The Game Awards' 2026 FAQ states that games must be commercially available to customers on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. PT to be eligible for consideration across the show's categories. GTA 6 is confirmed for November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, placing it inside the window by a single day. GTABoom reported the eligibility on October 15, noting there is no special carve-out for Rockstar, and GamingBolt confirmed the FAQ wording on October 16. Players' Voice, the fan-voted category, has a separate later cutoff of November 30, which also covers GTA 6.
The FAQ allows publishers to provide pre-release copies for critical evaluation, which is how a jury could assess a game launching this close to the cutoff. Whether that is enough time for meaningful evaluation has been a running question since the FAQ circulated. Game Rant published an opinion piece on October 18 arguing GTA 6 should not compete at this year's show, with the ceremony in December, on the grounds that voters will have had too little time with the game.
This site's September 23 post on the Golden Joystick Awards noted GTA 6 could not make that show's window and named The Game Awards as the separate December show. GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.