Polygon: GTA 6 is Almost Guaranteed to Win 2026 'Game of the Year'

There is lively discussion among gamers about which games released over the past nine months—or rather, the part of the year that has passed so far—can be considered clear frontrunners for Game of the Year. Resident Evil Requiem, Crimson Desert, 007 First Light, and many others frequently appear on various lists, but according to a major gaming media outlet, only one game in 2026 is a true contender for the title and will face no competition from anyone else.

This is about GTA 6, as many of you may have already guessed. Oli Welsh from Polygon published a new article in which he notes that back at the beginning of the year, the game was considered the top contender for the best game of 2026, and it remains so to this day. Although quite a few worthy titles have been released this year, for various reasons they can’t compare to the scale of Rockstar Games’ new project. As examples, the author mentions Crimson Desert, Mina the Hollower, 007 First Light, Forza Horizon 6, and Resident Evil Requiem. Welsh also doesn’t believe that any of the upcoming projects—including Marvel’s Wolverine, Control Resonant, or Phantom Blade Zero—will be able to match GTA 6. The exception might be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Remake), but given its projected release date, it’s unlikely to be nominated for “Game of the Year” at The Game Awards—though the same likely applies to GTA 6 due to its November release, while the 2026 TGA is scheduled for December 10.

The article also mentions the recently released The Blood of Dawnwalker and Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which have received high praise from critics but, according to Oli Welsh, not high enough to compete with GTA 6. Currently, The Blood of Dawnwalker has a Metacritic score of 83, while Onimusha: Way of the Sword has a score of 85.

Nevertheless, in the comments section, many users expressed disagreement, especially given that GTA 6 hasn’t even been released yet but already seems to have been crowned the best game of the year. It’s also worth noting that some outlets have already named their picks for the best games of 2026 so far. For instance, GQ named 007 First Light the best, while Empire chose Resident Evil Requiem. However, given that several major releases are still set to come out before the end of the year, it’s likely that both lists could change.