Rockstar employees voting on union plan alongside GTA 6 launch

GamingGTAbyJoe PringPublished: Oct 28, 2026, 12:30Rockstar GamesAdd as a preferred source on GoogleFollow on Google News

Rockstar Games employees in the UK will vote on whether to formally recognize a workers’ union next month, with the ballot taking place during the launch of GTA 6.

The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) announced that staff will cast anonymous online votes between November 12 and November 26, coinciding with GTA 6’s scheduled November 19 release.

Rockstar union vote follows months of negotiations

According to the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union, the vote follows months of negotiations between employees and management over a proposed recognition agreement.

If approved, the deal would give workers a say in decisions concerning pay and bonuses, overtime, layoffs, flexible working arrangements and generative AI policies.

The IWGB says a successful vote would also establish the largest recognized union in the UK games industry.

“This November, we have the chance to make gaming history not once but twice,” said Shanti Easton-Steel, a member of the Rockstar Game Workers Union committee.

“As all our hard work, skill and creativity are experienced by GTA VI players for the first time, our voices as workers will now be heard for the first time too.”

Easton-Steel said the vote was also about securing greater transparency over management decisions, pointing to concerns about the gender pay gap, overtime policies and job security following GTA 6’s release.

The announcement comes amid an ongoing legal dispute involving 31 Rockstar employees who were fired in October 2025.

The IWGB has accused Rockstar of dismissing employees over union-organizing activities, while the developer maintains that the workers were fired for gross misconduct involving confidential company information.

Closing arguments in the employment tribunal are expected on November 17 and 18, just before GTA 6’s release.