Grand Theft Auto VI is being treated as a lock for Game of the Year, but the awards calendar may not cooperate. Its November 19, 2026 release date could keep it from receiving a Game Awards nomination at all, and several outlets are now pointing out that the game's own launch window is the problem.
The Game Awards timing problem
The concern comes from games writer and former journalist Alanah Pearce, who has sat on The Game Awards jury several times. She says GTA 6 might not qualify for GOTY because it releases too late in the year. The Game Awards' eligibility cutoff has historically fallen around the same time as GTA 6's launch. For reference, last year's GOTY nominees were announced on November 17, two days before GTA 6 arrives.
Even if the game squeezed in before the show, jurors would face a second hurdle. Pearce says that even if GTA 6 made the cut before the December 10 ceremony, the jury wouldn't be able to vote having seen all of the game. A title of this scale takes a long time to finish, and voters would have only a few weeks.
Rockstar's review approach could make it harder
Rockstar's handling of press access may add to the problem. A journalist has claimed on X that Rockstar will only let journalists play in a controlled environment and does not plan to distribute review keys. That claim is unconfirmed. If it holds, jurors who haven't played the game by voting time could see it miss nominations even while eligible on paper.
There is some room for flexibility. The Game Awards could adjust its voting schedule to include GTA 6, but nothing has been confirmed.
A clean sweep is already off the table
Whatever happens with The Game Awards, GTA 6 has already lost one of the major trophies. A full GOTY sweep requires winning at The Game Awards, the DICE Awards, the GDC Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Joysticks, the feat managed by Baldur's Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The Golden Joystick Awards take place eight days before GTA 6 launches, so it is out of this year's race.
There is a silver lining. GTA 6 already holds two Golden Joystick trophies from 2025, for Most Wanted Game and Best Game Trailer. It can still compete for the Golden Joysticks' Console Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year awards in 2027.
What it can still win
GTA 6 isn't shut out of 2026 entirely. It can still win The Game Awards on December 10, plus DICE, BAFTA, and the Game Developers Choice Awards, assuming the eligibility and voting questions above work out. Those award bodies use eligibility windows that comfortably include November 19.
Waiting a year may not be so bad
If the game does slip to the 2027 cycle, it may face a different rival. Rockstar's game could end up competing with God of War Laufey, much like the 2018 clash between Red Dead Redemption 2 and Santa Monica Studio's God of War. There is also a historical warning. Games that have already been out for a year have historically had poor chances at The Game Awards, so a delayed nomination isn't a guaranteed win.
Rockstar's own history is another reminder that critical adoration and trophies don't always line up. Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely regarded as a masterpiece, yet it failed to win a single Game of the Year award from any of the big five. And GTA V never won the top peer prize in 2013, yet it went on to sell more than 230 million copies. For a franchise with GTA's commercial weight, the awards conversation may matter far less than the sales charts.
The Game Awards ceremony is on December 10, and whether GTA 6 makes it onto the nominee list should be clear well before then.
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