Australians and New Zealanders will be the first gamers in the world to play R-rated video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA6) – and employers are being warned it could mean some staff don’t turn up to work on Friday November 20.

Game developer Rockstar Games is planning a staggered, late-night, global release on November 19, rather than a simultaneous launch. This means gamers across the Tasman will start playing GTA6 hours before most other places, including Miami in the United States, which inspired the game’s “Vice City” setting.

GTA6 has already made an estimated US$600 million in pre-sales revenue, even a month before its release. The game is widely forecast to set new record multi-billion-dollar sales worldwide.

In July, one US Army battalion offered a special four-day leave pass for soldiers to play the game as soon as it’s released, in return for re-enlisting for at least another two years with the army. At least 20 soldiers are confirmed to have taken the deal.

Meanwhile, social media has been awash with videos and posts about people planning not to turn up to work on November 20. Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman even put out a GTA6-themed post this month, in anticipation of........

© The Conversation