The game publisher is set to launch the latest installment in November 2026, but the review embargo could keep a large number of The Game Awards jurors from playing it before the nominations deadline.
This is the conclusion drawn by the website Polygon in an article published on July 5. It cites an unnamed Brazilian source, which reports that Rockstar Games is set to abandon the traditional practice of releasing review copies of its games in favor of a more secretive approach. According to the story, the publisher plans to organize a set of curated review events, which would allow critics to get a glimpse of the game without actually receiving a review copy. This policy is said to be unprecedented since the late 2000s.
Game Awards voting timeline
The timing is crucial, as the Game Awards voting timeline is set to the launch of GTA VI. Game publication nominations are due in the first half of November, with voting taking place in the last month of the year and the final results announced on December 10. Meanwhile, the eligibility cutoff date for games is typically set to the third Friday of November, which in 2026 will fall on November 20. It is one day after the release date of GTA VI, which leaves the reviewers with a limited amount of time.
Motivations
The reason for Rockstar's skepticism toward the traditional review model is likely the publisher's desire to keep the game under wraps before its formal launch. Rockstar has become increasingly secretive about its releases in recent years, and GTA VI is poised to become the most anticipated title of the year. In fact, prior to the launch of Red Dead Redemption II in late 2018, Rockstar distributed review copies of the game to critics and media outlets. However, the company appears to be adopting a more aggressive stance in regards to spoilers now.
Implications
It remains to be seen whether the new policy will have any impact on The Game Awards. GTA VI is a strong contender for the title of Game of the Year, so its absence from the shortlist would create an uncomfortable situation for the voting committee. Last year, Arc Raiders and Dispatch were both released in the final month of 2023, just before the nominations deadline. Neither game was eligible for the next round of voting, making it impossible for the jurors to evaluate them. Nevertheless, Dispatch managed to secure the second-place finish in the "Indie Game" category, whereas Arc Raiders did not receive any nominations.
GTA VI, on the other hand, is a major AAA title from one of the most prestigious game developers in the industry. Thus, the final outcome of the voting process will depend on how many members of the Game Awards jury are actually familiar with the game. This could be quantified in the number of players that would have access to a review copy of GTA VI ahead of the voting. The third-party Brazilian publication, which published the original article, states that Rockstar is only open to a limited number of high-profile critics at the moment. Therefore, it is possible that no more than a handful of critics will be able to play the game and share their opinions online prior to the voting.
Conclusion
The situation is far from ideal for the Game Awards, which could see GTA VI dominating the nominations. Rockstar appears to want to keep the review embargo active, which will make it impossible for most of the critics to post a review before the deadline. This outcome, in turn, will put the voting jury in a difficult position, as it will have to decide whether to include GTA VI based on secondhand information or skip it altogether. It would be much easier for the Game Awards to simply bump the voting window to late November. It would require minimal coordination on the part of the voting committee, and it would prevent the 2026 edition of the Game Awards from becoming overshadowed by GTA VI's delayed debut. However, neither Rockstar nor The Game Awards have commented on the issue as of this writing.