GTA 6 could cost the US economy $1 billion due to an estimated 1.5 million workers calling in sick, economist says
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GTA 6 could cost the US economy $1 billion due to an estimated 1.5 million workers calling in sick, economist says

GamesRadar+ News reports on GTA 6 could cost the US economy $1 billion due to an estimated 1.5 million workers calling in sick, economist says. It's bad news for the technology sector

Published October 21, 20261 min readGTA & Rockstar
Image source: GamesRadar+

Confirmed facts

GamesRadar+ reported on October 21, 2026, that an economist estimated GTA 6 could cost the US economy $1 billion. According to the outlet, the projection is based on an estimated 1.5 million workers calling in sick in connection with the game. The figure is an attributed economic estimate, not an official forecast or technical statistic from Rockstar Games or Take-Two.

Technical analysis

The reported numbers concern a potential wider economic effect, not a confirmed gameplay problem, hardware limitation, or sales result. The supplied evidence does not include the economist’s methodology, underlying data, assumptions, or the precise basis for the 1.5 million-worker estimate, so the claimed $1 billion impact cannot be independently evaluated from the available material.

GTA 6 could cost the US economy $1 billion due to an estimated 1.5 million workers calling in sick, economist says
Image source: GamesRadar+

Sources