Noun
stage of the game (plural stages of the game)
(idiomatic) A point in the progress of an ongoing dispute or process.
At that stage of the game it was too late for diplomacy.
I never bought the commercial thing, at any stage of the game. Van Morrison
That is the thing I'm most grateful for in this industry to be able to spin in those different mediums, with television, film and the stage - at this stage of the game. Blair Underwood