- Primary Subject: Grand Theft Auto VI
- Key Update: An opinion feature explores how GTA 6's November 19 release makes it eligible for The Game Awards 2026, though it faces logistical hurdles to beating Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's 9-win record.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 20, 2026
- Quick Answer: While GTA 6 will likely dominate major categories like Game of the Year, it won't break Expedition 33's sweeping record due to genre and voting constraints.
Recently, it was confirmed that GTA 6 was eligible to be nominated in this year's Game Awards.
According to The Game Awards official website, games must be available to customers on or before November 20 to be eligible. With GTA 6 releasing on November 19, it just barely makes the cutoff. This has caused many to expect the title to be nominated for Game of the Year - and even potentially break Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's record for the most wins in a year.
But honestly? I don't think GTA 6 will break Expedition 33's record - and that's okay.
GTA 6 Probably Won't Break Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Game Awards Record
Just to refresh your memory, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 received 12 official nominations during The Game Awards 2025. They ultimately took home nine awards, including the coveted Game of the Year award, making Expedition 33 the most awarded game in Game Awards history.
Besides Game of the Year, I am expecting GTA 6 to be nominated for even more categories. Specifically, I'm expecting nominations in Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Art Direction, Best Action/Adventure Game, Best Audio Design, and Best Performance.
If my guesses are correct, this would score them a whopping 13 nominations. But let's be real - the chances of them winning every single one are slim.
They could realistically win Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Action/Adventure Game, and Game of the Year, but for other categories, plenty of games still have a chance. Realistically, I can see GTA 6 taking home at most 5-6 trophies this year - possibly tying with Baldur's Gate 3 for second-most wins.
The reason why Expedition 33 was able to score so many wins was that it sat squarely in the RPG and indie space. It was able to sweep categories like Best RPG, Best Independent Game, and Best Debut Indie Game - and as the biggest title of that year, it was obvious no other title stood a chance.
I already know what's going to happen on social media when the nominations are announced. There will be some hyper-defensive GTA 6 fans who will throw unnecessary shade at Expedition 33 and act like the indie masterpiece doesn't deserve to have more wins than GTA 6. Even just thinking about it is exhausting - not to mention completely unwarranted and missing the entire point of celebrating the diverse brilliance of gaming.
Missing out on a few genre-specific trophies isn't going to hurt GTA 6's bottom line or its legacy. While I doubt GTA 6 will break Expedition 33's record, there are other metrics to look at that showcase how GTA 6 is the biggest game of the year - heck, maybe even the decade.
Rockstar is absolutely going to shatter every commercial sales record on the planet. It will most certainly be the most talked-about game in Q4 and possibly the rest of 2027. I hope GTA 6 fans can recognize that and not turn an awards show into a toxic turf war.
Expedition 33 may have swept 2025's Game Awards with well-earned trophies across RPG and indie categories, but GTA 6 will surely break other records. Gaming isn't a zero-sum game where one masterpiece's triumph diminishes the other - let's let these two games win in their own right.
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