While 2026 has been a stacked year for incredible video games, 2027 may surprise us with its known releases and surprises yet to come. We may not get something as big as Grand Theft Auto 6, but don’t be surprised when 2027’s Game of the Year nominations get tough to narrow down. With 2026 coming to a close, here are five games that could very likely win GOTY in 2027.
God of War Laufey
With God of War winning GOTY in 2018 at The Game Awards, and God of War Ragnarok nearly taking the crown again in 2022, it’s an easy bet that God of War Laufey will be nominated for GOTY in 2027. Getting released on February 16, 2027, it leaves a lot of room for other games later in the year to take the spotlight, but Sony Santa Monica knows what it’s doing.
God of War Laufey will likely bring us an emotional, epic tale, alongside action-packed gameplay in a continuously expanding world. We will get our hands on this game in just four months, jumpstarting 2027 as an unforgettable year in gaming.
Kingdom Hearts 4
All we know so far is that Kingdom Hearts 4 is being released sometime in late 2027, and it’s likely to pull at our heartstrings just as much as the past games. The Kingdom Hearts franchise is beloved by fans across the world, and although no past Kingdom Hearts title has been nominated for GOTY at TGA, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the fourth entry pop up in GOTY conversations.
If Kingdom Hearts 4 doesn’t get pushed to 2028, it will have been eight years since the previous entry in the series came out. That’s a lot of time that Square Enix has gotten to cook on this mashup of Final Fantasy and Disney, so it would be a shock to see it disappoint us.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation
The third and final entry in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy is only half a year away, and it’ll be a bittersweet end. Both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth were nominated for GOTY at the TGAs in their respective years, so we can expect Revelation to show up on 2027’s roster.
It will likely be nominated, and the fact that it’s the trilogy's conclusion could give it a better chance of winning overall. That depends on how other games in 2027 stack up, but Final Fantasy 7 Revelation will make a splash next Spring and set a precedent for future Final Fantasy remakes.
Pokémon Winds and Waves
Getting any newer-generation Pokémon game to get nominated for GOTY would be a feat in itself, but the chances of Pokémon Winds and Waves being one of the best, if not the best, Pokémon games of all time are higher than you think. Game Freak has had a lot more time to cook on Winds and Waves compared to previous entries.
If it ends up being released in 2027, that will make it five years between two mainline Pokémon games. This could finally be the Pokémon game that steps up everything, whether it’s visuals, gameplay, or story. Don’t be surprised if you catch Winds and Waves on people’s GOTY lists in 2027 for these reasons.
Fable
The last game that you will likely see nominated for GOTY in 2027 is Fable. The previous mainline Fable game came out in 2010, and now that Playground Games’ Fable game is set to be released on February 23, 2027, the hype is higher than ever before.
Playground Games is no stranger to making high-quality games, as its Forza racing games always receive critical acclaim. Although Fable is an entirely different beast, from everything we’ve seen of this open-world fantasy game, we’re all in for a wild ride.
With all this talk of 2027 games, be sure to check out the five games Capcom should remake after Resident Evil Veronica.
