GTA 6 might throw the 2026 Game of the Year vote into chaos

Grand Theft Auto 6 was the presumptive Game of the Year for 2025… till it bought delayed to Might 2026. Since then, it’s been the presumptive 2026 Recreation of the Yr as a substitute. Following its latest delay, it’s nonetheless the sport to beat at subsequent yr’s Recreation Awards — in idea. However in observe, its new launch date makes issues reasonably difficult.

GTA 6 is now set to be launched on Nov. 19, 2026: a Thursday. The Recreation Awards, which takes place in early December yearly, has a cutoff date for eligibility in late November. Sometimes, this date is ready because the Friday of the third week in November, guaranteeing that the jury may have had a chance to play eligible video games by the point the nomination and voting course of takes place. Final yr, for example, the cutoff date for eligibility was Friday, Nov. 22.

You’ll be able to see the place I’m going with this. The possible cutoff date for eligibility in 2026, if The Recreation Awards follows its ordinary sample, can be Friday, Nov. 20. Sooner or later after GTA 6 is launched.

So, Grand Theft Auto 6 can be eligible for the 2026 awards, nevertheless it’s chopping issues very superb. And this might create a significant headache for the present’s organizers and its voting jury.

Nominations for the Recreation Awards are introduced in mid-November — this yr, the nominees can be revealed on Monday, Nov. 17. It follows that the nomination course of takes place within the early a part of the month, and voting on the winners occurs after the nominations are introduced, across the similar time because the eligibility cutoff date.

All that is designed to make sure all the pieces is prepared for the awards present in early December. It’s additionally scheduled on the presumption that jury members may have entry to early evaluate copies of video games launched throughout these first three weeks of November by the point they submit their nominations ballots early within the month.

That is normally the case. Sometimes, by mid-November, the annual recreation launch calendar is winding down; most main titles that you’d anticipate to compete for Recreation of the Yr are out by the primary week of November. Barring December outliers like Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle in 2024 and Metroid Prime 4: Past this yr, the final massive launch of the yr is normally Name of Obligation, in early-to-mid November — a recognized amount that’s hardly ever in severe competitors exterior the multiplayer and motion classes.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is one thing else completely. It will likely be categorically the largest launch of the yr, actually in stature, and presumably in precise recreation dimension too. And with a late November launch date and Rockstar’s growth course of typically happening to the wire, it isn’t a given in any respect that early copies can be obtainable by the point the jury members are casting their nomination ballots early within the month. If jury members haven’t performed the sport exterior the managed setting of preview occasions — which Rockstar hardly ever holds, anyway — they are going to be rightly reluctant to incorporate it of their ballots.

This presents The Recreation Awards organizers with a conundrum. For the largest recreation of the yr (or certainly decade) to not compete for Recreation of the Yr or be represented on the awards in any respect, regardless of being eligible, would look absurd. But it surely’s an actual chance. The organizers can be hoping towards hope that Rockstar will get evaluate copies out in good time. For its half, Rockstar might be too massive to care about Recreation of the Yr — sufficient to regulate its timelines round it, anyway.

The choice for The Recreation Awards can be to shift its personal routine timeline again by per week or two to verify the jury has time to contemplate GTA 6 correctly. If the Recreation Awards 2026 is introduced for a later-than-usual date in December (this yr’s awards happen on Dec. 11), we’ll know why.

Or maybe the Recreation Awards will get fortunate, and GTA 6 can be delayed into 2027… you by no means know.