The Game Awards 2026 is on Thursday, December 10, 2026, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, starting at 7:30 PM Eastern. Nominees arrive in mid-November, and this year there’s an extra twist: GTA 6 comes out on November 19, one day before the eligibility cutoff.
Here’s when to watch in your time zone, how winners are picked, whether GTA 6 can win Game of the Year, and the games we think will be nominated.
Quick answer: The Game Awards 2026 airs Thursday, December 10, at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT, free on all major streaming platforms. Nominees are due in mid-November. GTA 6 is eligible because games only have to be out by November 20 at 9 PM PT. The best-reviewed game of the year so far is the new Ocarina of Time remake, with a 96 on Metacritic.
The Game Awards 2026 at a glance
| Date | Thursday, December 10, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Time | 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT |
| Venue | Peacock Theater, Los Angeles |
| Where to watch | Free on all major streaming platforms |
| Nominees announced | Mid-November |
| Eligibility cutoff | Out by Friday, November 20, at 9 PM PT |
| Fan voting closes | Wednesday, December 9, at 6 PM PT |
| How winners are picked | 90% jury, 10% fan vote |
What time is The Game Awards 2026 where you live?
The show starts at 7:30 PM Eastern on Thursday, December 10. Outside the Americas, that’s Friday, December 11.
| Where | Start time |
|---|---|
| US Eastern (New York) | Thu 7:30 PM |
| US Central (Chicago) | Thu 6:30 PM |
| US Mountain (Denver) | Thu 5:30 PM |
| US Pacific (Los Angeles) | Thu 4:30 PM |
| UK (London) | Fri 12:30 AM |
| Central Europe (Paris, Berlin) | Fri 1:30 AM |
| India | Fri 6:00 AM |
| Vietnam and Thailand | Fri 7:30 AM |
| Japan | Fri 9:30 AM |
| Australia (Sydney) | Fri 11:30 AM |
How to watch The Game Awards 2026
It’s free. The Game Awards says the show “streams live on all platforms,” including its own YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels. You don’t need a ticket or a subscription, so pick whichever app you already use.
When are the nominees announced?
The official site says the 2026 nominees are “coming mid-November.” Here’s how they’re picked:
- A jury of over 100 media and influencer outlets each sends a private, unranked ballot with its top five games in each category.
- The five games on the most ballots become the nominees. A tie can push a category to six or more.
- Winners are 90% jury vote and 10% fan vote. Fans vote on TheGameAwards.com until Wednesday, December 9, at 6 PM PT.
Is GTA 6 eligible for Game of the Year?
Yes. The Game Awards’ rules say a game must be “commercially available to customers on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. PT.” GTA 6 launches on November 19, so it makes the cutoff by one day.
Being eligible and getting nominated aren’t the same thing, though. Nominees are announced in mid-November, right around GTA 6’s launch, so the jury will have very little time with it, and critics’ reviews won’t be out until launch week. The Players’ Voice fan award has a later cutoff, November 30, so GTA 6 is safely in that one.
For the launch details, see our GTA 6 release date and time guide.
Game of the Year 2026: the front-runners
Here are 2026’s best-reviewed new games so far, using Metacritic scores from November 5. We left out ports, remasters and DLC, since those rarely get Game of the Year nominations.
Review scores aren’t the whole story. The jury also leans toward big, widely played games. Here are our six picks for the Game of the Year nominees:
| Our pick | Metacritic | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 96 | Highest score of the year. Remakes can be nominated. |
| Grand Theft Auto VI | Not reviewed yet | The biggest launch of the year, if the reviews land |
| Forza Horizon 6 | 90 | Huge audience and a 90 score |
| Resident Evil Requiem | 89 | A big early-year hit |
| Big Walk | 91 | The year’s best-reviewed new indie game |
| Pokémon Pokopia | 89 | A Switch 2 hit with strong reviews |
Wild cards: Sektori (93), Mina the Hollower (90), Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (89) and Phantom Blade Zero (88). Remakes do get nominated: the Resident Evil 4 remake was up for Game of the Year in 2023, which helps Ocarina’s case.
Our call: if GTA 6’s reviews match the hype, it’s the favorite. If not, the award is Ocarina of Time’s to lose.
For the full list of 2026’s top games, see the best video games of 2026 so far.
Updated November 5, 2026. We’ll add every nominee as soon as they’re announced in mid-November.
Pre-order GTA 6 before November 19
Read next: Ocarina of Time Remake: Release Date and Price · How Much Storage Does GTA 6 Need? · Phantom Blade Zero Reviews
Sources: date, venue, time, eligibility, jury process and fan voting from The Game Awards FAQ and official site, checked November 5, 2026. Review scores from Metacritic, checked November 5, 2026. Hero image: The Game Awards.
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