The Game Awards 2026 nominees will be announced on Tuesday, November 17, at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET / 5 PM GMT, ahead of the annual ceremony on December 10. Event creator and host Geoff Keighley confirmed the schedule on November 13, announcing a live presentation that will reveal the nominees across all award categories, including Game of the Year.
The announcement comes with an unusual eligibility situation involving Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled to launch on November 19, two days after the nominations are revealed. Despite that timing, GTA 6 meets the eligibility requirements for this year’s awards.
The Game Awards’ official rules establish November 20, 2026, at 9 PM PT as the deadline for games to become commercially available. Titles released by that cutoff can be considered for nomination, meaning GTA 6 qualifies even though its public launch follows the nomination announcement.
However, eligibility does not guarantee a nomination. Most categories are determined by an international jury representing more than 100 gaming media and influencer outlets. Each outlet submits an unranked ballot containing its five preferred choices in each category, with the most frequently selected games becoming nominees.
The rules also allow publishers to provide advance or pre-release copies to voting outlets so games can be evaluated before balloting deadlines. Whether GTA 6 receives a nomination will depend on the jury’s selections rather than its release date alone.
Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for Nintendo Switch 2 is another eligible release. The remake launched on November 5, comfortably within the qualifying window. The Game Awards explicitly permits remakes and remasters to compete across categories when jurors consider their new creative or technical work deserving of recognition.
Other qualifying titles will compete for nominations across categories covering game direction, narrative, art direction, performance, accessibility and more. The separate Players’ Voice category follows a later release deadline of November 30, with winners determined entirely by public voting.
The nomination announcement will establish the official contenders for the December 10 ceremony, which takes place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The 2026 broadcast will also stream live on Disney+ for the first time, alongside free streaming options including YouTube and Twitch.
The ceremony begins at 4:30 PM PT / 7:30 PM ET and will feature award presentations, game announcements, world premieres and musical performances. For most award categories, winners are determined through a combined vote weighted 90% toward the jury and 10% toward the public, with fan voting closing December 9 at 6 PM PT.
The November 17 presentation will confirm which games have secured nominations, including whether GTA 6 and Nintendo’s Zelda remake appear among this year’s finalists.
