Kalshi is offering six figures for someone to complete the Grand Theft Auto VI story mode after the game releases at midnight on Nov. 19.
The opening for a GTA VI researcher was posted Wednesday evening on job posting websites and includes a minimum $100,000 fixed project fee, plus a $15,000 in project completion fee.
- The posting has gone viral online roughly one week before GTA VI is released.
- The candidate must beat the GTA story mode and then report on the in-game and real-world economic impacts.
- GTA V made close to $1 billion in its first 24 hours after being released.
Kalshi has dominated national headlines throughout 2026 for its prediction markets, which allow users to buy and sell contracts associated with future outcomes. But the company is generating buzz with its new job posting.
“This is a real job,” the posting reads. “We’re looking for someone whose parents said video games would never pay the bills. They were wrong, and you can tell them we said so.”
The directive is clear. Once GTA VI makes its long-anticipated debut to the public next Thursday, the candidate will play until they beat the story. They will live-stream their endeavors as they trek across Leonida, the game’s fictional state, finding broken mechanics, the mundane and unnoteworthy, and the best parts of the new title. The player will continue to deliver weekly research reports on Leonida’s financial structure and activity.
Grand Theft Auto VI is now only one week away! Thank you to everyone in the community for your incredible support. There’s still time to pre-order and pre-load so you’re ready on launch day. Code-in-box versions are also available now for pick-up at retailers worldwide. https://t.co/au3uAf6p5w
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 12, 2026
Once the player has enough information, they will deliver a “State of the Leonida Economy” address, based on their in-game findings. That will be parlayed with a real-world financial analysis, including how many people didn’t show up for work on the day of the release, spikes in food delivery activity, and how money moved across America.
“(The player will) investigate Leonida’s economy, and study what happens to the real economy when everyone suddenly has a ‘family emergency’ on launch day,” the posting reads.
Paid to play
The candidate who is selected for the vacant position will receive $100,000 to $120,000 as a fixed project fee
“I didn't approve this,” Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour quipped under a LinkedIn post shared by a company growth officer promoting the new position.
Applicants are asked to have experience as an established game and streamer with their own online channels. The project will be streamed on Twitch or YouTube with a facecam.
They must also be at least 18 years old with a minimum of 10 years of passionate gaming experience, and three years of streaming under their belt.
“We want the person who finds the optimal money-making strategy, builds a spreadsheet to prove it, and gets accused of ruining the game for everyone else,” the posting reads.
Any time unexpected events in politics, pop culture, sports, or entertainment have occurred, online users have been quick to quip that they “happened before GTA VI.” Those jokes will officially come to an end next Thursday.
GTA VI has been in development for more than 12 years since it was first teased in 2014. Full-scale production has been ongoing for about eight years.
GTA V generated over $10 billion in lifetime revenue since it was released in September 2013, with $815 million coming in the first 24 hours after it was released.
Kalshi has posted a variety of prediction markets in anticipation of GTA VI, including its public release date, if the game would actually be released on that date, and if it would win any awards.
