I’m taking a week off to play a video game. I can explain

Opinion

Roy WardSports writer

November 16, 2026 — 5:00am

November 16, 2026 — 5:00am

I am about to take a week off work and escape to a place called Vice City.

When I’ve told colleagues about my plans at the coffee machine or lunch table, the responses have varied. Those in the know have chuckled; those less engaged have said “nice” and moved on, while one person innocently asked if it was in Queensland.

Those who laughed did so because Vice City is the fictional setting – heavily inspired by Miami, Florida – for the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI video game (otherwise known as GTA 6), which is landing on November 19 at midnight AEDT after a 13-year wait.

I admit it, I’m a middle-aged man-child who booked annual leave to play a video game, but I know I won’t be the only one taking this trip. Reports from the US estimate 1.5 million Americans plan to miss work to play the game as soon as it drops. Numerous outlets cited an academic projection from economist José García Montalvo who suggested last year that $US1 billion ($1.47 billion) could be lost from the US economy on release day.

Like most projections, the billion-dollar figure has been contested. But when you consider Sensor Tower estimates, which claim 12.13 million units of the game were pre-sold by November 15 for PlayStation and Xbox worldwide (worth more than $US1.18 billion), it appears many of us will drop tools and grab controllers on Thursday.

Veteran NBA basketballer Steve Adams even joked that performance in US pro sports would drop noticeably from players and coaches until they had all finished the game.

But before you judge us, please, let me explain why GTA means so much.

GTA has followed me through many of the major moments of my adult life. Whether it’s an album, movie or television show, we all have personal cultural touchstones – GTA is one of mine.

I’d describe playing a new GTA game as a unique experience – it’s like watching an engrossing movie and forgetting everything around you, though in this instance you have the action in the palm of your hand (or controller in this case).

The first play-through can grip your attention for hundreds of hours as you learn the game, repeatedly dying as you navigate difficult missions and see how the estimated 80-hour-long story unfolds.

I first played GTA: San Andreas in 2004 in my family home with my then-teenage brother. But when this new version comes out, I’ll be speaking with my teenage nephew over Discord and comparing notes as we tackle the early stages. Thankfully, we can play at our own speeds, as he always prefers to push ahead and can’t stand how I explore the side-quests and random characters in the open world while dabbling in the missions.

My nephew has warned me I could end up disappointed, as he fears the many changes in GTA 6 will make it not as fun or engrossing as previous games. I’m proud he has the fortitude to look beyond the hype, but I’m confident we won’t be let down, as GTA constantly finds ways to evolve and still be compelling.

GTA games have always been marked by their wide range of music within the game, but this time they have also created an album consisting of 34 new tracks from artists such as Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Cardi B and Australia’s Tame Impala.

The developers have delayed GTA 6 twice to fine-tune their masterpiece – it was originally scheduled for spring 2025, then May this year. Each time, I’ve moved my leave to match the dates.

For those who haven’t played before, GTA games are like a playable action movie in which you follow the story of your criminal anti-hero, or anti-heroes, as they explore a world filled with dangerous characters and lucrative opportunities.

Those who love movies, music, fashion or American culture will no doubt spot homages, parodies and real-life Floridian locations – Michael Mann’s heist movie Heat and the TV series Miami Vice will be heavily referenced in this game, while US politics and corporations are repeatedly mocked. One example is the game’s version of Facebook, which is called Life Invader.

GTA is an extremely violent game, but it is rated R18+ and is clearly made for adults. Those violent acts almost always come at a cost to your player, as NPCs (non-playable characters) will fight back or call police, while excessively bad acts can have negative implications on your progress.

Previous games have lacked a proper female protagonist and, too often, fitted female characters into typecast roles of needy partners, anxious girlfriends, sex workers and so on. But GTA 6 will change that with Lucia Caminos, one of the two lead characters alongside her partner Jason Duval. I’m expecting the story to feature Bonnie and Clyde references and perhaps some Thelma & Louise too.

GTA: San Andreas was the game that made me fall in love with this series after a family friend shared his copy with me. After running around 1990s Los Santos (Los Angeles) for a couple of hours, I was hooked. I think that friend’s copy may still be on my shelf at home – sorry, Woody.

I came to know the Los Santos streets so well that a few years back, my nephew was attempting to play a remastered version and called me when he was stuck in a section of town. I was able to give him the directions to his objective over the phone.

The next instalment came in 2008 when I was just a month or so into my first job as a journalist, at the Wimmera Mail-Times in Horsham in western Victoria. I remember picking up my pre-ordered copy of GTA 4 from the local games shop during my lunch break but having to work through the afternoon before being able to take control of Niko Bellic and explore the five boroughs of Liberty City (New York City).

I booked time in New York during a US holiday at the end of that year, so I could walk the same streets in person.

GTA 5 came out in 2013 during one of the most difficult times of my life, as I knew I was about to be made redundant from the old Fairfax Media’s suburban newspapers.

But with the potential redundancy in mind, I prepaid for GTA 5 early to make sure I would still have the game to keep me occupied when my job ended. So, in between casual shifts at The Age and freelance gigs, I had GTA for low-cost entertainment.

I’ve since replayed GTA 5 across three different PlayStation consoles, including in the last couple of weeks as lead-up to the new game. The big difference this year is that I will be downloading the game straight onto my PlayStation, which will allow me to play it as soon as it goes live at midnight.

I doubt I will last more than an hour or two before needing to sleep, as the times I could play PlayStation all night are long gone. However, I’ll make good use of those daylight leave hours to travel the length of the map and see what Rockstar Games’ estimated $US1 to $US2 billion in development costs have created.

There is always the chance it won’t live up to expectations and there will be adjustments. I still break into a nervous sweat after the struggles I had with flying missions in previous games. I worry that microtransactions (the need to buy additional items within the game) will make up a significant part of this game, despite developers saying that won’t be the case. I’m happy to pay a little more upfront for extra features, but I detest being hit up for more money later on, and I know many other gamers feel the same.

Regardless, I’m still counting down the hours until November 19. See you all when I get back.

Roy Ward is a journalist at this masthead who works in sport, live blogging and breaking news.

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Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He's been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X or email.

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