The release of GTA 6 is so important that many are already calling the title Game of the Year (GOTY) 2026. However, a deadline could prevent Rockstar Games from securing this title.
Why should GTA 6 not become Game of the Year? The title “Game of the Year” is awarded by the Game Awards. The jury, consisting of over 100 media representatives and influencers, selects from all titles released during the year.
However, to ensure that all nominees can be played, the games must be released by a certain date. Otherwise, there will not be enough time to play the games by early December. And this poses a problem for GTA 6.
Here you can watch a current video on GTA 6:
Tight deadline for the release
When does this deadline end? The deadline for the release of the games is set anew each year. The date for 2026 is not yet available, it will only be announced in the fall of 2026.
However, looking at the dates from previous years, the so-called “cut-off date” has usually been between November 15 and November 25. As a reminder: GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026, which is precisely within this period.
With a bit of bad luck, it could therefore happen that GTA 6 may not be nominated for Game of the Year.
Can Rockstar Games do something about it? Yes, Rockstar Games could grant the press and influencers access to their game beforehand, thus giving the title into the hands of the jury ahead of time.
However, Rockstar Games is known not to want this, as the chance of leaks regarding gameplay, story missions, and major spoilers regarding plot twists becomes much more likely. Journalist PH Lutti Lippe claims on X.com that Rockstar Games will only allow journalists to play the game in a controlled environment and does not intend to distribute keys.
Can’t they compete next year? Yes, that is possible. Games can compete in all categories in the following years as well. However, this rule mainly applies to live-service games that can provide a completely new gaming experience with major updates.
The games will only be considered if they have undergone significant changes. If GTA 6 cannot compete in 2026, the jury can count the game as a release for their voting year 2027. However, historically, games that have already been released for one year have poor chances at the Game Awards.
Do you think GTA 6 will be Game of the Year? Or do you think the jury will set the date so that another game wins the title? Feel free to write it in our comments. By the way, do you have a driver’s license? In Australia, it can give you access to GTA 6: In GTA Online, everyone drives like crazy, one country is now requiring a real driver’s license to play
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