A US Army unit has offered soldiers four days off to play the new Grand Theft Auto video game if they reenlist. The video game, which will be released in November, is a major entertainment event for fans of the series’ action, storytelling and high production values.

Twenty soldiers from the 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia, which is part of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, have already opted for this incentive when reenlisting, it has been reported. Lt. Col. Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a statement to CBS News: “The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what Soldiers are interested in. The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist.

The Army memo, which has been widely shared online, states that soldiers who sign a reenlistment contract between August 1 and November 14, 2026, will qualify for a special four-day pass timed to coincide with the release of the highly anticipated video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).

The memo reads: “This special pass is specifically designated to coincide with the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).”

The promotion is available to all active-duty enlisted personnel in the battalion who are eligible to reenlist and sign a new contract between August 1 and November 14.

To qualify, soldiers must commit to a reenlistment term of at least two years, with contracts ranging up to six years in length.

Mr Tomko told Independent: “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.”

He said that the video game-themed incentive was introduced after a newly appointed career counsellor proposed an updated and more creative incentives programme to unit leadership, with the aim of helping the battalion achieve its reenlistment targets for the upcoming fiscal year.