GTA 6’s First Big GOTY Competition Launches Next Month

If you thought the hype around Hollow Knight: Silksong was grandiose, you might not be prepared for what is about to transpire with Grand Theft Auto 6. It's unlikely that any game will be more highly anticipated than Grand Theft Auto 6 in the near future, besides maybe Red Dead Redemption 3, and it could be the easiest shoo-in for Game of the Year in a while.

At the same time, Hollow Knight: Silksong might have also been considered a no-brainer Game of the Year winner in 2025, had it not been for the sudden and profound success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It;s too early to say if a comparable upset will occur this year, but if any game has any likelihood of dethroning Grand Theft Auto 6 as a possible Game of the Year winner, it's Pearl Abyss’s Crimson Desert.

GTA 6 Had No Equal Rival In 2026… Until Now

2026 has some unique heavy hitters, whether they are legacy sequels and remakes from well-established franchises or a brand-new IP that is distinguished by its ingenuity. Sticking only to confirmed release dates, that list is already long.

• Resident Evil Requiem, the ninth mainline installment in the survival horror series, is scheduled to be released on February 27, 2026.
• Replaced, a cyberpunk thriller action-platformer, is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2026.
• 1348 Ex Voto, a medieval action game featuring a female knight as its lead, is scheduled to be released on March 12, 2026.
• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection, the third entry in the turn-based sub-franchise, is scheduled to be released on March 13, 2026.
• Crimson Desert, an open-world fantasy action-adventure game, is scheduled to be released on March 19, 2026.
• Pragmata, a sci-fi action-adventure game, is scheduled to be released on April 24, 2026.
• 007 First Light, an original James Bond prequel narrative in the style of Hitman’s improvisational stealth-action gameplay, is scheduled to be released on May 27, 2026.
• Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred, the ARPG dungeon-crawler’s second expansion DLC, is scheduled to be released on April 28, 2026.
• LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, a celebration of all things Batman flavored with LEGO’s signature humor, is scheduled to be released on May 29, 2026.

On this list alone, the only conceivable competitors to Grand Theft Auto 6 in terms of fans’ excitement are LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and Crimson Desert. But while LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight was an early contender when it was revealed at gamescom Opening Night Live 2025, it’s perhaps not realistic to assume it could actually surpass some players’ expectations enough to deem it more worthy of being 2026’s Game of the Year.

Crimson Desert, however, has slowly crept into view and astounded with every new detail shared about its gameplay. Of course, becoming a legitimate contender for Game of the Year in the same year as Grand Theft Auto 6 is no small task.

Fortunately for Pearl Abyss, Crimson Desert is being released in roughly a month, which will put it and Grand Theft Auto 6 at arm’s length. Crimson Desert certainly doesn’t have the same amount of blind hype enveloping it now as Grand Theft Auto 6 does, but it will be exciting to see if it can satisfy players with the degree of polish and richness that it has casually proposed.

​​​​​​​Crimson Desert Looks Like A Titan Of A Game

It seems impossible to describe Crimson Desert succinctly due to how many novel, fascinating mechanics and features have been revealed for it. It's promising a boundless sense of exploration as an open-world sandbox experience, even as an action-adventure title, and there are also three playable characters — one-upping Grand Theft Auto 6’s two protagonists, no less.

Crimson Desert is so packed with systems that it has prompted fans to question whether it is “too good to be true,” and it's hitting all the right notes in order to be the culmination of all the open-world fantasy games players have adored for the past few decades. If it truly looks and plays as advertised thus far, it’ll simultaneously be The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and Final Fantasy 16.

It even has hints of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises, including a Wanted-esque reputation system of its own. The cherries on top, then, are that Crimson Desert uses Pearl Abyss’ proprietary engine, looks ludicrously gorgeous with unbelievable levels of draw distance, and contains no microtransactions. Hopefully, this could all be a dream come true.

Can GTA 6 Fulfill Its Own Hype?

If Crimson Desert’s gameplay delivers, it’ll put pressure on Grand Theft Auto 6 to do the same. Plus, because Crimson Desert is a brand-new IP with fewer built-in expectations, it arguably has more room to fail, though a complete failure may blemish the IP and its potential to blossom. Meanwhile, there are incredibly high expectations for Grand Theft Auto 6 to meet as a sequel to the second-best-selling game of all time, which is also nearly 13 years old.

There are nine months left for Grand Theft Auto 6 to gestate before it reaches its release date, and it’s anyone’s guess how many more trailers or dedicated marketing materials will be publicly released in that period. Additionally, how Grand Theft Auto 6 performs could have an effect on how future Grand Theft Auto games are tackled, regardless of whether it is another eight or so years until we receive a new Grand Theft Auto.

Nonetheless, Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date will be a massive day for the game industry, and its sales and reception are sure to reflect that. If nothing else, it will be terrific to see how two titans as big as Crimson Desert and Grand Theft Auto 6 fare individually, as they both already seem like they have what it takes to be guaranteed Game of the Year contenders.