How Rockstar's 'GTA VI' release could reshape gaming, streaming and even paid time off

"Grand Theft Auto VI" launches Nov. 19, with third-party estimates pointing to exceptional preorder demand and Wall Street expecting tens of millions of copies sold by March.

The Details

Creators, streaming platforms, food delivery services and Miami tourism could all feel the impact or see spending shift with the game's launch.

The game could pull holiday attention from streaming and movies in the week before Thanksgiving.

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It's been 13 years since the last installment of Grand Theft Auto, and fans are getting ready for what analysts say could be the biggest video game launch of all time.

The latest game in the franchise,

"Grand Theft Auto VI," is set to launch on Nov. 19, after Take-Two Interactive's Rockstar Games delayed its launch twice. Roth analyst Eric Handler estimated the game maker spent more than $1 billion developing the game.

Sales figures could end up breaking records.

Sensor Tower estimated over 12 million preorders through Nov. 13, and Morgan Stanley forecast the game could sell 40 million copies by March 2027.

Beyond launch week, the Grand Theft Auto, or GTA, franchise has a track record of lasting engagement over many years. Even 13 years after launch, "Grand Theft Auto V" is one of the top five most viewed games on Twitch this year.

In anticipation of the game's launch, investors have been taking note: Take-two's stock has more than doubled since the beginning of 2023.

The release is seen as not only a monumental moment for developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two, but also a massive opportunity for the entire gaming industry.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick addressed demand in a recent "Squawk Box" interview, saying, "We tend to be pretty judicious when we talk about this sort of thing, but our expectations were high and they are being vastly exceeded so far."

Streamers and creators across the digital ecosystem are looking at the launch as a massive opportunity to drive engagement with their content and fuel subscriber and ad revenue growth.

A creator who goes by the name Deansocool, who has 375,000 followers on Twitch and posts content to YouTube and other social platforms as well, said "GTA VI" will enable creators to grow their audience and provide a massive opportunity for newer streamers to make a name for themselves.

"This game is going to make a lot of millionaires in 2027. A lot of creators gotta understand this is it. This is that golden ticket. This is like a hundred times bigger than Fortnite," he said in an interview with CNBC.

"It goes beyond this launch moment into this sustaining opportunity for them to grow, build, engage and retain their audience and ultimately support themselves by making money," said Twitch Chief Product Officer Mike Minton.

Chris Delmas | AFP | Getty Images

The release of the latest Grand Theft Auto title could draw so much attention that its impact will be felt beyond just the world of gaming.

BambooHR, a workplace time-off platform, reported that paid time off requests for the "GTA VI" release date are nearly 13% higher than equivalent days in 2024 and 2025. It also noted that nearly one in five workers are planning to take time off for the launch.

PwC issued a report examining all the different sectors of the economy that could benefit from the game's launch — or be hurt by it. The firm projected that food delivery companies could see a surge from hunkered-down gamers, and Miami tourism could benefit. PwC noted that foreign visitors to Seoul's Bukchon Hanok Village, which inspired a location in the hit Netflix movie KPop Demon Hunters, increased 118% in the four weeks following the movie's debut.

Music streaming also looks set to get a boost. Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road," which appeared in the first "GTA VI" trailer in December 2023, reportedly saw Spotify streams jump by more than 37,000%.

On the downside, the game could distract from movies and streaming entertainment.

"How are people spending Thanksgiving? There's a lot of sports on TV, but you've also got a pretty solid group of your demographics that are going to be focused on playing 'GTA VI,'" said Bart Spiegel, who leads PwC's Global Entertainment & Media sector. "You're going to start to pull eyeballs away from video streaming platforms.

"I think you're going to hear a lot of analyst calls in the first quarter of 2027 saying, 'Hey, listen, some of our numbers were down because of the release of this game,'" Spiegel added.

Rockstar Games declined CNBC's interview request.

Watch the video above to learn more.

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