GTA 6: Award-Winning Trailer Even Before Launch? Seriously?

Okay, so the GTA 6 trailer is already nominated for awards? Before the game is even out? I’m calling shenanigans. Don’t get me wrong, I'm as hyped as the next gamer for the next installment of Grand Theft Auto. But let’s be real, haven’t we learned our lesson about pre-release hype trains?

The trailer, a tiny glimpse of what Rockstar Games is cooking, got nominated for not one, but two Golden Joystick Awards in 2025: Best Game Trailer and Most Wanted Game. Seriously? Best Game Trailer? Haven’t we seen, like, ten bazillion game trailers? What makes this one so damn special before we even know if the game lives up to the hype?

Look, I get it. The internet exploded when that thing dropped. Everyone collectively lost their minds. But awards? Before gameplay? That’s just… premature.

• Golden Joystick Awards: Nominating the GTA 6 trailer.
• Categories: Best Game Trailer and Most Wanted Game.
• My Reaction: Utter skepticism.

And sure, fan votes are going to decide the winner. But come on, Grand Theft Auto has a fanbase the size of a small country. They could nominate a blank screen with the words GTA 6 on it, and it would probably win. So, what does this nomination really mean? Absolutely nothing. Marketing fluff. Nothing more.

But here's the thing. Does the trailer look good? Yeah, sure. The visuals are crisp. Vice City is vibrant. The character models are… detailed. We all saw it. It's pretty. But award winning pretty? I remain unconvinced. Plus...are these awards even relevant anymore? In the age of the internet influencer awards?

And most wanted game? Well, duh. Is there any game not made by Nintendo that's more anticipated? Probably not. I'd wager that GTA 6 could be a gardening simulator and it would still be the most wanted game.

So, let's break this down. What did the trailer show us?

• A return to Vice City: Nostalgia bait, but effective.
• Two protagonists: A Bonnie and Clyde-esque duo? Intriguing.
• Better graphics: Expected. It's been a decade.

That’s it. Really. It’s a tease. A well-produced, expertly marketed tease. So why the immediate crowning? Where’s the critical analysis? The understanding of how other marketing efforts are being overlooked because of this one goliath of a marketing campaign?

Actually, I remember the second trailer, that's where they went ham with visuals. But then Rockstar Games had to come out and say it was running on current hardware. Which I’m interpreting as damage control. Don't worry, your old consoles can handle this... probably! It’s all just smoke and mirrors until we actually get our hands on the game. Remember Cyberpunk 2077? Yeah, me too.

Now, GTA 6 is apparently up against Battlefield something-or-other and Kingdom Come Deliverance II in the trailer category. Respect to those games, but let's be frank, they don't stand a chance against the Grand Theft Auto marketing machine. And there's the rub. It's not about the quality of the trailer. It's about the brand.

Look, I'm not saying GTA 6 is going to be bad. I'm hoping it's amazing. I want to get lost in Vice City for hundreds of hours. I want to experience a compelling story and engaging gameplay. But I'm not going to blindly accept the hype. I'm going to wait and see. I'm going to reserve my judgment until I've actually played the game.

Because, at the end of the day, that's all that matters. The game itself. Not the trailers. Not the awards. Just the game. So, let’s all take a deep breath, step away from the hype train, and wait to see if GTA 6 actually deserves all the praise it's getting before it even launches. Otherwise, we're just handing out trophies for potential, and that's a dangerous game.

I'll be waiting. And skeptical.