Could GTA 6 Compete for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2026?

The Game Awards website now lists a clear eligibility deadline that lets GTA 6 compete at The Game Awards 2026. A game must be commercially available to consumers by November 21.

The relatively late release date of GTA 6 had raised questions about its chances of being nominated for awards at the end of 2026. Those questions grew after the game was left out of this year’s Golden Joystick Awards.

Doubts

Alanah Pearce, an Australian screenwriter and former journalist based in California, questioned whether Grand Theft Auto VI would be eligible for The Game Awards 2026. Her main argument is that, based on last year’s schedule, there won’t be enough time to finish the game before the deadline. That holds even if the final day for submissions is set for November 20, a couple of days later than in 2025.

According to Rob Nelson, completing GTA VI takes approximately 80 hours, so one extra day is not enough. That raises a further question about whether it is ethical to nominate a video game without having finished it.

Possible Solution

Review copies provided to the press could resolve the dilemma. Developers distribute these copies to selected gaming media outlets. According to the latest information from Insider Gaming and insider Nate the Hate, this practice will be followed, with review copies expected to go out by the end of October. That would give critics time to write their reviews and submit their scores to The Game Awards jury.

Official Information

The FAQ section of The Game Awards website later gave a clear deadline. A video game nominated for any award must be commercially available to consumers, in other words released for sale, by November 21. The deadline for the Players’ Choice award is November 30.

Under that rule, GTA VI can qualify for the Game of the Year vote. It can also qualify for categories such as best narrative, best score and music, and best performance. Which of those categories appear this year will determine where it can be nominated.