The Game Awards has not announced the exact day its 2026 nominees will be revealed: the official site, thegameawards.com, says only “2026 nominees coming mid-November.” The show itself is on Thursday, December 10, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, streaming free from 7:30 PM Eastern (4:30 PM Pacific).
Below is everything The Game Awards has confirmed, the dates that matter between now and the show, how the jury picks the nominees, and the days nominees were revealed in past years, taken from TGA’s own announcements and shown as context only. We will not guess a day for 2026, and we will update this guide when TGA names one.
What The Game Awards Has Said So Far
As of Thursday, November 5, these are the only official details:
- Nominees: the home page of thegameawards.com reads “2026 nominees coming mid-November.” No day or time is given.
- The show: TGA’s announcement says The Game Awards 2026 “will take place on Thursday, December 10, 2026, streaming live from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.”
- How to watch: TGA’s FAQ and rules page says the show streams “for free across all major streaming services,” with the opening act starting at 7:30 PM ET, 4:30 PM PT.
- Tickets: a limited number of public tickets went on sale on Thursday, October 29, at AXS, per the same announcement.
That is the whole official picture. Anything that names a specific nominee day before TGA does is a guess, and so is any claim that the 2026 nominees are already out: as of November 5, they are not.
Key Dates Before the Show
All times are converted to Eastern from TGA’s Pacific times.
| What | When | Where TGA says it |
|---|---|---|
| Public tickets on sale | Thursday, October 29 | TGA announcement |
| Nominees revealed | “Mid-November,” no day given | thegameawards.com home page |
| Eligibility cutoff | Friday, November 20, 9 PM PT (midnight Eastern) | FAQ and rules |
| Players’ Voice cutoff | Games that ship by Monday, November 30 | FAQ and rules |
| Fan voting closes | Wednesday, December 9, 6 PM PT (9 PM Eastern) | FAQ and rules |
| The show | Thursday, December 10, 7:30 PM ET (4:30 PM PT) | FAQ and rules |
One thing stands out in that table. If the nominees arrive in mid-November as the site says, the reveal will come before the November 20 eligibility cutoff. TGA’s rules account for that: to meet its balloting deadlines, publishers or developers “may provide advance or pre-release access to games for critical evaluation.” That is why a game launching close to the cutoff can still be in the running, and it is the heart of our guide to whether GTA 6 is eligible for The Game Awards.
When Past Nominees Were Revealed (Context Only)
These dates come from The Game Awards’ own posts on its official YouTube channel: the teasers it published ahead of each reveal, and in 2025 the reveal livestream itself. They show what TGA has done before, not what it has announced for 2026.
| Year | Nominees revealed | Show |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Monday, November 14 | Thursday, December 8 |
| 2023 | Monday, November 13 | Thursday, December 7 |
| 2024 | Monday, November 18 | Thursday, December 12 |
| 2025 | Monday, November 17 | Thursday, December 11 |
In each of those four years, the nominees were revealed on a Monday in mid-November, a little over three weeks before the show, and TGA teased the reveal a few days ahead on its official channels. In 2025, TGA posted a teaser on Thursday, November 13 and an “In 24 Hours” clip on Sunday, November 16, and the livestream titled “THE GAME AWARDS 2025 Nominees Revealed!” went live on YouTube at about 11:38 AM Eastern on Monday, November 17.
That is a track record, not a promise. TGA has not said whether 2026 will follow it, so we are not naming a day. When TGA posts its teaser, the date will be official, and this guide will carry it.
How the Nominees Are Chosen
TGA’s FAQ lays out the process:
- The jury: nominees for most categories are chosen by an international jury of “over 100 global media and influencer outlets.” Specialized juries handle other categories, including esports, accessibility and best adaptation.
- The ballots: each outlet submits a confidential, unranked ballot listing its top five choices in each category, based on the opinion of its whole editorial staff.
- The count: the five games that appear on the most ballots become the nominees. If there is a tie, a category gets six or more nominees.
- Who does not vote: producer Geoff Keighley is not on the jury and does not vote on nominees or winners, and TGA’s Advisory Board has no part in the process.
- No early word for studios: developers and publishers, including the Advisory Board, learn the nominees and winners at the same time as the public.
- The winners: a blend of the jury’s vote (90%) and the public fan vote (10%). Fans vote on TheGameAwards.com, and fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 9, at 6 PM PT (9 PM Eastern). TGA has not said when voting opens.
Which Games Can Be Nominated
Under TGA’s rules, a game has to be commercially available by Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 PM PT. For the Players’ Voice category, the fan-voted award, games must ship by November 30.
The rules are broader than many people expect:
- Early access games are eligible if they are available to the public by the deadline.
- Expansions, DLC, new seasons, remakes and remasters are eligible in every category if the jury judges the new work worthy.
- Live service games released in earlier years are eligible when new content or updates merit it, and the Best Ongoing Game category exists for them.
- No submissions or fees: there is no entry form and no fee. Every game is automatically eligible.
For the games racing that cutoff, our list of the biggest games coming out in November 2026 has every date, and our best games of 2026 shows which releases have scored best so far this year.
How to Know the Moment the Nominees Drop
- Sign up for TGA Insider: the email signup is on the thegameawards.com home page.
- Follow the official channels: TGA links its accounts on X, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp from its site. Its YouTube channel carried the 2025 reveal live.
- Watch for the teaser: in past years, TGA announced the reveal a few days before it happened, so the first teaser is the date.
The Golden Joystick Awards come first this season: their show is on November 11, and our report on the Ultimate Game of the Year vote has the shortlist.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are The Game Awards 2026 nominees announced? The official site says “mid-November” and gives no day. In 2022 through 2025, the reveal came on a Monday in mid-November, but TGA has not confirmed that pattern for 2026.
Are The Game Awards 2026 nominees out yet? Not as of November 5, 2026. The official site still says the nominees are “coming mid-November.”
When is The Game Awards 2026? Thursday, December 10, 2026, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The opening act starts at 7:30 PM ET (4:30 PM PT), streaming free on all major streaming services.
What is the eligibility cutoff for The Game Awards 2026? Games must be commercially available by Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 PM PT, which is midnight Eastern. Players’ Voice games must ship by November 30.
Who picks The Game Awards nominees? A jury of over 100 media and influencer outlets, each submitting an unranked top five per category. The five games on the most ballots are nominated, and ties add a sixth.
Can fans vote at The Game Awards? Yes. The fan vote on TheGameAwards.com counts for 10% of each winner, with the jury’s 90%. Fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 9, at 6 PM PT (9 PM Eastern).
Is GTA 6 eligible for The Game Awards 2026? Rockstar’s November 19 launch date falls before the November 20 cutoff. Our GTA 6 Game Awards guide covers the details.