Rockstar Games’ upcoming open-world action-adventure game, GTA VI, will be eligible for nomination at The Game Awards 2026.
The official website for The Game Awards has been updated (via GameRoll_ on Twitter/X), with details on this year’s awards process, including the cutoff date for eligibility. It has been revealed that games must be made commercially available to customers on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 PM Pacific Time in order to be considered for the jury awards as well as the Players’ Voice category.
With GTA VI set for release on November 19, 2026, at midnight Eastern Time, it is comfortably within the eligibility criteria for The Game Awards 2026. Prominent members of the gaming press will likely be given weeks of early access to the game, affording them the time to complete their playthrough and consider it for the selection process.
2026 has seen the release of plenty of high-quality games, several of which will undoubtedly be nominated at upcoming The Game Awards in various categories. The event will stream live on Thursday, December 10, 2026 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with the opening act starting at 7:30p ET / 4:30p PT.
The ceremony uses a combined voting system, with a jury made up of more than 100 media and influencer outlets accounting for 90% of the vote, while public voting contributes the remaining 10%. Fans can vote for their favorite games on TheGameAwards.com. In China fans can vote on the winners via Billibili. Fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 9 at 6 pm PT.
Established in 2014 by producer and host Geoff Keighley, The Game Awards has become both an awards ceremony and a major showcase for the video game industry. Alongside its various awards, the event regularly features new game announcements, trailers and updates on upcoming releases.
At last year’s ceremony, Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 won Game of the Year for 2025. Previous winners include Astro Bot in 2024, Baldur’s Gate 3 in 2023 and Elden Ring in 2022.
