On October 6, 2026, Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman, the government body that enforces workplace rights, posted a carousel on Instagram about taking time off for GTA 6 launch day. Its caption is a gentle reminder to get your leave request in early. The rules below apply to Australia only.
What the post says
According to GTAVice.net’s description of the slides, the scenario is a worker with no paid leave left the day before the game comes out, asking whether unpaid leave is possible. The slides go through the options in the National Employment Standards, admit that carer’s leave, emergency service duties and parental leave probably don’t fit, and end on the one that can: ask your employer for unpaid leave.
The rules behind the joke
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s own pages describe the three entitlements the post jokes about.
- Unpaid carer’s leave: two days each time a family or household member needs care or support because of illness, injury or an unexpected emergency. Full-time and part-time employees can use it only when no paid sick and carer’s leave is available for that occasion.
- Community service leave: unpaid time off for voluntary emergency management, for example with a recognised body such as the State Emergency Service.
- Unpaid parental leave: up to 12 months for each parent for a new child, after 12 months of service with the employer.
None of them covers a game launch. The post’s last slide, as GTAVice.net describes it, says there is no minimum entitlement to unpaid leave beyond these: you can ask, and your employer decides.
What it means for players in Australia
GTA 6 comes out on Thursday, November 19. PlayStation Store listings put Australia in the 13:00 UTC window on November 18, which is midnight in Sydney and Melbourne (release times by region). Awards and agreements can give more than the National Employment Standards, so check your own terms before you count on any of this.
