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The Game Awards 2026 will take place on 10 December in Los Angeles, with Geoff Keighley hosting the annual celebration of gaming’s biggest titles. Major releases, including GTA 6, could compete depending on the eligibility deadline, setting up a fiercely contested year.
By Govind Choudhary
Govind Choudhary is a Senior Content Producer for Mint with over 04 years of experience covering technology and automobiles. He holds a Master's diploma in Mass Communication and Journalism from IGNOU and a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Symbiosis International University. He has previously worked as a Correspondent for The Indian Express Group. He is also a passionate storyteller and an avid cinema enthusiast.
The Game Awards will return later this year, with organiser and host Geoff Keighley confirming that the 2026 ceremony will take place on Thursday, 10 December at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
Announced via social media on Monday, the annual showcase will once again celebrate the year’s best video games while also spotlighting upcoming releases from both major publishers and independent studios. Keighley said further information about nominations, performances and world premieres will be shared in the coming months.
A packed year for releases
The 2026 edition is expected to be especially competitive. Several high profile titles are already lined up for release across the year, including Resident Evil Requiem, Marvel’s Wolverine, Control Resonant, Forza Horizon 3 and 007 First Light.
These releases, alongside a strong slate of indie projects, are likely to contend for the top honours when nominations are announced.
However, much of the attention is focused on one game in particular, Rockstar Games’ long awaited Grand Theft Auto 6.
Will GTA 6 qualify?
Whether GTA 6 will be eligible for this year’s awards remains uncertain due to the event’s release deadline rules.
Traditionally, The Game Awards sets its eligibility cutoff on the Friday of the third week of November. For example, titles released on or before 21 November 2025 at 9pm PT qualified for last year’s ceremony. Games launching after that date were pushed into the following year’s pool.
If the same schedule is followed in 2026, the likely cutoff would fall on Friday, 20 November. That would place GTA 6’s planned launch just one day before the deadline, potentially allowing it to qualify at the last moment.
Any further delay to the game’s release, however, could see it miss the window and compete instead at The Game Awards 2027.
Looking back at last year
The 2025 ceremony was also held at the Peacock Theatre and streamed live worldwide on YouTube and Twitch. The night was dominated by role playing game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which collected nine awards, including the coveted Game of the Year prize.
With several blockbuster titles on the horizon and the possibility of GTA 6 entering the race, this year’s event could prove to be one of the most closely contested editions yet.
Key Takeaways
- The Game Awards 2026 is scheduled for December 10 at the Peacock Theatre.
- Several high-profile titles are set for release, making for a competitive awards season.
- GTA 6's eligibility for this year's awards is still uncertain due to release timing.
English (US) ·