Grand Theft Auto VI will still compete for 'Game of the Year' at The Game Awards

Although people joke that ceremony host Geoff Keighley twisted things to squeeze Rockstar's game into the list of contenders, that's not actually the case.

Grand Theft Auto VI will make it into the contenders for 'Game of the Year' at The Game Awards 2026. The award organizers confirmed that the submission deadline for nominations will be November 20 — the day after the planned release of the Rockstar Games project.

On the official The Game Awards FAQ page, information regarding the nominee selection deadlines has been updated. According to the 2026 rules, games must be released no later than 9:00 PM Pacific Time on November 20.

The selection deadlines sparked discussions after Rockstar postponed the release of GTA VI to November. Some speculated that the award organizers, led by Geoff Keighley, might specifically adjust the schedule so that the high-profile release wouldn't miss the ceremony. However, it cannot be definitively stated that the deadlines were changed specifically for GTA 6: the end dates for game submissions in previous years also varied.

In 2024, projects released before November 22 were eligible for nominations, and in 2025 — before November 21. In 2023, the deadline was earlier, November 17, so GTA VI, under similar conditions, would not have made it onto the list of candidates.

However, the question remains as to how fair it is to evaluate a game released just one day before the selection concludes. It was previously reported that completing just the story campaign of GTA VI could take an average of about 80 hours. It is obvious that most players will not have the opportunity to explore the entire project in such a short time.

The situation might be different for The Game Awards jury members. Rockstar has not yet disclosed details about its plans for organizing GTA VI reviews. If journalists and other industry representatives get early access to the game, some voters will be able to spend significantly more time in it by the time the selection closes.