Army unit offers 4-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto as reenlistment incentive

An Army unit is offering active-duty soldiers a four-day pass to play Grand Theft Auto VI when the game is released later this year as an incentive to reenlist, an Army spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. 

Twenty soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia in the Army’s 9th Brigade Engineering Battalion, part of the 3rd Infantry Division, have already chosen this incentive as part of their reenlistment. 

“The idea was to have a unique incentives program that connects to what Soldiers are interested in,” Lieutenant Colonel Angel Tomko, a spokesperson for the 3rd Infantry Division, said in a statement. “The command team, in conjunction with the career counselor, wanted to get soldiers excited to reenlist.” 

The memo, which has circulated online, says any soldier who signs a reenlistment contract between Aug. 1 and Nov. 14 will be authorized for a special four-day pass designated to coincide with “the highly anticipated release of the video game Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6).”

Tomko said 130 soldiers are eligible for the incentive. Eligible soldiers must reenlist for a minimum of two years and up to six years. 

It’s not unusual for the military to offer various incentives to persuade people to reenlist — such as college benefits; a choice for their next post location, including a duty station in a foreign country; retraining or entrance into exclusive certification programs, or a lum-sum financial bonus that can exceed $100,000 for certain critical specialties. 

But this idea is unique. 

Military.com first authenticated the U.S. Army letter.