GTA 6 Makes The Game Awards 2026 Cutoff Date By Just One Day

Eligibility Confirmed

GTA 6 is officially in with a chance of winning the 2026 Game of the Year award at this year’s The Game Awards, after the show confirmed the cutoff date for eligibility.

According to a FAQ on The Game Awards website, to be in with a chance of winning an award a game must be released on or before Friday, November 20, 2026. GTA 6’s release date is currently November 19, 2026, which means it’s made the cutoff date by just a single day.

Here’s the official blurb:

What is the Cutoff Date for Eligibility?

Games must be made commercially available to customers on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. PT. In the Players’ Voice category, games must ship on or before November 30, 2026.

Expected Nominations

Nominations for this year’s awards haven’t been announced yet, of course, but it’s hard to imagine a situation where GTA 6 doesn’t show up for most, if not all, the categories it’s eligible for. Sandfall Interactive's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 holds the world record for the most wins at The Game Awards, taking home a whopping nine awards at last year's show. Will GTA 6 beat it?

And given GTA Online 2 or whatever the multiplayer mode ends up being called is reportedly due out next year, perhaps alongside a PC version, we could see GTA 6 back in contention at The Game Awards 2027.

While we wait for this year's nominations, we’ve got plenty more on GTA 6 for you to check out, including our in-depth interview with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson, our report on what sounds like the end of Cyberleek, and confirmation of GTA 6’s sweat system.