Secret Summer Game Fest Debate: Should GTA 6 Win Game of the Year?

Last week, I flew to Los Angeles to revel in Summer Game Fest, and following that showcase, I went to the media- and industry-only event, Play Days. While behind closed doors at Play Days, I rubbed shoulders with the finest folks from this business and got to go hands-on (and off) with some serious stellar games (shout-out to Blood Message).

While trekking the halls of the Play Days venue, I found myself sitting down with some prestigious folks from a prolific studio whose name I won’t disclose, in the interest of keeping their identities in the shadows.

Talk turned to Grand Theft Auto 6 and to a very interesting question about whether it deserves to win Game of the Year when the ceremonies start up in a few months.

Does Grand Theft Auto 6 Deserve Game of the Year Awards?

I was lucky enough to get some face time with stacks of developers, publishers, actors, and other industry professionals last week in Los Angeles, but only one chat yielded the hottest of takes. It sat in my mind the entire weekend, through the flight home to London, and has occupied a spot in my thoughts ever since.

GTA 6, which is set to launch on November 19, 2026, might not deserve a Game of the Year nomination. But why?

Per the discussion I had, the driving reasons for why it shouldn’t be nominated are a) because it falls way too late in the year, and b) it’s effectively buying a Game of the Year award slate.

Realistically, should a game that hits the market with barely six weeks left in the year be entitled to a Game of the Year award for 2026, when other games have landed, delivered their post-launch roadmap, and left a lasting impression on gamers? Maybe not.

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It’s no big secret that Grand Theft Auto 6 will sell tens of millions of copies in a matter of hours. It’ll inevitably make Take-Two Interactive more than $1 billion in just one day, and it’ll be regarded as the fastest-selling game ever released, breaking records and shattering bandwidth capacities worldwide.

But does that mean it’s a candidate for Game of the Year? Is it a popularity contest, or should GOTY be reserved for games that move us, that leave us riddled with a catharsis, or that stand firm as a paradigm shift or a cultural realignment of sorts?

Let’s take a look at the history.

At the BAFTA Games Awards, Grand Theft Auto has never won Best Game or Game of the Year. It was nominated in 2004 (San Andreas), 2008 (IV), and 2013 (V), but never quite made it to the trophy.

At the GDC Awards, only Grand Theft Auto III (2001) scooped the GOTY accolade. Japan Game Awards: nothing. Famitsu Awards, not even mentioned. New York Game Awards, empty. At the annual D.I.C.E. Awards, GTA has gone unnoticed since 1997.

Countless sizeable gaming outlets, no GTA games in the annals of their GOTY recipients. And The Game Awards isn’t old enough to have seen a new GTA game be released while running.

Conversely, the Golden Joystick Awards, running since 1983, have given the GOTY trophy to four GTA games:

• GTA 3 (2002)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2003)
• GTA: San Andreas (2005)
• GTA V (2013)

In 2008, GTA IV was beaten to the punch by COD 4: Modern Warfare, a franchise that has seldom claimed a Game of the Year spot at any major awards ceremony.

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Many have argued that by sheer anticipation and hype alone, Grand Theft Auto 6 is a solid contender for Game of the Year. It must be, because every man and his dog will be playing it come November 19th, right?

But what are we saying about the stock of contenders for 2026?

Would it be Resident Evil Requiem that scoops the awards, or Crimson Desert, the divisive open-world RPG? What about Pokémon Pokopia, a huge seller and one of the highest-rated Pókemon games ever? How about Forza Horizon 6, the latest in a very long line of immensely successful and hugely ambitious racing games?

IO Interactive’s 007: First Light, offering a fresh and appreciated perspective of one of the world’s most iconic fictional characters?

Marvel’s Wolverine, dropping midway through September as one of the most highly-anticipated PlayStation exclusives in many years?

There are a lot of titles vying for that prolific top spot, but should any of them be Grand Theft Auto 6?

Of course, much of this debate is rendered moot by a few points, the most important of which is that, in some bizarre, unbelievable, impossible twist, GTA 6 might be a pile of hot ass. It might also be the most beautiful, awe-inspiring, transformative title ever made, that changes how we look at the world, rendering it deserving of every Game of the Year award on the planet.

Let’s see what you have to say about this topic. Join us on the Insider Gaming Discord server and shout your opinion from the rooftops.

For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Fallout 76 is finally getting roaming companions