Although 2026 has already seen the release of some excellent games, with many more on the way, Grand Theft Auto 6 is poised to dominate the gaming year in terms of sales, as the game's double delay did not dampen the excitement surrounding the highly anticipated next entry in the series.
The next entry in the popular series is not the only open-world game launching this year, and of them, Pearl Abyss' Crimson Desert could be the Game of the Year if, by any chance, Grand Theft Auto 6 ends up failing, according to a former Rockstar Games animator.
"This game, this could be Game of the Year, okay. Mark my words," former GTA V and God of War Ragnarok animator Mike York stated in a recent breakdown of Crimson Desert’s features. "And the reason for that is because of how much you can get lost in this game... it really is a contender when it comes to all the cool stuff all this game kind of has to offer."
"If GTA VI drops the ball, this could be Game of the Year," York added during the recent analysis. "If GTA VI wasn't here at all this year, this (Crimson Desert) would probably take Game of the Year, from what it looks like."
Clearly, there's a lot that is still unknown about Crimson Desert, especially how such a diverse set of features and mechanics will come together, and if the game's story will be memorable. However, from what has been seen so far, Mike York feels cautiously optimistic about the game, especially regarding its physics-based interactivity and mechanical depth, with an impressive level of detail in the world-building. Coming from someone with an impressive resume who has worked on some of the best games ever, this sounds like some very high praise.
Grand Theft Auto 6 failing to make room for Crimson Desert, however, is a gigantic if. "Please tell me when Rockstar dropped the ball in any of their games," said CellSaga21 on Reddit, echoing a widespread community sentiment: Rockstar Games rarely misses.
Others, however, pointed out that while Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 were technical marvels, they weren't without flaws at launch, so Crimson Desert may still have a chance, however small, to become 2026's Game of the Year if its diverse mechanics form a cohesive and highly immersive whole.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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