Logitech is giving staff a day off to play GTA 6

Spending time with Jason and Lucia is apparently good for you. While plenty of people will be calling in sick to play GTA 6, Logitech is going one step further by giving employees the day off for the game’s launch. The release of GTA 6 is expected to trigger a sudden wave of “illness” around the world, but some employers are actually encouraging staff to take time off and enjoy it.

The Swiss company, which makes computer peripherals and software, is offering more than 5,500 employees across the globe a day off to play video games from this month onward. The initiative, called “Logi Game Day,” will be available to all Logitech staff between now and this time next year. That means employees can use it for GTA 6 on November 19, or, if they have excellent taste and a more refined sense of culture, they can save it for Metroid Ravenous on January 28.

Explaining the decision, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber said: “It’s time to retire the stereotype that gaming is a waste of time. As a company designing products for work and play, we see every day how engagement in one sphere supports performance in the other.” A Logitech study released last month, which surveyed 8,000 adults across nine countries, found that 81% of respondents believed gaming makes them more confident when handling real-life challenges. Meanwhile, 82% said it helps them stay calm and focused in high-pressure situations.

Logitech’s chief people officer, Elaine Laird, said the Logi Game Day initiative is meant to highlight the therapeutic benefits of gaming. “Play is not the opposite of work,” Laird said. “When people have dedicated time to log off, decompress and immerse themselves in play, they return with a clearer focus, renewed energy and fresh approaches to complex challenges.” This is not the first time a company has given employees time off to play video games.

Last February, Pocketpair gave staff time off for the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds, one of Japan’s most popular games. The studio also previously announced a holiday for Elden Ring. There have also been examples outside Japan, including Chinese developer PeroPeroGames, which gave employees the day off for Cyberpunk 2077.

If you’re planning to take a day off for GTA 6, it might be worth pre-loading the game first — unless you enjoy waiting through a 212GB download. The long-awaited latest entry in the series is finally almost here. After more than a decade of anticipation, Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 6 launches on November 19, taking players back to the neon-lit streets of Vice City.

Set in the vast state of Leonida, which is heavily inspired by Florida, the open-world adventure follows dual protagonists Jason and Lucia in what promises to be the biggest and most immersive GTA game yet. Here’s where you can pre-order and buy the game: PLAYSTATION 5 SMYTHS Currys Argos JD Williams XBOX SERIES X/S SMYTHS Currys Argos JD Williams Just over a week to go.