Grand Theft Auto 6was, for quite a long time, expected to dominate the charts and awards season in 2025. That was, of course, until its rather expected delay into 2026, freeing up the GOTY award for the likes ofClair Obscur: Expedition 33andSouth of Midnight- among many more - most of which wouldn’t have had a chance of winning had they gone up againstGTA 6. However, now it is 2026’s problem, and there are a lot of games releasing that year that look deserving of the award, even from a cursory glance.
Of course, many will immediately point to007 First Lightas a GOTY contender, and rightfully so. It looks incredibly interesting, a huge win for fans of the original books and the films, and is also coming from the prestigious developer, IO Interactive. However,another, perhaps lesser-known title also has a chance to benefit fromGTA 6’snew release date, one that may not appeal to everyone, and likely has flown under most people’s radars, but, nevertheless, looks creative, weird, and interesting enough to nab the GOTY win from underGTA 6’snose.
Pragmata Could Be 2026’s GOTY
It Is Finally Coming Out
It has been an extremely long wait forPragmata, but it seems like it is finally here. Capcom’s mysterious new IP got its first trailer during the PlayStation 5 showcase all the way back in 2020, almost five years ago. The developer then confirmed that it was scheduled to release in 2022, before announcing for the first time thatPragmatawas delayed. Of course, at the time, it was only pushed back a year to 2023, but that obviously never transpired. In fact, as the game’s latest trailer, titled First Contact, reveals, it was pushed back a whopping four years.
Pragmatais now, fingers crossed, scheduled to release in 2026. The First Contact trailer revealed the new release date, which is still rather ambiguous as it just says 2026, by slowly unveiling the year on a piece of paper, below which reads “it’s real XD.” However, while many may be a little put off by numerous and lengthy delays,there’s something rather reassuring about Capcom specifically givingPragmataso much time in the metaphorical oven. In fact, that is what makes me believe it could be 2026’s GOTY.
While we don’tknow everything aboutPragmata, Capcom’s recent track record of incredible releases, ranging fromMonster Hunter WildsandDragon’s Dogma 2to smaller games likeKunitsu-Gami, points toPragmatalikely being a success.The developer clearly believes in it as a project, or else it likely would have canceled itso many years ago, which fills me with a lot of confidence in it, too. After all, a game about walking around with a robot girl on your back hacking enemies feels too niche to invest all that time in without truly believing in it.
It Looks Incredibly Inventive & Suitably Weird
Of course, what really excites me aboutPragmatais its overall vibe. More specifically,Pragmatafeels like the perfect blend betweenDeath StrandingandDead Space, not least because the protagonist, Hugh’s astronaut suit feels awfully reminiscent of Kojima Productions' mascot. The strange atmosphere of both the initial trailer and the atmosphere of the space station it takes place in definitely evokes theeerie vibes ofDeath Stranding, as do the game’s cinematic qualities and focus on technology.
Naturally, wandering around a space station fighting enemies feels akin to the experienceDead Spaceoffers, although, fortunately, at least for me, it looks a lot less scary. Either way,that’s an extremely interesting combination, one that could result in a truly groundbreaking experience, especially if Capcom manages to pull offPragmata’smore experimental gameplay offerings. The focus on hacking as a form of combat definitely looks unique, and while we’ve seen this style of pairing before, Hugh and Diana look like compelling enough characters from the little we’ve seen so far.
Whether all of this ends up being enough to dethroneGTA 6remains to be seen. After all, its developers are already promising thatGTA 6will exceed expectationswhen it eventually releases. I know which of the two I’d rather play, even ifGrand Theft Auto 6will be a significant moment in gaming history, but then I tend to have rather niche tastes in gaming. However, I do feel that with Capcom’s current streak of releasing incredible games, coupled with its penchant for creativity,Pragmatacould end up being a more unique experience, at the very least.
GTA 6 Has A Lot Of Competition In 2026
007 First Light, Gears Of War E-Day & Fable
Pragmataisn’t the only impressive competition thatGrand Theft Auto 6faces in 2026. It very much feels likeGTA 6has jumped from the frying pan and into the fire when it comes to the level of quality it is surrounded by. 2025 has so far offered some ofgaming’s best RPGsas well as a handful of genuine surprises, and there’s plenty more to come.2026 similarly has a relatively stacked slatein pretty much every category and genre, especially when it comes to first-party offerings from Xbox.
While little can compare to the scope ofGrand Theft Auto 6,I’m a firm believer that the GOTY award shouldn’t just go to the biggest game of the year.GTA 6will fit that category, and I’m sure it’ll get a lot right, especially when it comes to delivering a technically impressive open world that’s immersive. However, there are a lot of experimental titles that look like they’ll be the best in their genre coming out in 2026, that could end up doing more or delivering on their audacious ambitions in a way thatGTA 6can’t.
That’s not to say thatGrand Theft Auto 6isn’t an ambitious game, as it is. Rather,Grand Theft Auto 6is being built upon a formula that has worked well for Rockstar for decades. Its world will be more alive, vibrant, and dynamic, but it’s being built by a team that has made lively, vibrant, and dynamic open worlds for years. That isn’t to discount the impressive work Rockstar has done onGTA 6, rather to explain that I feel theGame of the Year award should celebrate projects that do more than simply build upon a winning formula.
I don’t know whether that will bePragmata,007 First Light, or the many amazingupcoming Xbox gamesthat look set to make 2026 one of the best years for gaming in a long while. Regardless, I’m excited about 2026’s impressive lineup of video games, no matter what wins the ultimately inconsequential GOTY award. We will all have our own GOTY at the end of the year, and while mine is unlikely to beGrand Theft Auto 6, I’m sure I’ll still be blown away by its many incredible achievements while enjoying my weird, experimental titles likePragmata.
