It’s official: GTA 6 won’t sweep all the Game of the Year awards later this year, since its late November release date makes it ineligible for one of the biggest award shows. If GTA 6 lives up to the hype after 13 years of waiting, it’s almost certain to pick up some industry awards later this year, but there’s at least one it definitely won’t.
Upon its release on November 19, GTA 6 is projected to be the biggest game launch ever, several times over. The hype is astronomical, fueled by the franchise’s enduring popularity throughout GTA 5‘s lifespan. Because of the sheer level of hype for the game and Rockstar’s incredible track record, there is almost a prevailing assumption that GTA 6 will be excellent, and therefore a shoo-in to sweep award shows later this year.
GTA 6 Will Be Ineligible for Golden Joysticks
As pointed out by Push Square, GTA 6 won’t be able to complete the big Game of the Year award quintet of Golden Joysticks, The Game Awards, DICE Awards, GDC Awards, and the BAFTAs, regardless of how good it is. This is because GTA 6‘s November 19 release date puts it eight days after the Golden Joysticks take place, and well beyond its eligibility period for nominations. So while GTA 6 may succeed at award shows elsewhere, it will not be eligible for this year’s Golden Joysticks, but it can still appear to compete for its Console Game of the Year and Ultimate Game of the Year awards in 2027.
Find the odd one out before the timer hits zero.
It remains to be seen whether Grand Theft Auto 6 will be eligible for The Game Awards 2026. TGA says, “Eligibility dates for The Game Awards 2026 will be announced in Fall 2026” on its website, but the cutoff in previous years has been before when GTA 6 is set to release. Having GTA 6 missing from two of the biggest gaming award shows this year would certainly be a shocker, given how some titles are completely moving release dates to avoid competing with it as it takes over the pop culture zeitgeist over the next few months.
It’s worth remembering that, whenever it is eligible for these award shows, there is no guarantee that GTA 6 will actually win. Red Dead Redemption 2 was widely regarded as a masterpiece, both then and now, and it failed to win a single Game of the Year award from any of the big five. All but the Golden Joysticks awarded it to God of War, with Fortnite Battle Royale taking it in the lone defector. So the assumption that GTA 6 is an automatic GOTY winner may not hold up.
In the meantime, Rockstar’s marketing campaign for GTA 6 is officially heating up. The developer recently revealed a controversial GTA 6 Collector’s Box, which costs $400 and doesn’t even include a copy of the game. As the November 19, 2026, release date approaches, GTA 6 promotional material will become nearly impossible to avoid.
- Released
-
November 19, 2026
- ESRB
-
Rating Pending – Likely Mature 17+
