GTA VI makes the cutoff for The Game Awards by one day

Grand Theft Auto VI can compete at The Game Awards 2026. Games must be on sale by 20 November to be eligible, according to the rules of the show. GTA VI comes out on 19 November, one day before that cutoff.

The rules

The cutoff is in the FAQ on the website of The Game Awards. A game must be commercially available on or before Friday 20 November 2026 at 9 p.m. Pacific time. In Belgium and the Netherlands, that is 06:00 on Saturday 21 November.

The category Players’ Voice has a later cutoff. Games for that category must be out by 30 November. GTA VI has been set for 19 November since the second delay.

Who chooses

The show takes place on Thursday 10 December 2026 in the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The opening act starts at 19:30 Eastern time. In Belgium and the Netherlands, that is 01:30 on Friday 11 December.

Nominees in most categories are chosen by a jury of more than 100 media and influencer outlets, the FAQ says. Each outlet lists its top five per category. The five games named most often become the nominees.

Producer Geoff Keighley is not on the jury and does not vote, according to the FAQ. Publishers may give the jury early access to a game to meet the voting deadlines.

Last year’s record

The nominees for 2026 have not been announced. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 by Sandfall Interactive won nine awards at last year’s show, IGN notes. No game has won more at The Game Awards, according to IGN.

Next year

The online part of GTA VI is expected in 2027, Bloomberg writes. A PC version in the first quarter of 2027 has also been reported, but not confirmed. Under the rules, a game from an earlier year can compete again if the jury finds that new content merits it.

What is not known

When the nominees are announced is not on the website. Whether Rockstar Games gives the jury early access to GTA VI is not known either.