GTA 6 Could Face an Uphill Battle for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI may not walk away with Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2026, despite being one of the most anticipated releases in the medium's history. According to RockstarINTEL, the assessment comes from one of the members of The Game Awards jury, who suggested on September 30 that the game is probably not going to be able to win the award at the end of this year.

The story was picked up by other outlets on the same day. Forbes framed it as an unforeseen problem standing between GTA 6 and the GOTY 2026 trophy, while Dexerto reported that the game could miss out on the chance to win despite all of the buzz surrounding it.

The outlets agree on the core claim but, in their public reporting, do not lay out a single, clearly stated reason. The view attributed to the juror is an individual perspective, not an official decision by The Game Awards, and Rockstar Games has not commented on the matter.

For context, The Game Awards determines nominees through a jury of media outlets and uses an eligibility window that closes ahead of the December ceremony. Questions about timing and eligibility tend to come up for any major title releasing late in the year, which is part of why this discussion has drawn attention.

For players, the debate has no bearing on the game itself, but it matters to anyone hoping to see Rockstar's next open-world title compete for the industry's most visible prize. The clearest signal will come when The Game Awards publishes its official list of nominees later this year.