It's been a long time since the U.S. held complete sway over voting in The Game Awards. In 2024 and 2025, American outlets took up just 24 seats on an international jury of more than 130. Since the awards began in 2014, there's been a consistent trend of internationalization as the jury has expanded.
Even so, the U.S. has consistently had by far the biggest presence of any single country on the jury — at least 10 more votes than any other nation. This week, as well as confirming details such as the eligibility cutoff date (yes, as predicted, Grand Theft Auto 6 sneaks in just under the wire), The Game Awards has revealed the composition of the 2026 jury. And the biggest change is the dramatically reduced presence of U.S. media.
There are now just 17 American outlets on the jury, a big drop compared to previous years. At the same time, the U.K. — always the second-biggest power in Game Awards voting — has increased its votes from 14 to 17, drawing level with the U.S. for the first time. At first, this seems like a symbolic shift, rather than one that will have a meaningful impact on the nominations and winners at the awards.
After all, the gaming cultures of the U.S. and U.K. are pretty similar, give or take a FIFA or a Madden. But if you zoom in on the changes to the American voting body, and zoom out to consider changes elsewhere in the jury, it starts to look more significant. The other story this year is the emergence of a third power in Game Awards voting: Brazil, which has increased its footprint by four outlets and now commands 14 votes, just a whisker behind the British and Americans.
This is part of a continuing surge in jury members from Latin American countries, which now make up around 21% of the jury. Meanwhile, the Anglophone voting bloc of the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia is on the wane; the influence of East and Southeast Asia has dropped slightly (China has just three votes); and mainland Europe has consolidated the big increase in jury membership it made last year, now closely rivaling the English-language media by 27% to 28% of the jury, respectively. A weekly cheat sheet to what you’ll eventually love to play.
No buying, no commitment — just saving for later. Why did the number of American outlets on the jury drop so sharply? The story here is a mass exodus of mainstream, lifestyle, and tech media.
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