• Source:JND

Gaming awards 2025: Grand Theft Auto VI is undoubtedly one of the most hyped games of 2026, and with every update on Rockstar Games’ next juggernaut, we only seem to get more and more excited. Despite numerous delays and long waits, the world does not lose interest in GTA 6; it becomes only stronger. More than two years late (its earliest once-promised date was within February 2026), the game is pegged for a launch in November 2026, but excitement has only increased. Sustained hype has already transformed that into something unusual in the gaming world: major awards ahead of launch. GTA 6 has already claimed four exclusive awards and not a single in-game demo is still available to the general public, meaning it joins an exclusive list of games ever to receive such privilege.

GTA 6 Has Already Won Four Awards

On December 11, at The Game Awards 2025 in Los Angeles' Peacock Theatre, GTA VI secured the award for Most Anticipated Game, vice versa last year. This is only the second game ever to achieve this feat, with Elden Ring doing so in 2020 and 2021 ahead of its release.

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GTA 6 defeated a number of other leading candidates, such as The Witcher 4, Marvel’s Wolverine, Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light. Competition from a formidable opponent: That Red Dead Redemption 2 is still around after facing down such stiff competition speaks to the power that Rockstar's next title holds in the public memory.

Golden Joystick Awards Add Two More Wins

The Game Awards win was not GTA 6’s only recent triumph. At last month's Golden Joystick Awards, the game added two more awards to its mantle: Best Game Trailer and Most Wanted Game. Alongside its two wins at The Game Awards, GTA 6 now has four major awards on the mantel before it's even been released – a practically unprecedented accomplishment in modern gaming.

Delays Haven’t Hurt the Hype

This despite the fact Rockstar has pushed back the game twice in 2025. GTA 6 was announced first for fall 2025, then got delayed until May 26, 2026 and later to November 19th, 2026. In all, the delays have tacked on roughly a year to the wait. And yet fan anticipation seems to be as strong as ever, proving that Rockstar’s excellent history and the franchise’s rich heritage still count for quite a bit.

What We Know About GTA 6 So Far

GTA VI follows a dual narrative about Jason and Lucia in Vice City, Leonida's modern adaptation. It’s the series’ first return to a Florida-based world in more than 10 years. Currently, fans around the world are waiting for Rockstar to release the first official gameplay reveal and a third trailer.

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Moving into an over 11-year development cycle, the series‘ next entry has now outlasted RDR2’s eight years. The only other game to win Most Anticipated Game twice, Elden Ring, would later establish itself as the most award-winning Game of the Year ever.

Final Thoughts

It’s relatively rare that a title claims four major accolades before it has even been launched and the GTA 6 treatment is a sign of just how big people are expecting Rockstar’s next game to be. Despite setbacks and scarce official footage, the anticipation has grown and grown. Whether GTA 6 can achieve or even surpass Elden Ring’s epochal level of post-launch success remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: few games have ever headed into release season with this much momentum. Now all eyes turn to what Rockstar ultimately shows off—and if the game lives up to one of gaming’s most hyped-up yet.


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