GTA 6 Just Makes The Game Awards Eligibility Cutoff, Keeping 2026 Game of the Year Hopes Alive

GTA 6 has officially qualified for the 2026 Game of the Year race at The Game Awards, as the show has confirmed its eligibility cutoff date.

According to an FAQ on The Game Awards website, a game must be released on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, to be considered for an award. GTA 6 is currently set to launch on November 19, 2026, meaning it squeaks in by just one day.

Here's the official statement:

Nominations for this year's awards haven't been announced yet, but it's hard to imagine GTA 6 not appearing in most, if not all, of the categories it qualifies for. Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 currently holds the record for most wins at The Game Awards, taking home nine awards at last year's ceremony. Will GTA 6 surpass that?

And with GTA Online 2 (or whatever the multiplayer mode ends up being called) reportedly launching next year, possibly alongside a PC version, we might see GTA 6 back in contention at The Game Awards 2027.

While we await this year's nominations, we have plenty more GTA 6 coverage for you to explore, including our in-depth interview with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson, our report on what seems to be the end of Cyberleek, and confirmation of GTA 6's sweat system.