GTA 6 Sets Cutoff Date for The Game Awards Eligibility, Confirming It Has a Shot at 2026 Game of the Year

GTA 6 Officially Earns a Shot at 2026 Game of the Year at This Year's The Game Awards, After Confirming a Firm Eligibility Date

GTA 6 is officially in with a chance of winning Game of the Year 2026 at this year's The Game Awards, after the show confirmed a definitive date for eligibility.

According to the FAQ on The Game Awards website, for a game to have a chance of winning an award, it must be released on or before Friday, November 20, 2026. GTA 6's release date is currently November 19, 2026, which means it's only one day away.

Games should be commercially available to customers on Friday, November 20, 2026 at 9 p.m. PT. In the Player Voice category, games must be submitted on or before November 30, 2026.

In pictures: How Jason and Lucia have evolved in GTA 6 since 2023

Of course, this year's award nominations haven't been announced yet, but it's hard to imagine a situation where GTA 6 isn't represented in most, if not all, of the categories it's eligible for. Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 holds the world record for the most wins at The Game Awards, taking home nine major awards at last year's show. Will GTA 6 beat it?

And with GTA Online 2, or whatever the multiplayer mode will eventually be called, apparently set to release next year, perhaps alongside the PC version, we could see GTA 6 compete again at The Game Awards 2027.

While we wait for this year's nominations, we've got more GTA 6 stuff for you to check out, including our in-depth interview with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson, our report on what looks to be the endgame, Cyberleek and confirmation of GTA 6's sweat system.

Are you taking a break to release GTA 6?

Yes, I am requesting/have already requested PTO

Yes, but I call in sick day.

Wesley is the managing editor of IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at @wesley_yinpoole or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.