GTA 6 Just Knocked Itself Out of the Game of the Year Conversation

Grand Theft Auto 6 is potentially the most highly-anticipated video game project of all time, and so it's no surprise that many consider it a front-runner for year-end awards. Rockstar's track record also speaks for itself. The studio regularly puts out award-winning, critically-acclaimed games, with some of its titles standing tall among the highest-rated games of all time. There's certainly a chance that the game could flop, but the odds are in Rockstar's favor. Grand Theft Auto 6 is, more likely than not, going to be a landmark release and one of the industry's highest-rated titles.
When the Grand Theft Auto 6 release date was still penciled in for May 26, 2026, many may have already said that next year's Game Awards race was already won. However, Rockstar Games recently made the heartbreaking announcement that it was pushing GTA 6 back yet again. The new GTA 6 release date is now set for November 19, 2026. While that's still in 2026, it potentially means GTA 6 won't be eligible to be nominated at The Game Awards next year.
For a game to be eligible for The Game Awards, they typically have to release by early November at the latest. That's when nominees are traditionally announced, with The Game Awards 2024 nominees revealed on November 18 of last year. For games that release in late November or December, they are either lost in the shuffle or pop up on the following year's list of nominees. That happened with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and it will likely happen with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond this year as well. Effectively, this means that GTA 6 may not be eligible for The Game Awards in the year of its release, but instead it will have a chance at The Game Awards 2027.
Putting more time between the GTA 6 launch and its potential nomination at The Game Awards may work against it and cost it against newer games that were actually released in 2027. Then again, GTA 6 is so massive that that may not be a legitimate concern. There's also the possibility that the rules are bent a bit to give GTA 6 the chance to be nominated. After all, The Game Awards is watched by millions of people, including a ton of casual viewers that may not pay close attention to the industry or when the eligibility cut-off dates are. If GTA 6 were to miss The Game Awards 2026, it's easy to see how that could cause controversy on social media.
The better bet may be to extend the Game Awards 2026 cut-off date. Not only would that avoid potentially irritating people by leaving GTA 6 off the list of nominees, it would also give other games that release a little later the chance to win in their year of launch. Of course, that's assuming any games release anywhere close to the vicinity of GTA 6. We already know that game publishers are trying to avoid the GTA 6 release date, so it's quite possible that it's basically alone in late November next year.
Other big games releasing in 2026 may prefer if GTA 6 misses the cut-off date for Game Awards nominees. Publishers may feel that it would give them a better shot at winning and enjoying the positive press that comes from being nominated for what has become the industry's most prestigious awards. Others still may welcome the competition from GTA 6 and think their game can stand against it and any other title released next year. In any case, it will definitely be interesting to see how it all shakes out come next year.