GTA 6: 7% of fans would trade their pet for early access
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An Unwind Media survey found 7% of pet owners would give up their animal for a month to play GTA 6 a week early, rising to 13% among pre-order buyers.
Seven out of every 100 pet owners who plan to buy Grand Theft Auto VI say they would give up their own pet for a month in exchange for playing the game a week early, according to a survey by Unwind Media, the parent company of Solitaire Bliss, released in October 2026. The study polled 1,519 Americans, of whom 1,347 plan to or want to buy the game. Among those who had already pre-ordered, the figure rises to 13% — nearly double. The answers are hypothetical and do not mean anyone will actually abandon an animal, but the number has become a gauge of the hype surrounding the launch set for November 19, 2026, on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S.
The pet question did not stand alone. Unwind Media set out to measure how far the audience would go to skip the queue and built a list of ten possible sacrifices, all for one month, in exchange for a one-week head start. The result places pets at the bottom of the ranking, yet still with a sizeable contingent: in a pool of more than 1,300 fans, 7% amounts to roughly 90 people willing to say they would trade living with an animal for an earlier start.
What the Unwind Media survey found
The study, titled The GTA VI Effect: Missed Work, Skipped Holidays, and Jealous Partners, was published on the Solitaire Bliss blog and gathered answers from adults who intend to play Rockstar Games' new chapter. Beyond pets, the questionnaire tested fans' willingness to give up daily habits, pleasures and even personal commitments.
Dating apps lead by a wide margin: 63% of users said they would delete them temporarily for a week of early access. Alcohol comes next, at 53% of those who drink, followed by smoking (43%), social media (42%) and fast food (41%). Coffee (33%) and streaming services (31%) complete the top half of the table. Sex was cited by 21% of sexually active respondents, phones outside work by 16% and pets by 7%.
“1 in 5 sexually active fans would give up sex for a month to play one week early.”
The gender breakdown shows curious differences. Among sexually active women, 25% would accept the trade-off, against 19% of men. When it comes to social media, men are keener to log off: 46% versus 38% of women. Gen Z would part with streaming more easily (40%) than millennials (28%), and younger fans would also drop coffee at a higher rate (43% against 28%).
Those who already paid accept more
The survey's most consistent pattern is the rise in concessions among people who have already secured a copy. In that group, dating apps jump to 73%, social media to 63%, alcohol to 60%, smoking to 52%, fast food to 55%, coffee to 49% and streaming to 51%. Sex reaches 32% and phones 27%. Pets, finally, climb from 7% to 13%.
| Give up for a month | All fans | Already pre-ordered |
|---|---|---|
| Dating apps | 63% | 73% |
| Alcohol | 53% | 60% |
| Smoking | 43% | 52% |
| Social media | 42% | 63% |
| Fast food | 41% | 55% |
| Coffee | 33% | 49% |
| Streaming | 31% | 51% |
| Sex | 21% | 32% |
| Phone (outside work) | 16% | 27% |
| Pet | 7% | 13% |
The survey does not disclose a margin of error or a full profile of the sample. Its methodology describes 1,519 respondents, 1,347 of them with purchase intent, and limits release-day questions to 663 people who had pre-ordered or planned to buy on day one. Percentages exclude those who answered “not applicable” for each item.
Why early access became an obsession
GTA V arrived in 2013. Since then, part of the fan base has finished school, changed careers, married and had children. The survey itself measures that gap: 95% of respondents played the previous title, 39% at launch, and one in four had a child in the period. The return to Vice City, now with two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, concentrates more than a decade of expectation.
Not by coincidence, Rockstar built a world with 170 animal species, including 60 birds and 30 mammals, and dog interaction mechanics — players can pet, praise or scold the animals, as the released images show. The irony is obvious: the same audience that says it would give up a pet in real life shows unusual attachment to digital animals. Sportskeeda detailed the system when the feature was unveiled.
The study also shows that anxiety is not limited to the game. Nearly one in three fans still expects another delay, and 44% of those who plan to buy believe the title is overhyped. Distrust coexists with devotion: 27% plan to buy a new console just to play, and 51% of working fans who will have the game on launch day intend to take time off — among pre-order customers, the number reaches 62%.
Time off, spoilers and Thanksgiving
Plans for launch week confirm the scale of the event. Half of respondents will avoid social media to dodge spoilers, 48% intend to stay up all night playing, 41% will stock up on snacks or takeout and 21% would cancel or reschedule plans with friends and family. Sixteen percent admit they would call in sick, and 10% would lie about why they are taking time off.
The intensity extends to relationships. Among fans with partners, 53% say they will play together — 71% of women and 39% of men. Another 21% report that their partner has joked about “losing” them to the game, a figure that rises to 31% among pre-order customers. Seventeen percent have argued about playtime and 14% about money spent. There is even jealousy over Lucia: 12% heard jokes about it and 8% say their partner seems genuinely bothered.
“51% of working GTA VI fans buying on launch day plan to take time off to play.”
With Thanksgiving falling one week after release, one in ten fans with holiday plans will skip or cut short the celebration. Among those who already bought the game, the share rises to 23%. Gen Z is the most likely to change its schedule: 23% of those with plans say the game will affect the holiday, compared with 14% of Gen X.
The counterpoint: hypothetical is not abandonment
The 7% should be read with caution. The question was deliberately extreme and asked for an answer about an imagined scenario. None of the outlets that covered the study — nor Unwind Media itself — claims there is a wave of pet abandonment because of GTA VI. The survey measures enthusiasm, not behavior.
Still, the figure is uncomfortable because a pet is not a disposable consumer item. Comparing an animal to coffee, streaming or social media exposes the rhetorical exaggeration of the question, but it also reminds us that launch hype can blur the perception of real responsibilities. The obvious rule applies to any game: no early access justifies neglecting an animal that depends on care.
For those who want to follow the game's universe without the excess, our GTA hub gathers analysis, guides and launch news. It is also worth revisiting what is already known about the age rating: GTA 6 was rated 18 in Europe for content featuring drugs, sex and decapitation. And the fandom keeps producing parallel stories, such as the outpouring over the death of fan Jerry Fort weeks before launch.
What to expect until November 19
Unwind Media's survey suggests the final stretch will be defined by practical decisions: requesting time off, avoiding spoilers, organizing food for the week and negotiating time with whoever shares the home. The pet question, in the end, works as a summary of the moment: an audience that waited 13 years and, when in doubt, answers with exaggeration to any question that promises one less week of waiting.
The game arrives on November 19, 2026, for PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S. Until then, the only certainty is that the conversation about GTA VI will keep producing unlikely numbers — and that none of them, for now, should be mistaken for reality. To check the full methodology and other breakdowns, the original report is available on the Solitaire Bliss website.
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