Since the announcement of GTA 6 has been delayed until May 26, 2026. In its absence, there could be a surprise frontrunner for the coveted title at The Game Awards 2025, which will take place on December 11. There have been a lot of critically well-received games so far this year, but it one game might be getting more attention than the others.
In a Reddit post by --clapped--, fans are speculating that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is now the most likely to take home Game of the Year for 2025. --clapped-- saw GTA 6 as the only major competitor for Expedition 33, saying: "And I think this [GTA 6] was the only game standing in the way of Expedition 33." Humble-Criticism6762 felt that Expedition 33's quality would have made it a contender, even against GTA 6, saying: "To be honest, I thought it had a huge chance even if GTA6 did release in 2025."
Clair Obscur Leads The 2025 GOTY Options
A Surprise Hit
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 recently took over the sleeper hit Blue Prince to become the Mario Kart World's $80 price tag.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Hits Impressive Number Of Copies Sold ("Not Players") Within Hours Of Release
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has sured a major milestone, and fans are praising it for its success while making jabs at a bigger studio.
The game has sold well despite being released the same week The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered was announced and shadow-dropped, moving Oblivion remaster might have helped the game by drawing attention to two quality RPGs in the same week. It's also available on Xbox Game , but that clearly hasn't stopped people from purchasing the title individually.
It's Still Too Early To Predict GOTY 2025
Despite The Love For Expedition 33, It's Too Early To Be Talking About GOTY
Despite the ionate love for Expedition 33, it's too early to predict a Game of the Year for 2025 in any awards show. A lot of great games have been released this year so far, like Monster Hunter Wilds, Split Fiction, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Blue Prince, and several others. We now have an earlier release date for Borderlands 4 than originally announced, as well as an October 2 release date for Ghost of Yotei, the highly-anticipated follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, so there is a lot to come still for 2025.
Still, despite the mixed reactions to GTA 6 getting delayed, fans seem to have a lot to look forward to this year. And given how Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 came out of virtually nowhere for a lot of people, there could still be several surprises in store for the rest of the year. In any case, Grand Theft Auto 6 leaving 2025 might give more opportunities for other games to shine, like Expedition 33 has, and that could be quite exciting.
Source: --clapped--/Reddit, Humble-Criticism6762/Reddit
Grand Theft Auto 6
- Released
- May 26, 2026
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Prequel(s)
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- May 26, 2026
Grand Theft Auto VI is an installment in Rockstar Games' wildly successful franchise. Set in a new location after the events of Grand Theft Auto V, VI will see players arrive in a new sprawling city where they can explore the world they want while completing various story and side quests while taking whatever vehicles players desire.
