Can GTA 6 be 2026's Game of the Year? The Game Awards' dates make it very hard

GTA 6 launches on 19 November and the show is on 10 December. It can compete on dates, but in 2025 nominations came before the cutoff: the jury would have to vote without playing it.

This week several outlets raised a question that seemed absurd: what if the most anticipated game of the decade can't be game of the year in its own year? The answer lies in the calendar of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley's show that hands out the industry's most high-profile award.

The dates

The official The Game Awards site already lists the show for 10 December 2026. What it hasn't published yet is this year's cutoff: games released up to that day compete in 2026, and later ones in 2027. These were the last few years:

If the 2026 cutoff falls, as in 2024 and 2025, a couple of days after 19 November, GTA 6 would just make it. If it fell earlier, as in 2023, it would compete in 2027.

The problem isn't the date, it's the jury

Nominations are decided by a jury of media outlets worldwide: 154 in 2025. That jury votes weeks before the show, and in 2025 nominees were made public on 17 November, four days before the cutoff. On a similar calendar, jurors would have to nominate GTA 6 without having played it, unless Rockstar sends review copies early. Rockstar hasn't said when it will.

Alanah Pearce, who has sat on that jury in previous years, summed it up with a question reported by Areajugones: is there going to be time for people to play and vote on an 80-hour game? The 80 hours aren't made up: that's what Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, took on his latest full playthrough.

The Red Dead Redemption 2 precedent

Rockstar has been here before. In 2018, Red Dead Redemption 2 arrived at the show with 8 nominations and won four awards, tying the show's record at the time. But Game of the Year went to God of War. And Red Dead 2 had launched in late October, with weeks to spare.

What if it misses this year?

The Game Awards' rule is simple: whatever launches after the cutoff competes the following year. Under that general rule, if GTA 6 falls inside the 2026 window but the jury doesn't get to play it, it wouldn't get a second chance in 2027. If it falls outside, it would compete in 2027 with a whole year to spare. Until the organisers publish their cutoff, anything else is a guess.

FAQ

Can GTA 6 win Game of the Year 2026?

It can probably compete on dates, but it's hard: nominations are usually voted before mid-November and GTA 6 launches on the 19th, so the jury would need copies before launch.

When are The Game Awards 2026?

On 10 December 2026, according to the show's official site.

What is The Game Awards 2026 cutoff date?

It hasn't been announced. It was 17 November in 2023, 22 November in 2024 and 21 November in 2025.