Steam Awards Confusion: You Can Vote for GTA 5, but Not for GTA Online
OPla G
yesterday 21:30
15
0Today marks the start of the 10th annual Steam Awards 2025 vote for the year’s best video games in the biggest PC digital store, and users are now choosing their favorites across 11 different categories. They’ll have a week to do so — until 6 PM UTC / 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT on December 1. Games that gather the most nominations move on to the finals, where the winners will be selected during the Winter Sale (starting in about a month). The final results will be announced after the New Year — on January 3.
Because of a quirk in the rules this year, GTA 5 can technically compete for 8 out of the 11 awards, including the main one (Game of the Year). How did that happen? With the release of the Enhanced version in March, its launch date was updated — which means it’s eligible for voting again. But it’s unlikely many people will actually vote for it; back in 2016, GTA V already swept the awards.
It’s funny that if you enjoy GTA Online and believe it deserves the Labor of Love award (for best ongoing support of a project released more than a year ago), you won’t be able to vote for it. Once again, because it is formally considered a release of the current year. You can vote for older Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead entries here, though honestly, they don’t deserve it — the developers haven’t done anything meaningful with them.
And the oddities don’t end there. In the same categories as GTA 5, the paid GTA+ subscription may also appear. It’s listed as a separate app on Steam, so it shows up in the nomination lists, which still aren’t moderated before publishing. Just remember the incident with the Best Soundtrack for RDR 1.
It’s good that at least we can cast a vote for Mafia: The Old Country. The developers are hoping to take home the award for Outstanding Story-Rich Game.
It’s funny that if you enjoy GTA Online and believe it deserves the Labor of Love award (for best ongoing support of a project released more than a year ago), you won’t be able to vote for it. Once again, because it is formally considered a release of the current year. You can vote for older Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead entries here, though honestly, they don’t deserve it — the developers haven’t done anything meaningful with them.
And the oddities don’t end there. In the same categories as GTA 5, the paid GTA+ subscription may also appear. It’s listed as a separate app on Steam, so it shows up in the nomination lists, which still aren’t moderated before publishing. Just remember the incident with the Best Soundtrack for RDR 1.
It’s good that at least we can cast a vote for Mafia: The Old Country. The developers are hoping to take home the award for Outstanding Story-Rich Game.
