GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026, late in the awards season. That rules it out of one of the big game of the year shows and leaves the biggest one depending on a date nobody has announced yet.
Golden Joystick Awards: not this year
The 44th Golden Joystick Awards take place on November 11, eight days before GTA 6 comes out. Public voting runs from September 25 to October 23, and the vote for Ultimate Game of the Year from October 26 to 30. GamesRadar+, which runs the awards, says GTA 6 isn’t eligible for any of this year’s categories and can compete in the 2027 show.
The Game Awards: the cutoff decides
The Game Awards 2026 take place on December 10. The show hasn’t published this year’s eligibility window yet. Recently the cutoff fell late in November: any game released by November 22 could compete in 2024, and by November 21 in 2025. In 2025 the nominees were announced on November 17, before the cutoff, so a late release could still be considered.
If the pattern holds, a November 19 release gets in. If the organizers pick an earlier date, GTA 6 moves to the 2027 show. Until the rules are out, either outcome is possible.
The big five sweep
Only two games have won all five major game of the year awards in one season: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The season runs from the Golden Joysticks in November through The Game Awards in December, the DICE Awards in February and the GDC Awards in March to the BAFTA Games Awards in April. Missing the first show means GTA 6 can’t repeat that in the 2026/27 season, whatever it wins later.
How the game got to November 19 is in our article on the GTA 6 release date.
