5 Leading Contenders for 2026 Game of the Year So Far (And 2 Aren’t Even Out Yet)
It’s hard to believe it, but The Game Awards for 2026 will be here before we know it. In fact, Geoff Keighley recently confirmed the date for this year’s award show, which will officially take place on December 10th. Though some of the biggest games of 2026 haven’t yet released, the calendar after a packed September is looking pretty empty. That means we can likely already take a pretty good guess at which games might be in the running for this year’s Game of the Year crown. What a year in gaming 2026 has been already, with more to come as we face down GTA 6 and the Ocarina of Time remake.
Though the Game Awards 2026 show won’t air until December 10th, Game of the Year nominations will likely be cut off sometime in mid-November. That means any games releasing in late November to early December won’t be eligible until next year. So, barring a few games with unconfirmed 2026 release windows and potential shadow drops, we’ve got a pretty good idea of which games could be in the running. Based on critical and popular reception, along with a mix of general hype and high expectations, these 5 games are the likely frontrunners for Game of the Year in 2026 (so far).
5) Marvel’s Wolverine
No, Marvel’s Wolverine isn’t out yet. But it’s undeniably one of the most anticipated releases for 2026. And Insomniac has quite a track record to prove itself, so I’d say it’s pretty unlikely that Marvel’s Wolverine winds up being a flop. Everything we’ve seen so far suggests that the game is going to deliver the kind of immersive action experience Wolverine fans want to see. So even without a Metacritic rating or user reviews to hang my hat on, I’m pretty confident saying this game is likely to be in the running for Game of the Year.
In fact, it would be far from the first time one of Insomniac’s Marvel games snagged the nomination. Both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 were up for Game of the Year during their release years. Alas, they ended up losing to God of War and Baldur’s Gate 3, respectively. Let’s be honest, it was tough competition. This year will be too, no doubt. But even if Marvel’s Wolverine doesn’t take home GOTY, I expect we’ll see it nominated in that category along with a few others. It’s just too big a game not to be.
4) Resident Evil Requiem
It’s easy to forget about major Game of the Year contenders that released early in the year, as they can feel like a distant memory by the time December rolls around. Even so, Resident Evil Requiem came in swinging when it launched back in February. For quite some time, Capcom’s latest survival horror was tied with Pokemon Pokopia for the highest Metacritic rating of the year. This is another solid entry in a beloved franchise, and it has a real shot at Game of the Year for 2026. That said, even if it’s almost guaranteed a nomination, Requiem may not be destined to take home GOTY in a relatively packed 2026.
The Resident Evil franchise has snagged its fair share of Game of the Year nominations. Most recently, the Resident Evil 4 remake was nominated in 2023. Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 2 remake also snagged the nomination in their release years. Thus far, though, Capcom hasn’t taken home the win. And while it wouldn’t be entirely shocking if it did, Requiem isn’t looking too promising to break the trend. Its Metacritic average is well below those prior nominees at 89, compared to their scores in the 90s. But that’s just one metric, so the win is definitely still on the table for one of the biggest horror games of 2026.
3) Pokemon Pokopia
Nintendo games don’t often take home the Game of the Year award. In fact, we haven’t had a first-party Nintendo win since 2017’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Since The Game Awards began in 2014, it’s been the only first-party Nintendo game to claim GOTY. But given the overall reception to Pokemon Pokopia, as well as its impressive 89 Metacritic rating, the Pokemon life sim has a shot. To date, Pokopia has one of the highest Metacritic averages of 2026, and it’s also the highest-rated Pokemon game on record.
If nothing else, I definitely expect we’ll see Pokopia on the list of nominees for Game of the Year. After all, it was a pretty big phenomenon when it launched, and its first DLC has also been incredibly well received. It is undeniably the most successful Pokemon spin-off yet, and it’s also been quite a console seller for the Switch 2. It’s also just incredibly well made and entertaining to play. If not GOTY, I would be pretty surprised if Pokopia doesn’t at least snag Best Sim/Strategy game for 2026.
2) Forza Horizon 6
It’s a big year for games with 6 in the title, and Forza Horizon 6 made an impressive debut. When it launched in May, the game quickly rose to the top of Steam charts. But perhaps more importantly for our purposes, it’s sitting at a 90 rating on Metacritic, with equally high reviews from players since release. The highly anticipated racing game remains popular, and for good reason. It offers a compelling open-world driving adventure that, by and large, delivers exactly what fans of the franchise want to see. And it could well take home Game of the Year in 2026.
As it stands, Forza Horizon 6 remains the most highly-rated AAA release of 2026 so far. A few indie games, including Sekitori and Big Walk, have snagged higher average ratings, but they also have fewer reviews. As such, Forza Horizon 6 is the current frontrunner for Game of the Year as far as I can tell. That said, it would be the first Forza game to snag a GOTY nomination, as the others that have released since the Game Awards began didn’t make the cut. If nothing else, this one is almost certainly snagging best sports/racing game for 2026.
1) Grand Theft Auto 6
Let’s be honest. If Grand Theft Auto 6 comes anywhere close to delivering on the hype, and if its November release date makes the cut for the 2026 Game Awards, it’s kind of a shoo-in. This is arguably one of the biggest game releases we’ve seen in decades, with pre-orders already off to an overwhelming start. It’s hard to imagine the game won’t wind up snagging a Game of the Year nomination, unless November 19th falls after the cutoff for 2026. In that case, we’ll almost surely see it in 2027.
Of course, GTA 6 isn’t here yet. It’s possible that it will fall short of its competition for GOTY. However, that’s not looking likely at this point. Rockstar has been working on the game for over a decade. And its a team that knows what they’re doing, securing a GOTY nomination for Red Dead Redemption back in 2018. So, odds are good that it’ll be on the list if it makes the nomination deadline. And honestly, it’s hard to imagine any game beating GTA 6 for the win if it makes the cut. So unless it truly falls short of expectations, I expect a GOTY trophy in GTA 6‘s future. Whether that’s in 2026 or 2027 depends on the cutoff for this year.