Every Fifth American Would Trade Intimate Life for a Week of Early Access to GTA VI

The open-world crime action game GTA VI from British studio Rockstar Games is coming very soon, with its premiere scheduled for November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Against the backdrop of the approaching release, Unwind Media conducted a survey of 1,509 Americans to understand how high audience interest in the game is and what concessions fans are willing to make to play it ahead of others. The overwhelming majority of respondents—1,347 people, or 89.2%—stated that they plan or want to purchase GTA VI.

Survey and Scale of Interest

The results of the Unwind Media survey, highlighted by IGN journalists, record an anomalously high level of anticipation around the sixth installment of the series. Nearly nine out of ten respondents intend to buy the game, confirming GTA VI's status as one of the most anticipated releases of the year. According to the plot, as the publication reminds, criminals Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, in an attempt to make easy money, find themselves dragged into a massive criminal conspiracy, with events unfolding in a "larger and more responsive open world than ever before."

What Fans Are Willing to Do for a Week Earlier

According to IGN, the most telling responses were to the question of what respondents would agree to give up in order to play GTA VI a week early. More than half of the survey participants (63%) are ready to ditch dating apps, 53% to stop drinking, 43% to quit smoking, 42% to stop scrolling social media, 41% to give up fast food, 33% to give up coffee, and 31% to give up streaming services. Thus, for a significant part of the audience, early access to the game is valued higher than a number of daily habits.

The Romantic Aspect and "Hard" Concessions

Special attention should be paid to responses related to personal life. Every fifth American (21%) stated they would agree to pause their sex life for a month for a week of early access to GTA VI; among those who have already pre-ordered, this figure rose to 32%. At the same time, 53% of survey participants plan to play the game together with their romantic partner. Willingness to part with a pet turned out to be noticeably lower: only 7% of respondents overall and 13% of those who pre-ordered agreed to such a step.

Release Details and Pre-loading

GTA VI will go on sale on November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles. According to available information, a PC port is expected in the first quarter of 2027. Pre-loading of the game starts on November 10, and the installation package size on consoles, according to the publication, will be up to 212 GB. The combination of these figures and survey results indicates that Rockstar Games is preparing for one of the biggest launches in the history of the gaming industry.