The Game Awards 2026 take place on Thursday, December 10, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, which is 01:30 CET on December 11 in Europe. For the first time the show will also stream on Disney+, alongside YouTube, Twitch, X and TikTok. GTA 6 makes the eligibility cutoff by about a day, and nominees will be revealed on Tuesday, November 17. Here is when to watch where you live, how nominees and winners are picked, and what the timing means for GTA 6.
Last checked on November 12, 2026. Official Date, time and Disney+ come from the Disney+ press release of November 12 and The Game Awards FAQ; eligibility and voting rules come from the same FAQ. Reported Polygon confirmed the announcement.
The Game Awards 2026 start time in your time zone
| Time zone | Show starts |
|---|---|
| PT (Los Angeles) | Thu Dec 10, 4:30 p.m. |
| ET (New York) | Thu Dec 10, 7:30 p.m. |
| Mexico City | Thu Dec 10, 6:30 p.m. |
| BrasÃlia | Thu Dec 10, 9:30 p.m. |
| GMT (London) | Fri Dec 11, 00:30 |
| CET (Paris, Madrid, Berlin) | Fri Dec 11, 01:30 |
| IST (India) | Fri Dec 11, 06:00 |
| JST (Tokyo) | Fri Dec 11, 09:30 |
| AEDT (Sydney) | Fri Dec 11, 11:30 |
Our math Converted by HUDWire from the official ET/PT time. The FAQ calls 7:30 p.m. ET the start of the “opening act”; in past years a pre-show has run before the main ceremony, but no 2026 pre-show time is announced yet.
How to watch The Game Awards 2026
| Platform | Status | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Disney+ | New for 2026, live; also in “select international markets” | Disney+ subscription |
| YouTube, Twitch, X, TikTok | Returning partners (Disney+ release) | Free |
| China streaming partners | Returning | Free |
| Co-streams | Allowed; creators can sign up on the TGA site | Free |
| In person | Limited public tickets via the Peacock Theater box office | Paid |
Official The 2025 show reached more than 171 million livestreams, according to the Disney+ release. Disney also says viewers can expect “major announcements and surprises” from Disney’s own games during the show.
When are The Game Awards 2026 nominees announced?
Official Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. GMT (18:00 CET), in a live nomination special hosted by Geoff Keighley on YouTube and Twitch, The Game Awards announced on X on November 13. Voting opens on TheGameAwards.com straight after. That is two days before GTA 6 launches, so jurors will have judged it on pre-release code. Reported Variety adds that the December 10 show will also stream on Live TV on PS5 in the US and Canada, alongside Disney+ and Roblox.
For comparison, in each of the last three years nominees were revealed exactly 24 days before the show:
| Year | Nominees announced | Show | Game of the Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Nov 13 | Dec 7 | Baldur’s Gate 3 |
| 2024 | Nov 18 | Dec 12 | Astro Bot |
| 2025 | Nov 17 | Dec 11 | Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 |
| 2026 | Nov 17 (official) | Dec 10 | – |
Our math November 17 is 23 days before the show, one day later than the 24-day pattern we expected (we had estimated Monday, November 16).
Is GTA 6 eligible for The Game Awards 2026?
Official Yes. The FAQ says games must be commercially available “on or before Friday, November 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. PT”. GTA 6 launches on November 19. Our math The cutoff is 05:00 GMT / 06:00 CET on November 21, so GTA 6 clears it by roughly one and a half to two days depending on your time zone.
Being eligible is not the same as being nominated. Nominees are picked by a jury of over 100 media outlets, and if nominations come before launch, jurors would only have played GTA 6 through pre-release code. Official The FAQ allows that: publishers “may provide advance or pre-release access to games for critical evaluation”. Reported Review codes reportedly went out in late October and reviews are expected on November 18 (see our GTA 6 review embargo guide). Whether the jury has played enough of a game that takes dozens of hours is the open question Polygon also raises.
How nominees and winners are chosen
- Official Nominees: each of the 100+ voting outlets submits an unranked top five per category. The five games on the most ballots are nominated; ties mean six or more nominees.
- Official Winners: 90% jury vote, 10% public fan vote on thegameawards.com (Bilibili in China). Fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 9, at 6 p.m. PT.
- Official Players’ Voice has a later cutoff: games shipped by November 30, 2026.
- Official Geoff Keighley does not vote, and publishers learn results at the same time as the public.
Who could win Game of the Year?
There is no clear favourite yet. Resident Evil Requiem just won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards 2026, and Polygon names 007 First Light and Big Walk as other contenders, though Big Walk’s AI disclosure has divided voters. For the critics’ picture so far, see the best-reviewed games of 2026. And then there is GTA 6, which arrives three weeks before the show.
FAQ
When are The Game Awards 2026?
Thursday, December 10, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. In Europe that is 01:30 CET on Friday, December 11.
Can I watch The Game Awards 2026 on Disney+?
Yes. Disney+ will stream the show live for the first time, in the US and select international markets. It is also free on YouTube, Twitch, X and TikTok.
When are The Game Awards 2026 nominees announced?
On Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT / 5 p.m. GMT, in a live special hosted by Geoff Keighley on YouTube and Twitch. Voting opens on TheGameAwards.com right after.
Is GTA 6 eligible for Game of the Year 2026?
Yes. Games released by November 20, 2026, at 9 p.m. PT are eligible, and GTA 6 launches on November 19. A nomination is up to the jury.
How are Game Awards winners picked?
A jury of more than 100 media outlets chooses the nominees. Winners are decided by a blend of 90% jury vote and 10% fan vote, which closes on December 9 at 6 p.m. PT.
Short on time? See The Game Awards 2026 in seven pages (Web Story).
Keep reading on HUDWire
Sources
- The Game Awards on X: nominees revealed live Tuesday, November 17 (Nov 13, 2026)
- Geoff Keighley on X: nominee reveal at Noon ET / 9a PT / 5p GMT (Nov 13, 2026)
- Variety: Game Awards nominees special set, PS5 to livestream (Nov 13, 2026)
- Disney+ Press: Disney+ to stream The Game Awards 2026 live on December 10 (Nov 12, 2026)
- The Game Awards: FAQ & Rules (checked Nov 12, 2026)
- Polygon: Disney Plus is officially the new streaming home of The Game Awards
- Variety: Game Awards nominations 2025 (Nov 17, 2025)
- Gematsu: The Game Awards 2024 nominees announced (Nov 18, 2024)
- GameSpot: The Game Awards 2023 nominees announced (Nov 13, 2023)