Featured Image Credit: Capcom/Nintendo/IO Interactive
After years in the making, Grand Theft Auto VI will finally launch on November 19 and is expected to sweep the game awards shortly after.
Pre-orders for GTA VI go live on June 25 at midnight, with the price set at $79.99 for the standard edition and $99.99 for the ultimate edition. That’s for a code in a box rather than a disc, too.
Anyway, amid all the excitement, let us draw your attention to a selection of 2026 releases that could actually give GTA VI a run for its money when Geoff Keighley takes the stage at this year’s Game Awards.
You might think it’s insane that we’re suggesting a Zelda-inspired Soulsborne could steal away some of GTA VI’s game awards. Hear us out, it is that good.
Mina The Hollower is a fleetingly rare example of a perfect game. This retro throwback has fine-tuned combat, a wealth of side-content and intriguing world design, making it worth checking out for any gamer.
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It could easily stand alongside the other games in this list, in addition to GTA VI, in the running for 2026’s Game of the Year.
Bond is back, baby. From the developers of Hitman, 007 First Light is a game that’s got the 007 mythos down to a T, and a must-play whether you’ve seen the films or not.
Rather than be a generic third-person shooter or follow in the footsteps of the Hitman trilogy, 007 First Light boasts its own bombastic identity. It’s an exemplary example of what makes James Bond such a compelling hero, and why he’s known and remembered as the world’s most famous super spy.
It’s another title that will easily charm its way into the Game Awards later this year.
This is a rather obvious one. Crimson Desert got off to a rocky start when it launched earlier this year but it’s come a long way since then, and that’s not to say it was bad to begin with.
It’s one of the most expansive and technically diverse worlds we’ve ever come across, and players are still finding new stuff to see and do today. In many ways, it feels like the second-coming of Red Dead Redemption 2, with a world you can get lost in for hours on end and it feels different every time you replay it.
Crimson Desert is staying relevant with regular updates from Pearl Abyss, and the game’s first major DLC expansion is in the works, too. We expect it to go home with numerous game awards.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Capcom is on a generational run this year and while we’d love to include its other stunning 2026 games on this list, like Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata, we think Onimusha: Way of the Sword actually stands the best chance of bumping GTA VI off its podium.
We played it at Summer Game Fest 2026 and thought it was utterly superb, and there’s a free demo available now on digital storefronts, should you want to give it a go yourself.
The combat is sublime with encounters against even basic enemies feeling unique and exciting. So far, the boss battles have been top-notch, too, so we’re definitely rooting for it come game award season.
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The last time Nintendo won the coveted Game of the Year award was 2017, with the victor being The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
It’s not hard to see why Link and Zelda sauntered off with one of the best awards in the business, and depending on when the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake launches, the duo might do it again this year.
However, it also wouldn't be that surprising to see Pokémon Pokopia do the same. Pokopia was a distinct departure from the franchise’s formula and earned its flowers for it.
For many, it justified buying a Nintendo Switch 2 when Nintendo’s other first-party titles weren’t hitting the same, and plenty of players still aren’t done after hundreds of hours of playtime. They'd better get a move on, though as Pokémon Pokopia is getting DLC soon.
It might not be in the running for Game of the Year, but this time we predict it’ll easily sweep the more family-friendly categories.
Any Batman fan longing for the return of the Arkham series got it with LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight.
There was plenty of scepticism over the game's playable character roster, but when it launched, gamers were treated to one of the most impressive depictions of an open-world Gotham City they’d ever seen. It even gave Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Knight a run for its money.
Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight could well and truly hold its own against the rest of the games on this list and pinch a few awards from GTA VI in the process.
READ MORE: 9 Great Games That Could Be Overshadowed by GTA 6
