The Game Awards has set the date for its 2026 nominees. The show announced that host Geoff Keighley will reveal the nominees in a live global special on Tuesday, November 17 at Noon ET / 9 AM PT / 5 PM GMT. Earlier that morning, at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT, the show also confirmed that this year’s ceremony will stream live inside Roblox for the first time. Check out the official posts down below:
“The nominees for #TheGameAwards will be revealed live next Tuesday, November 17.
Join @geoffkeighley for the global nomination announcement special at Noon ET / 9a PT / 5p GMT.
Set a reminder to watch: https://t.co/j8yu9rUvnD https://t.co/mSviyk8A9d”
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 13, 2026
“On December 10th, #TheGameAwards makes history as the show will stream live in @Roblox for the first time.
Fans 18+ will be able to watch, vote and interact LIVE alongside gaming’s biggest night.
More details coming soon. https://t.co/ouVtxXt7yV”
— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 13, 2026
The Nomination Special
The nominees will be announced in a livestream titled “THE GAME AWARDS: 2026 Nomination Special,” which is already scheduled on the show’s YouTube channel. According to its description, Keighley will reveal the nominees in more than 30 categories. The stream can be watched here:
Once the nominees are out, fan voting opens on TheGameAwards.com, and fans in China can vote through Bilibili. Fan voting closes on Wednesday, December 9 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET, the night before the show.
The Game Awards Comes To Roblox
The Roblox announcement is the second new platform for the show this week. On December 10, The Game Awards will stream live in Roblox, and fans aged 18 and up will be able to watch, vote and interact live alongside the broadcast. The show has not yet shared how the Roblox experience will work, saying only that “more details” are coming soon.
The day before, The Game Awards confirmed that the ceremony will also stream live on Disney+ for the first time. With Roblox added, the show will be available on Disney+, Roblox, YouTube and the other platforms it has streamed on in past years.
How The Nominees Are Chosen
According to the show’s official FAQ, nominees in most categories are picked by an international jury of more than 100 media and influencer outlets. Each outlet fills out a confidential, unranked ballot with its top 5 choices in each category, and the 5 games that appear on the most ballots become the nominees. If there is a tie, 6 or more nominees are announced in that category. Separate juries handle categories such as esports, accessibility and best adaptation.
Winners are decided by a blended vote, with the jury counting for 90% and the public fan vote for 10%. Keighley is not part of the jury and does not vote, and developers and publishers learn the nominees and winners at the same time as the public.
The Eligibility Cutoff
To be eligible this year, games must be commercially available on or before Friday, November 20 at 9 PM PT, which is midnight ET. For the Players’ Voice category, games must ship on or before November 30. Expansions, DLC, remakes and remasters are eligible if the jury judges the new work to be worth a nomination, and games released in earlier years can be nominated if they received new content or updates.
The cutoff falls one day after Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, which puts Rockstar’s game inside this year’s window. The launch details are covered in GTA VI Is Less Than 1 Week Away: Launch Times, Pre-Load Size And Every Event Before It Arrives.
When The Show Airs
The Game Awards 2026 takes place on Thursday, December 10 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with the opening act starting at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT. Awards season has already started elsewhere, as covered in The Witcher 3 Becomes The Most-Awarded Game In Golden Joysticks History As The Witcher 4 Wins Most Wanted.
Which game do you expect to lead The Game Awards 2026 nominations when they are revealed on November 17?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.