How The Game Awards Picks GOTY Nominees and Winner

Updated 8 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

The Game Awards selects its Game of the Year (GOTY) nominees through a jury process, then combines jury ballots with a public vote to determine the winner. You do not need anything to follow the process, but the exact jury membership and voting details can change from year to year.

What You’ll Need

The eligibility and voting information for the relevant year, published by The Game Awards.
A distinction between the jury vote and the public vote: the public participates, but it does not choose the nominees by itself.

Step-by-Step

Check which year’s rules you mean. The Game Awards is an annual event, and eligibility dates, participating outlets, voting arrangements, and category details may be updated. Look for that year’s official announcement rather than assuming that an older description applies unchanged.
Understand the eligibility window. Games must meet the eligibility conditions for the edition in question, including its release-period rules. The precise cutoff and any treatment of releases such as early access, expansions, or versions on new platforms should be checked in the current rules. A game being popular or widely discussed does not automatically make it eligible.
Recognize the role of the jury. The Game Awards identifies a jury made up of media outlets and other voting organizations. These jurors assess eligible games and submit ballots. The jury is not the same thing as the audience voting online, and a game’s sales or player count is not, by itself, the nomination or winner formula.
Follow the nomination round. Jury members consider the eligible releases and cast their votes for category nominees. For Game of the Year, the selected titles become the announced shortlist. The public generally does not nominate games through a popularity poll; the jury determines the nominees under that year’s process.
Read the nominee announcement as a shortlist, not a ranking. Being nominated means a game made the category’s final group. The order in which nominees are shown should not be treated as a ranking unless the official announcement explicitly says so. The shortlist also does not mean every eligible game was considered equally by every juror.
Cast a public vote if the year’s process offers one. The Game Awards provides an official voting route for audience participation. Follow the instructions on its current site, use the eligible categories and titles shown there, and submit before the stated deadline. The public vote contributes to the final outcome, but does not replace the jury ballot.
Combine the two parts of the decision. The commonly stated format is that jury votes account for 90% and the public vote for 10% of the final result. Treat this as the published weighting for editions where The Game Awards confirms it; consult that year’s official explanation if the rules have changed or if you need precise details about ballot counting.
Wait for the live winner announcement. The game with the highest final result is named Game of the Year during the ceremony. The announcement is the result of the combined process, not simply the title with the most public votes. Other categories have their own nominees and results.
Use official sources to verify the outcome. Check The Game Awards’ official nominee list, voting information, and ceremony announcement. News coverage can help explain the process, but social posts, prediction lists, and fan polls are not official results.

Common Mistakes

Assuming the public chooses all nominees. Public voting is a separate part of the process; the jury selects the category shortlist.
Calling the result a straight popular vote. Under the commonly published 90/10 format, the jury’s share is much larger. A public poll elsewhere does not establish the official winner.
Treating eligibility as automatic. Release timing and other rules matter. Check the relevant year’s cutoff instead of relying on a game’s announcement date or launch on one particular platform.
Confusing jury members with individual fans. The voting organizations are part of the jury process. A journalist’s public opinion or an audience poll should not be mistaken for the complete jury tally.
Assuming every detail is permanent. Do not present one year’s dates, membership, or mechanics as universal rules. The current edition’s official materials are the best source.

Tips

When explaining the result, separate three stages: eligibility, jury-selected nominees, and the final combined vote.
Use the wording and figures published for the particular ceremony. If the 90/10 weighting is not confirmed for that edition, describe the jury and public as participating without asserting a precise percentage.
Check the official voting page before directing readers to vote. Deadlines, available categories, and submission instructions are time-sensitive.
Remember that award outcomes reflect the award’s process and voters. They are not an objective measurement of every player’s preferences or a universal ranking of games.

Troubleshooting

The game you expected is missing from the nominees: Check whether it met the current eligibility window and whether it appears in the official category list. Eligibility does not guarantee nomination; the jury chooses a limited shortlist.

You cannot find a voting button or category: Confirm that voting is open for the current edition and use The Game Awards’ official voting page. The voting period may have ended, or a category may not be available through the audience ballot.

Your vote will not submit: Follow the page’s sign-in and submission instructions, check that you selected from the listed nominees, and try again using the official site. If voting has closed, do not rely on third-party polls as substitutes.

Sources give different percentages or rules: Compare their dates and look for the official explanation for that year’s ceremony. Older articles may accurately describe an earlier edition but not a later one.

A prediction disagrees with the winner: Predictions and fan polls are not the official tally. Verify the result against the ceremony announcement and distinguish public sentiment from the combined jury-and-audience process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who chooses The Game Awards GOTY nominees?
The voting jury selects the nominees from games eligible under that year’s rules. The audience vote is a separate part of the process.

Does the public decide the Game of the Year winner?
The public contributes a vote, but does not decide the result alone. The commonly stated weighting is 90% jury and 10% public, subject to confirmation for the relevant edition.

How many Game of the Year nominees are there?
The number can vary by edition. Check the official nominee announcement for the year you mean rather than assuming a fixed count.

Can a popular game miss out on a nomination?
Yes. Popularity does not guarantee eligibility or a nomination, and the jury selects the shortlist.

Where can I vote for the winner?
Use the official voting page when voting is open. Check The Game Awards’ current announcement for the deadline and instructions.

Is the 90/10 split guaranteed every year?
It is the commonly published weighting, but confirm the rules for the specific ceremony. Voting details can change.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.