Crimson Desert "could" challenge GTA 6 for Game of the Year, claims Grand Theft Auto 5 dev – but only if Rockstar "drop the ball"

GTA 6 Lucia — (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Now that Crimson Desert reviews have gone public and players are hours away from getting their own hands on it, folks can't help but share their thoughts on the new Pearl Abyss RPG – including one former Rockstar Games developer.

Mike York, whose animation credits include titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, believes Crimson Desert is good enough to stand as Game of the Year in 2026 – but only if it manages to snag the spot from Grand Theft Auto 6 somehow, that is.

Speaking in a new video on YouTube covering Crimson Desert, he admits, "This could become Game of the Year. And the reason for that is because of how much you can get lost in this game."

He continues: "And it really is a contender when it comes to all the cool stuff that this game has to offer." A win for Crimson Desert might not be so easy, though. "Now, that being said," as York states, "it would have to beat out GTA 6, right? If it gets released this year, and if GTA 6 gets released this year, they [Rockstar] would have to probably drop the ball, and the story would have to be crap."

I'd argue that's not very likely myself, however.

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York isn't so sure, though – but he does think there'd have to be a reason "for people to hate the game [GTA 6] for this game [Crimson Desert] to end up taking the spot and be game of the year."

But, "it does have the capability of doing that," according to York. "Like, if GTA 6 wasn't here at all this year," Crimson Desert "would take probably Game of the Year." It's tough to say what will end up happening, really.

After all, Crimson Desert releases today, whereas GTA 6 is still months away – if it launches in November as it's scheduled to, that is.

Considering all of the hype that the Rockstar game has built up over the last 12 years or so since GTA 5, I wouldn't be surprised if it took the Game of the Year title in a landslide win, honestly… but, as our own Crimson Desert review puts it, the new Pearl Abyss gem harbors many "elements of genius and wonder," too.

Need something else to look forward to with GTA 6 still underway? Browse through our big roundup of the best new games coming this year and beyond for more.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.