 to soldiers who reenlist for at least 2 years
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The US Army's 3rd Infantry Division has confirmed that it is indeed offering a four-day pass in November to soldiers who reenlist for at least two years, so they can play Grand Theft Auto 6 when it comes out.
The "Special Reenlistment Incentive" memo is dated July 28, and came to light via the US Army WTF! Moments account on Instagram. It states, quite explicitly, that "any soldier who signs a reenlistment contract between 1 August 2026 and 14 November 2026 will be authorized for a special four day pass. This special pass is specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the videogame Grand Theft Auto 6."
As a lifelong civilian, that struck me as odd. I know the military has sometimes struggled to meet recruitment goals (although apparently it's doing pretty well these days, perhaps or perhaps not the sort of thing that happens when people can't afford groceries anymore), but would the Army really leverage GTA to convince its people to stick around for a few more years?
Well, yes. "The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what soldiers are interested in," Lt. Col. Angel Tomko told me. "The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist. The command team thinks eligible soldiers are more aware that they are in their window for reenlistment and engage their leadership and the career counselor earlier to see available opportunities.
"The battalion has a new career counselor who approached unit leadership with an idea for an updated creative incentives program to reach FY27 reenlistment goals. Eligible soldiers must reenlist for a minimum of two years, up to six years."
Tomko said the GTA 6 offer is not Army-wide, but rather a program unique to the 3rd Infantry Division, of which the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion is a part. It also seems to be quite successful: Tomko said there are 130 soldiers in the battalion who are eligible for the incentive and so far 20 have chosen it.
And apparently, this is novel but not unusual. "Reenlistment incentives are routine for the US Army to reward our soldiers," Tomko said. "We want to retain the best talent and it’s a credit to the creativity of the career counselor within the organization to develop this unique opportunity surrounding the launch of this popular videogame."
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Based on reactions to the report on social media, it's fair to say that some find the idea of using a popular videogame to keep the ranks filled a bit distasteful. And fairly so: Four days in exchange for two years (or more) hardly seems a good deal, especially during a time of what often feels like aimless American adventurism.