GTA 6 GOTY Status Already Threatened By Rockstar Itself

The Game Awards might as well be cancelled this year as we all know Grand Theft Auto VI is going to sweep the ceremony, if it’s even there that is…

Further delays aside, GTA VI could face a big problem come December 2026, one that could cost it the most coveted award in all of gaming - this year, at least.

Read More: GTA 6 Rival Finally Releases On PC This Week.

It’s not that the game could be bad, even though fans have tossed around the idea of it being terrible for fun.

What could really stand in the way of GTA VI walking away with a wheelbarrow full of awards is Rockstar Games itself, and the release date it chose for the game.

GTA VI Might Need To Plan A Heist

At the time of writing, GTA VI will launch on Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 on 17 November 2026. The date is burned into our brains.

However, The Game Awards always has a cut-off date for games to be considered for that year’s ceremony.

Games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle that launch in either late-November or December typically have to wait until the following year’s awards, which is always risky - and that's another year’s worth of games to contend with.

The cut-off date for The Game Awards 2025 was 21 November but this year’s could be earlier or later.

Depending on when the 2026 cut-off is, GTA VI could be exempt from this year’s nominations which would be bad news for Rockstar, but cause for celebration for all the other games hoping to sweep the award show.

In all likelihood though, GTA VI will be fine. If the cut-off this year is 21 November again, GTA VI will have earned its spot with days to spare.

Rockstar Games

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if the date is pushed back slightly to the last few days of November, just to ensure as many games get a chance of competing as possible.

If GTA VI does win, it’ll be a monumental achievement for Rockstar Games as it’ll be the first Game of the Year award the studio has won at the event.

Red Dead Redemption 2 was nominated for the award back in 2018 but lost to God of War (2018). That was in good company though with Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Celeste, Marvel's Spider-Man and Monster Hunter: World also competing for the title.

GTA VI launches on 19 November later this year and is on track to not only be an award-winning game, but one of the best video games of all-time.