The biggest fighting game tournament series in the world returns once more to the Las Vegas Convention Center, this time from June 26 to 28. And this time, not only are there 12 games featured in the event’s main lineup, but there is a minimum guaranteed prize pool of $500,000 across all titles.

We are breaking down key details for all twelve games featured on the main lineup, if you want to dive a bit deeper into a specific scene ahead of the action.

Street Fighter 6

For the third straight year, Street Fighter 6 is the biggest game at Evo Las Vegas, headlining the event with 2,414 players ready to battle it out in Las Vegas from June 26 to 28. That means top players from around the world will gather, hoping to live up to last year’s incredible turnout, which saw MenaRD claim yet another Evo title over Kakeru.

Where are we on the World Stage?

Heading into its fourth year at the event, Street Fighter 6 is the biggest game at Evo 2026, with a final total of 2,414 players.

Street Fighter 6 is about to enter its fourth year on the World Stage, recently announcing its Year 4 content lineup, which includes three new fighters joining the game’s roster alongside Final Fantasy VI’s Tifa Lockheart. We just saw a full reveal for Yasmine, who will release on Aug. 3.

As it stands, Evo 2026 will be the biggest SF6 event held with the latest DLC fighter, Ingrid, legal to use. The “extradimensional woman of mystery” released on May 28 and hasn’t stuck at a major event despite bringing a teleporting zoner to the roster, with her best placement being at the hands of Punk, who won CPT 2026 World Warrior: US-Canada East #1 on June 13.

If you are looking at how the last season of DLC is stacking up in the current version of the game, C. Viper and Sagat have also popped at the top of recent events, but the spread of characters winning it all remains a relatively healthy spread. Just at recent CPT events, Manon, Mai, Ed, Kimberly, M. Bison, Alex, Cami, Ryu, and Akuma have all taken wins. Kimberly is the only solo character to have won more than one of those, claiming four of the 12 events hosted on June 13 and 14.

If you want to use character data from the game itself, the top five characters used in Master Rank are Akuma, Ryu, Alex, Ken, and Juri—though the fifth spot is heavily contested by Sagat and JP jumps up depending on how close to Grand Master you get, according to Buckler’s Boot Camp.

Don’t forget the top finisher this year will auto-qualify for Capcom Cup 13, and the top two will get invites to the Esports World Cup.

Biggest names to watch in Street Fighter 6 at Evo 2026

When you look at events with more than a few hundred players competing, especially ones with large global entry numbers, you start to lose key points of existing data on matchups for many but the top performers from other tournaments. And that data hasn’t proven to hold up when it comes to consecutive events on the same patch that often, at least for SF6.

Sure, you have examples like MenaRD winning back-to-back Evo Japan titles or Xiaohai doing the same at the Esports World Cup, both doing so in 2024 and 2025. But if you look at major events within the same few months of each other, you rarely see a player claim multiple titles.

Mena probably has one of the best examples of doing so in recent memory, when he won Evo Las Vegas last year less than three months after doing the same at Evo Japan.

This could easily change this year, however, since Evo Las Vegas’ shift to June swapped up what events top players attended over the last several months. Instead of having Combo Breaker and CEO, among other big events, leading into Evo, Evo is splitting the difference. But that doesn’t mean the competition has been taking a break.

Just last week, Mena topped a 300+ player turnout at Blink Respawn 2026, going 10-1 with wins over NoahTheProdigy, Punk, Nephew, and NYChrisG. While he might not have completed the Evo Japan threepeat, his Blanka is entering top form for a run at his fourth Evo win.

At the same time, Punk is staying ready in hopes of earning a second Evo title, following his second place finish at Evo Japan this year up with a third place exit at Blink Respawn and that previously mentioned CPT World Warrior win.

Rounding out the list of previous SF6 Evo champs, AngryBird has been quiet in recent months, but competed in his first major event since Capcom Cup 12 during the CPT 2026 World Warrior: Middle East #1, where he won 3-1 over Big Bird. He might not have entered many events post-EWC last year, but his Akuma is still looking dangerous.

Outside of the previous winners, Xiaohai and Yamaguchi have a chance to claim another Evo title and break that close-event nerf in different ways.

Yamaguchi completed an unprecedented run at Evo Japan this year, going on an undefeated run and claiming his first major title with a 3-1 finals win over Punk. That 13-0 performance included multiple wins over top global players in what is now officially documented a the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS holder for largest single fighting videogame tournament in history 7,168 entrants.

On the other side, Xiaohai is a multi-time Evo champion in other games like King of Fighters and Fatal Fury, but has yet to make it to the top in Street Fighter yet at these events, with his top placements in SF6 being 7th and 9th at Evo Japan and Evo Las Vegas 2024 respectively. After winning Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves at Evo Japan and an SF6 title at Combo Breaker, maybe he will enter his previous EWC-winning form for Evo this year.

If you want a few other interesting players with some recent results to watch heading in, here is some extra data:

Fuudo: 5th at Combo Breaker, 5th at Capcom Cup 12
Higuchi: 5th at Blink Respawn, 3rd at Evo Japan, 4th at Capcom Cup 12
Kobayan: 4th at Dreamhack Birmingham, 1st at Dreamhack Atlanta, 4th at Combo Breaker
Micky: 7th at Combo Breaker, 2nd Dreamhack Birmingham, 5th Capcom Cup 12
NuckleDu: 13th at Combo Breaker, 7th at Evo Japan
Kilzyou: 2nd at Capcom Cup 12, 9th at Evo Japan, 13th at Combo Breaker
Blaz: 3rd at Capcom Cup 12, 13th at Evo Japan
Shuto: 5th at Evo Japan
Leshar: 9th Capcom Cup 12
gachikun: 1st at Dreamhack Birmingham

How to watch Street Fighter 6 at Evo 2026

Much like previous years, the player entry numbers were the main factor in dictating the main event schedule for Evo 2026. This means Street Fighter 6 is going to be the closing game yet again in its sixth Evo appearance—counting the global events.

SF6 will have its finals running in the main arena at the Las Vegas Convention Center, starting at 6:30pm PT on June 28. You can tune in on the Evo Events YouTube channel and the Evo Twitch channel.

TEKKEN 8

Year three and going strong, TEKKEN 8 is in the middle of an intense season of competition with new content that is heating up just in time for Evo 2026 from June 26 to 28 in Las Vegas.

Which fists will fly in TEKKEN 8?

Even before we touch on which players are going to stand out immediately in the field of 1,354, we have to look at the state of the game—and the newest character that will potentially be stepping into the spotlight, Kunimitsu.

Kunimitsu was released as part of TEKKEN 8’s third DLC season on June 1, meaning Evo Las Vegas will be the largest tournament she is legal in to this point. Tetsu, a top German player who will be attending Evo coming off of some very solid placements, including seventh at Evo Japan, already has a tournament under his belt with the new character while using her in tandem with his usual Lidia at Hessen Crash XXIII.

Many top players actually think Kazuya is the biggest riser of the current patch, even though he was already incredibly strong, as shown by iKARi piloting him to win Evo Japan and KEISUKE using him to get second at SOOP Super Tournament 2026. But recent results since the Kunimitsu update still show a spread of fighters getting some love, including Lidia, King, and Victor.

Generally, Japan, South Korea, and Pakistan have the strongest players coming into Evo this year—not that anyone is surprised given the results of recent events and at Evos of the past.

Entering the event, all eyes will be on Arslan Ash, and rightfully so. Even though he has not won many events since winning his third straight Evo Las Vegas TEKKEN title last year, his placements still put him right there with every other top player. He has been trying out several characters while racking up a ninth place finish at Evo Japan, third place at Dreamhack Atlanta, and fourth at Combo Breaker. He also won Evo France 2025, adding to his already mind boggling results in the event series.

Right there with Arslan are Farzeen, ATIF, and Hafiz Tanveer, who have all notched some incredible finishes. Farzeen is currently the hottest of that trio right now, coming off of wins at Combo Breaker and The MIXUP 2026 swapping between Lidia and Victor, but you shouldn’t overlook Hafiz’s Claudio, which broke out at Evo Japan, where he finished third.

Likewise, ATIF has finished second at the last two Evo Las Vegas events, but will the third time be the charm now that he has swapped and brought Bryan into his character pool?

And speaking of Bryan, where does Knee fall into all of this pre-Evo hype? The three-time Evo champion hasn’t made a truly deep run in Las Vegas in the TEKKEN 8 era, but has consistently placed well at other events, including winning Evo Japan 2025 and finishing second at that event this year.

The reigning Evo Japan champ iKARi might be the most interesting rising name to watch in Las Vegas this year, seeing as his recent victory was his first win at a major and he has yet to reach even the top 16 at other tier one events prior to that.

With those names on our TEKKEN Twisted Minds, for lack of a better pun, here are some other players to keep an eye out for as the action is set to kick off.

Mangja: 1st at SOOP Super Tournament 2026, 3rd at Combo Breaker 2026, 2nd at TEKKEN World Tour Finals 2025
Mulgold: 2nd at The MIXUP 2026, 1st at DreamHack Atlanta 2026
Keisuke: 2nd at SOOP Super Tournament 2026, 2nd at DreamHack Atlanta 2026
Rangchu: 4th at The MIXUP 2026, 7th at Combo Breaker 2026
LowHigh: 1st Tekken World Tour Finals 2026
Ulsan: 5th at Evo Japan 2026
NOBI: 3rd at The MIXUP 2026, 9th at Combo Breaker 2026
CherryBerryMango (CBM): 5th at Combo Breaker 2026
Kkokkoma: 4th at DreamHack Atlanta 2026, 2nd at LVL UP EXPO 2026
JoeCrush: 1st at Texas Showdown 2026

How to watch TEKKEN 8 at Evo 2026

TEKKEN is always one of the most entertaining games to watch during pools, so if you are attending Evo in-person this year, make sure to follow the crowds and try to find some interesting matchups to watch at the actual setups.

But if you are more interested in tuning into the Arena Finals or other bigger matches, those will be streamed live on the Evo Events YouTube channel and Evo’s various Twitch channels, or via co-streams from some big content creators. You can check back with Evo or Bandai Namco Esports on socials for more specifics.

The Arena Finals for TEKKEN 8 will begin at 2pm PT on June 28.

Bandai Namco and its partners will also have a strong presence on the showfloor, just like they do every year, so make sure to check out those booths to see what new TEKKEN content is being shown off.

2XKO

There have been plenty of tag fighters featured on the Evo main stage over the years, but none can say that they feature up to four players actually competing against each other at the same time. At least, that was true until 2XKO entered the conversation ahead of its Evo Las Vegas debut from June 26 to 28.

Not quite the Summoner’s Rift you know

Hello to all of the League of Legends players or fans who might be giving Evo a shot this year because the world of Runeterra is featured on the main stage! Coming from a fellow MOBA enjoyer, though I am of the Dota 2 persuasion, fighting games are going to be a much faster but equally micro-driven viewing experience.

2XKO is in a unique place among the Evo 2026 lineup, as it is a unique take on tag fighters that is making its long-awaited debut. It has been featured at multiple Evo events with demos and other side activities, but now we get to see just what Riot Games put together as 1,080 players plan to test their mettle.

The game is also coming off of its biggest post-launch update yet, which added two new Champions, Senna and Thresh, along with multiple new stages and some core adjustments to teamfight mechanics and characters. This includes some “substantial” changes for characters that were seeing the most success, like Ahri.

What to expect out of 2XKO at Evo this year

While we haven’t seen 2XKO at Evo Las Vegas outside of some demo opportunities and showmatch events, we have plenty to go on from other tournaments, including the game’s Evo debut at Evo Japan in May.

So far, the main thing you will want to note is the lack of duo pairs actually competing together at non-2v2 events. We will likely see a number of them appearing for the first time at Evo this year, but only two have truly shown themselves to be top contenders as the game continues to find its footing—that being SonicFox and INZEM out of North America and the ZETA DIVISION duo of twin brothers Haru and Toshi from Japan.

Sonic and INZEM have been competing as a duo since the game launched and have both been very vocal about how viable competing with another player beside you is in the game. They have won two events, including taking Combo Breaker 2026 over Evo Japan champion Hikari, which is currently the most high profile victory for a duo at the then biggest 2XKO tournament ever.

Haru and Toshi, while nowhere near as accomplished in other titles as SonicFox nor INZEM, have also been competing together since the start of 2XKO and have traded sets with the NA-duo at multiple events. Most recently they beat Sonic and INZEM at the 2v2 Red Bull Knockout event, following a 17th place finish at Evo Japan 2026.

So, while there aren’t many other prominent duos out there right now, keep an eye out for players trying the option out at Evo. And shout out to Nyudu and TrueDevin from Germany, who will both be competing in their first Evo and their first tier one event as a duo this weekend.

The talented pool of players tackling the soon-to-be largest 2XKO event yet solo is much deeper, and includes a who’s who of faces coming in from various anime fighters or other tag games. The most notable of which is going to be Hikari, who has been dominating a good chunk of the game’s early lifecycle at big events.

While he did lose at Combo Breaker, taking second is nothing to sneeze at, and he is now one of a select few players to ever have Evo titles in multiple games, pairing his previous Dragon Ball FighterZ medals from Evo 2023 and Evo France 2025 with the 2XKO title from Evo Japan this year. And don’t forget he won the recent DBFZ Masters Showdown too.

Supernoon is also in that tier of constant contenders, having run into the Hikari roadblock on his way to a third place finish at Combo Breaker and second place exit at Evo Japan. But he does have a GENESIS X3 title and has been bootcamping a little bit extra for this event too.

Since we are still in roughly the first six months of 2XKO’s full release, this will be one of several events at Evo this year, alongside games like INVINCIBLE VS, where some surprising players could make deep runs without a lot of existing notoriety. But here are some names to keep an eye out for anyway!

bleed: 1st at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 4th at Evo Japan 2026, 2nd at Texas Showdown 2026
Globo: 4th at Combo Breaker 2026, 3rd at Frosty Faustings XVIII
JakeyTheSnakey: 5th at Combo Breaker, 4th at Texas Showdown
Zane: 5th at Combo breaker 2026, 4th at LVL UP EXPO 2026
Wawa: 3rd at Evo Japan 2026, 4th at The MIXUP 2026
Kayne: 7th at Evo Japan 2026, 5th at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 1st at The MIXUP 2026
Ikoan: 5th at Evo Japan 2026
Leffen: 5th at Evo Japan 2026, 9th at Combo Breaker 2026
poka: 7th at Evo Japan 2026, 1st at SOOP Super Tournament 2026
NYChrisG: 1st at Blink Respawn 2026, 9th at Combo Breaker 2026

How to watch 2XKO at Evo 2026

As the game with the third most entrants at the event, 2XKO will get a prime Arena Finals spot at Evo 2026. It will kick off the third day of action on June 28, with Top 8 matches starting at 10am PT, with streams on the Evo Events YouTube and the main Evo Twitch channel.

If 2XKO is your first entry into Evo or fighting games generally, you should give INVINCIBLE VS or something like Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising while you are tuning in.

Rivals of Aether II

Platform fighters have always been an odd topic when it comes to major fighting game tournaments, and it has been several years since one has managed to make its way onto the Evo main stage. But Rivals of Aether II has done it twice now, and its 2026 appearance is one of the most interesting storylines surrounding the event.

After debuting at Evo 2025 as part of the initial Extended Lineup, Rivals II surprised a lot of people in the FGC by beating out plenty of community classics to claim the top spot with 358 entrants at the time. It became the first platform-style fighting game to make into an Evo main event since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate back at Evo 2019, which still holds the record for the largest Smash Ultimate tournament of all-time.

Just a year later, Aether Studios and offbrand games saw their entry numbers for Rivals II double, breaking 1,000 entrants at Evo 2026 and taking the fourth spot overall on the registration leaderboard, surpassing Guilty Gear -Strive-. And, because of this milestone, the game will get a premier spot in the Arena Finals.

What to expect out of Rivals of Aether II at Evo?

Leading into Evo 2026, Rivals Studios and offbrand games have been heavily supporting the game and its community. From Ludwig covering thousands of dollars in registration fees for competitors to and hosting a major tournament alongside Hungrybox to send some top players out to the event itself, the hype for Rivals of Aether II at Evo started months ago.

In total, there are 1,022 players entered to compete in Rivals II. That is the fourth biggest turnout at Evo this year, and the largest offline event for the game since it first launched in October 2024. The game brings an entirely new dynamic to the Evo main stage, both with how different it is from the other games on the docket and a storied competitive scene dating back to its pixel graphics origins.

If you haven’t seen much about Rivals II, just know it has always had a very dedicated competitive community coming over from other platform fighters and the original game. This includes arguably the greatest player of all-time for the series, CakeAssault, who was recently named the top ranked player in the NA R2CS rankings, which is definitely worth a read if you want to get acquainted with the game’s top talent.

CakeAssault placed third at Evo last year and has finished at the top of plenty of other events, including wins at Let’s Make Big Moves 2026 and his most recent victory at Battle of BC 6. But there is plenty of competition chasing his crown, including Stango, who finished second at Evo last year over him and has top placements with wins over him like Supernova 2025 and Collision 2025, among others like his victory at Rivals II: Road To Vegas.

Oh, and would you look at that last mention, Rongunshu, the third ranked player on this NA R2CS also got a free trip to Evo with his second place finish at Road to Vegas, while also putting up a second place finish at Genesis X3 and Let’s Make Big Moves earlier this year. Online-fiend Sophilo took third at the Vegas event to get her trip covered, and has notched top placements at several events over the last year, including first at CEO 2025.

There are quite a few names in the rising Rivals II lexicon that Smash fans will recognize, including mainstays like Sparg0, who has become a staple top finisher at major events for the game, like a fifth place at Evo 2025 and second place at Supernova 2025.

That doesn’t even touch on the wave or players who have been training to compete in Rivals II at Evo this year but haven’t gone to many events such as Hungrybox, Mang0, Dabuz, and VoiD. Or top talents like Plup, who won the whole thing at Evo last year and pulled his usual stunt of fading away until he wants to compete at the highest level again.

Ez pic.twitter.com/trNWjXg4ja
— Plub (@Plup_Club) August 3, 2025

It also doesn’t mention the international representation we will potentially see making the trip over to compete.

If we are just going off the last few months of big event results, CakeAssault, Sophilo, Stango, Rongunshu, Bbatts, Beastly, Sandstorm, and Ant are the biggest names to watch heading into Evo—but you could have guessed that just by looking at the rankings too. Just be ready for some wild stuff to happen in the game’s biggest event. And I can’t wait to watch many people in the crowd react to the game for the first time, Kragg shenanigans and all.

How to watch Rivals of Aether II at Evo

Just like every other game, Rivals of Aether II will have its pools and other matches streamed live on Evo’s various channels. That includes the Evo Events YouTube channel and the main Evo Twitch channel. It will close out the June 27 Arena Finals schedule with its top eight, which is set to begin at 6pm PT.

And, if you want to contribute a bit to the pot bonus for Rivals II at the event, Aether Studios has a Rivals II x Evo 2026 Compendium available. This features exclusive merch and in-game skins for La Reina and Olympia that you can snag until July 11.

Guilty Gear -Strive-

Guilty Gear -Strive- remains the longest running current title on Evo’s main event stage, as the world’s best players will once again travel to Las Vegas and compete for the game’s eighth Evo championship from June 26 to 28.

Mankind is still not reflecting on themselves

Despite being the longest running title in modern Evo history, with Evo Las Vegas 2026 marking the game’s eighth appearance on the event series’ main stage, Guilty Gear -Strive- is still going strong and recently entered a new era.

GGST itself received a massive overhaul back in April when the game launched its fifth season of content and a full 2.0 for the game, which included the removal of Wild Assault, Counter Blitz being added as a Burst tool, and plenty of other mechanical reworks that completely change how you play -Strive-.

And we can’t forget Jam Kuradoberi finally joining the game’s roster as the first Season Pass 5 DLC fighter, though she hasn’t really seen a big pop yet competitively, QueenKoa did pilot her to a second place finish at CHAIN SHIFT 2026 this weekend and she has appeared in a few Top 8s since her release.

Across the major events since that 2.0 update, we have seen five different characters used by the winners, Ramlethal, Ky, Sol Badguy, Potemkin, and Leo. You can expand that to include Sin and Giovanna for runs where the winning players swapped around.

What to expect out of Guilty Gear -Strive- at Evo 2026

After seven events, across five years, Guilty Gear -Strive- has fallen out of the top four when it comes to total registration numbers at an Evo event. And, while we won’t see quite as many familiar faces since they have moved to compete in other games, that doesn’t mean the competition won’t be just as heated when it comes to who is still bringing their A-game.

We are several months removed from Jack winning the ARC World Tour 2025/26 Finals and the launch of GGST 2.0, which means there is a solid sample size when it comes to player results, and a lot of the names to watch won’t surprise longtime viewers.

Evo 2024 champ NitroNY is coming in hot with multiple top results in the 2.0 era and at larger tournaments last season, winning Combo Breaker over Jack last month, getting revenge for his second place exit at the ARC World Tour Finals. He also made the trip out to Evo Japan, where he placed ninth, following a fourth place finish at Evo France 2025 last October.

Unfortunately, reigning Evo Japan champ Tyurara won’t be competing, but we will see runner-up and constant Evo presence Daru_I-No. He won Evo Japan last year, finished fifth at Evo 2025, and put up top five performances at ARC World Tour and SOOP Super Tournament this year too.

Tatuma will also be returning to compete, and is looking to finally claim his Evo title after two straight years of great results. He fell just short of that big win at Evo 2024 and finished fourth last year, falling to Nitro and RedDitto respectively. He is coming in as another favorite to reach the Top 8 this year after finishing third at the ARC World Tour and recently winning the SOOP Super Tournament.

And, once you win and Evo title you can’t get skipped over when it is your turn to defend it. Right Kshuewhatdamoo?

While he hasn’t competed in many events since winning Evo last August, Kshuewhatdamoo has remained a top player at every tournament he has attended. That includes getting fourth a Frosty Faustings XVIII, seventh at the ARC World Tour Finals, and fifth at Combo Breaker.

In seven appearances since 2022, we have never seen a player repeat as champion for GGST, which means there are probably several newer players who will make themselves known with deep runs at Evo 2026. But, for anyone just looking for a few extra names to watch, here are some other highlights from the competitor pool.

TY: 5th at Evo japan 2026, 9th at SOOP Super Tournament 2026
RedDitto: 1st at Slashback 2026, 1st at CHAIN SHIFT 2026
Cheryo: 3rd at Combo Breaker 2026
RedIAmNot: 7th at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 9th at Combo Breaker 2026
iDom: 9th at Combo Breaker 2026, 2nd at LVL UP EXPO 2026, 2nd at D.I.Y 2026
LLon: 7th at SOOP Super Tournament 2026, 7th at Frost Faustings

How to watch Guilty Gear -Strive- at Evo 2026

Even though it fell out of the top four games for the first time since appearing at an in-person Evo in 2022, Guilty Gear -Strive-, it will still have a prominent place in the Arena Finals on June 27. That Top 8 will be streamed live from the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel. You can also catch re-streams from various content creators and players on Twitch too.

If you want to watch more than the finals, check the Evo and Arc System Works social pages for more details. And don’t forget to tune into the MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls pre-release tournament on June 26 too.

Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising

While it isn’t the biggest game, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising already has a hyper competitive season of events running. With Evo 2026 set to be among the highlights of the year when top players gather in Las Vegas from June 26 to 28.

Third time on the stage

Granblue Fantasy Versus released at an odd time in 2020, but Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising has settled into a strong position in the fighting game community, with this being the game’s third appearance on the Evo Las Vegas main stage.

Players have been running on the same version of GBVSR since Feb. 10, when Ilsa was added as the game’s, then, final DLC fighter as part of Character Pass—along with balance adjustments for 11 other characters. That means you can look back at most of 2026’s tournament results and pick out the standouts for upcoming events, including Evo 2026.

There is more DLC on the way for the game at some point in the future, however. A Season 2.60 update for the game was announced at the ARC World Tour Finals, which will include one new character, more costumes, an additional stage, and more. Maybe we will hear a bit about that during the finals for the game at Evo.

What to expect from Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising at Evo 2026

If you watched Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising at Evo Japan earlier this year, Evo Las Vegas is going to have a slightly smaller turnout at 466 players and flips the Japanese turnout for more of a presence from players out of the Americas. And you can expect to see many of the same faces that have dominated the game over the last year.

Zangief_Dream remains the player to watch at any event he enters with his Cagliostro. The reigning ARC World Tour champion has finished in the top three at every tournament he has competed in since breaking out with a second place finish at Evo Japan 2025. On top of his ARC World Tour win, he placed second at Evo Japan again this year, along with Cygames Cup the SOOP Super Tournament 2026 heading into his first Evo Las Vegas entry.

On the Americas side, Kojicoco enters as a favorite to potentially defend his Evo 2025 crown, having several solid placements, which includes a second place finish and third place exit at the hands of Zangief_Dream at the ARC World Tour Finals and Cygames Cup respectively. He most recently won Slashback 2026 and CHAIN SHIFT 2026.

Last year’s Evo runner-up and GB-staple Zane will also be attending, though he will notably be splitting his time between GBVSR and 2XKO. He took third at Combo Breaker 2026, where he also finished fifth in 2XKO, and second at CHAIN SHIFT.

Gamera will be looking to finally get an Evo title in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising after winning two for the original game at Evo 2022 and Evo Japan 2023. He is coming into the event off of a third place finish at the ARC World Tour Finals, fourth at Evo Japan 2026, and a big win at SOOP Super Tournament in an extended bracket reset over Zangief_Dream.

Those might be the biggest names, but there are plenty of other notable entrants you will want to watch during the early stages of the event based on some recent results.

Insurgent: 1st at Combo Breaker 2026, 3rd at Slashback 2026
Monarch: 1st at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 9th at Combo Breaker 2026
BlueSkyGuyBSG: 3rd at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 2nd at Slashback 2026, 5th at Combo Breaker 2026
Havaniceday: 2nd at Combo Breaker 2026, 7th at Frosty Faustings XVIII
LLon: 7th at SOOP Super Tournament 2026, 7th at Frosty Faustings

GBVS World Tour 2026 Leaderboard Update:

The EVO 2025 champion claims the first championship in North America with a win at Chain Shift. However, the bigger prize takes place in a few days with the next 5★ event at EVO 2026!#GBVSWT pic.twitter.com/PkJBDdfFau
— Anime FGC News (@AFGCNews) June 21, 2026

The winner at Evo 2026 will automatically qualify for Cygames Cup 2027, which is revamped to include an enhanced championship for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.

How to watch Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising at Evo 2026

With its registration numbers, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising will be the final game making the cut for the Arena Finals, opening up the action on June 27. Matches start at 10am PT for that Top 8 and will be streamed via both the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel.

FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is back for another battle at Evo Las Vegas 2026 from June 26 to 28, bringing familiar faces and new fighters when it comes to the roster of players and playable characters—including a potential surprise.

400 Wolves still hunger for battle

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has 443 players registered to compete at Evo Las Vegas this year, placing it seventh on the registration leaderboard and netting SNK’s latest title the top spot on the Showcase Stage for June 28.

The game has gone through many iterations this year, as SNK has released a new playable character every month in 2026, starting with Kim Jae Hoon in January to the newest iteration of Mr Karate in May. The developers have also fully revealed Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star as the final DLC fighter for Season 2, and teased he will be playable at Evo for players on the show floor.

There is a new patch live as part of the 2.2.0 update that will include the release of Kenshiro at some point this month—potentially as a shadow drop during the Evo finals of COTW. The changes made are minor, only impacting Gato, Mr. Big, Wolfgang Krauser, and Mr. Karate as SNK is likely gearing up for a larger update at some point in the coming months, perhaps as part of a Season 3 release.

Going off of recent results, we have seen Billy Kane dominating over the last several months, including wins at Evo Japan 2026, Brussels Challenge Major Edition 2026, CHAIN SHIFT 2026, and more than a dozen other events at various levels. Mr. Big and Rock Howard are among the only other characters to take multiple events solo.

What to expect from Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves at Evo 2026

There are three names that stand out when you look at the last six or so months of tournament results in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and they won’t surprise anyone who has kept up with the SNK fighter space: GO1, xiaohai, and Dany "El Maza".

Sure, that trio hasn’t won every event, and are far from the only names you need to watch going into Evo. But they have won the most high profile tournaments of the year or, in Dany’s case, been right in the mix at every tournament he joined.

Xiaohai is among the greatest fighting game players to ever hit the sticks, being a six time Evo champion and current top Street Fighter 6 player to boot. For COTW, he won Evo Japan 2026 and finished 9th at Combo Breaker 2026, though he also won SF6 at CB. He is also splitting his focus at Evo this year between the two games, so that will be a storyline to watch.

GO1 is also a legend in multiple titles, though his breadth of success is spread across more games and franchises than most players can keep track of. While still playing other games like SF6, he started off the year hot in COTW, winning Frosty Faustings XVIII and GENESIS X3. Now he is rounding into top form for Evo too, winning Combo Breaker with a perfect 9-0 record.

Dany doesn’t have a big win to match either of the previous names, but he has competed in more events than either of them and placed in the top five at all of them. That includes third at Combo Breaker, second at DreamHack Atlanta, fourth at Frosty Faustings XVIII, and notching wins at CHAIN SHIFT, Fight For Glory, LVL UP EXPO, and Vegas Climax VI.

With those three heavy hitters in mind, here is an info dump for other names to watch out for on the broadcast or in the bracket when you tune in, based on recent or relevant notable results.

Laggia: 2nd at Evo Japan 2026, 1st at SNK World Championship 2025 Finals
Nemo: 2nd at Combo Breaker 2026, 7th at Evo Japan 2026, 2nd at GENESIS X3
ZJZ: 3rd at Evo Japan 2026, 1st at DreamHack Birmingham 2026
Fenritti: 1st at DreamHack Atlanta 2026
mok - 4th at Combo Breaker 2026
mi2ha4: 5th at Evo Japan 2026, 5th at DreamHack Birmingham 2026, 3rd at Frosty Faustings XVIII
Reynald: 2nd at CHAIN SHIFT 2026, 7th at Combo Breaker 2026
NYChrisG: 5th at Evo Japan 2026, 7th at CHAIN SHIFT 2026
DarkAngel: 2nd at DreamHack Birmingham 2026, 7th at Combo Breaker 2026
Lokof: 2nd at Frost Faustings XVIII, 9th at DreamHack Atlanta 2026
H-DOPE: 1st at The MIXUP 2026, 5th at DreamHack Atlanta 2026

The winner of Evo 2026 will get an automatic invite to the SNK World Championship 2026 FInals, while the top four finishers will also get tickets to compete at the Esports World Cup 2026.

How to watch Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves at Evo 2026

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be the final game featured on the Showcase Stage on June 28, getting the prime 3pm PT spot between TEKKEN 8 and Street Fighter 6 in the Arena Finals lineup. Matches will be streamed live via both the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel.

INVINCIBLE VS

Evo Las Vegas 2026 will have several debuts for the tournament, but only INVINCIBLE VS will truly be appearing on the Evo main stage for the first time from June 26 to 28. Which means anything can happen in the newest superhero fighter!

Are we at the neat part now?

After a year of waiting, and seeing or playing demos at Evo, INVINCIBLE VS is finally ready to step into the spotlight as a main lineup title for Evo 2026. Which means Skybound Entertainment and Quarter Up are ready to show off more of what comes next for the game while the competition heats up.

It was already announced, but Universa will be joining the game’s roster on June 30, alongside The Immortal, as the game starts dropping its post-launch content. She will also be playable at Evo at the INVINCIBLE VS booth for anyone attending.

What to expect from INVINCIBLE VS at Evo 2026

Since INVINCIBLE VS only released at the end of April, there hasn’t been much in the way of major events for the game just yet. The largest tournaments so far have been mostly online tournaments like ParagOnline or the League Trolli event, along with Combo Breaker 2026.

As expected, players from various tag fighter backgrounds have stepped into the INVINCIBLE VS scene, but there are plenty of big names from the Mortal Kombat and anime fighter communities making the jump too. For example, Zippy, a player best known for his time Guilty Gear -Strive- and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, won his second Combo Breaker title in what was the biggest INVINCIBLE VS tournament prior to Evo.

Likewise, modern Marvel vs. Capcom 3 mainstay Dylnyan finished second at Combo Breaker this year, followed closely by former Dragon Ball FighterZ pro JaazzRap in third and multi-game veteran NerdJosh in fourth. That should give you a good idea about how much of a wild west scenario the opening months of INVINCIBLE VS is in. And it just so happens these three and Zippy will all be attending Evo 2026!

Since we don’t have that many INVINCIBLE VS tournaments to look back on yet, here is a list of players competing in the game at Evo this year, and some of their recent results from other games leading up to it.

SonicFox: Eight-time Evo Champion, 1st at Combo Breaker 2026 (2XKO), is SonicFox
Punk: 2nd at Evo Japan 2026 (SF6)
DarthArma: 7th at Combo Breaker 2026 (IVS)
Grr: 5th at Frosty Faustings XVIII (MK1)
dekillsage: 1st at Combo Breaker (Skullgirls), 1st at Frosty Faustings XVIII (Skullgirls), 1st at D.I.Y 2026 (2XKO)
Kudaytaa: 7th at Frosty Faustings XVIII (MvC2)
HookGangGod: 7th at Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Finals 2024-25
Justin Wong: Eight-time Evo champion, is Justin Wong

Those are just some of the names that popped up on Liquipedia or Start.gg when I was looking at the entry totals and other INVINCIBLE VS events. Expect plenty of surprises since this is the biggest tournament for this fresh game yet, and we have plenty of time for new heroes to rise.

And, along with the winner getting a cut of the prize pool, a medal, and a custom fightstick, they will also take home a life-sized Conquest Gauntlet trophy.

How to watch INVINCIBLE VS at Evo 2026

With 406 players locked in to compete, INVINCIBLE VS sits at eighth on the registration leaderboards and will be the meat of the broadcast sandwich for the Showcase Stage on June 28. That means you can tune into the Evo Events YouTube or main Evo Twitch channel starting at 12pm PT on the final day of Evo to catch the action.

Vampire Savior

Vampire Savior is a game with a lot of history across the fighting game community, and you have probably at least passed a tournament or two if you have attended an event. Now, the 1997 Capcom classic gets a chance to shine on the Evo mainstage for the first time from June 26 to 28.

The true Lord of the Vampire will be crowned

Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire has been a staple retro tournament at fighting game tournaments for decades, which means a small but dedicated community has always existed for the game, even before the era of online play and its various re-releases since originally dropping in 1997.

While it is the third entry in the Darkstalkers series overall, it is very different from its predecessors in how it plays, since it ditches the classic round system to implement the Impact Damage Gauge and a few other mechanics that make it unique from other fighters of the time.

What to expect from Vampire Savior at Evo 2026

With how long Vampire Savior has been around, you will see a wide spread of different players at Evo 2026, ranging from fresh faces trying competing for the first time to vampire lords who are dusting off their cloaks to enter the battle once more.

The game has had a steady presence in the FGC for over two decades, and that includes dozens of modern events where it has only grown in popularity. For the first time with documented numbers, 2026 has seen three different Vampire Savior tournaments with over 100 players, and two of those have cracked 200.

With how strong the game’s presence has always been in Japan, it isn’t a surprise that Evo Japan 2026 holds the record for largest noted Vampire Savior event at 305 players. But Evo Las Vegas isn’t that far behind, with 259 players ready to throw hands in Majigen. And here are some of the names you need to know heading in:

Kaji: 1st at Evo Japan 2026
Dr.Doctor: 1st at Combo Breaker 2026, 1st at Evo 2025 Community Showcase
nakanishi: 2nd at Evo Japan 2026, 1st at Evo Japan 2025 Side Event, 1st at Combo Breaker 2019
Mini Maww: 1st at Frost Faustings XVIII, 2nd at Combo Breaker 2025, 2nd at Frosty Faustings XVII
kosyo: 3rd at Evo Japan 2026
Moebius: 3rd at Combo Breaker 2026, 3rd at Frosty Faustings XVIII
snuggleguns: 1st at Texas Showdown (2022, 2023, 2024, 2026)
MightyMar: 5th at Combo Breaker 2026, 2nd at Combo Breaker (2023, 2024), 1st at Frosty Faustings XV
Typhas: 5th at Combo Breaker 2026
VickiViper: 5th at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 3rd at Evo 2023 Community Showcase
Sketch: 1st Evo 2024 Community Showcase
Justin Wong: Is Justing Wong

How to watch Vampire Savior

The crowd is going to turn out for Vampire Savior at Evo this year, so make sure you are locked in on the Showcase Stage when matches start for the Top 8 at 10am PT on June 28. You can watch the main broadcasts from home on the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel, or via any of the available co-streams across the community.

BlazBlue: CentralFiction

Despite having such a deep connection to parts of the fighting game community, BlazBlue hasn’t been heavily featured at Evo in recent years. But with this appearance on the Evo 2026 mainstage from June 26 to 28, BlazBlue: Central Fiction changes that.

Return to a “forgotten” battlefield

Prior to this year, BlazBlue had only been featured on the Evo main stage one time throughout the 2020s—that being BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle at Evo Japan 2020. Though you could also count BlazBlue: Central Fiction appearing as part of the Evo Las Vegas 2025 extended lineup among those appearances too.

If you want to look back at BlazBlue’s Evo representation over the years, Cross Tag Battle is going to be your main result for a single game. As the most recent, non-re-release in the franchise’s fighting game lineup, it was featured at Evo 2018 and 2019, along with getting a spot at Evo Japan in 2019 and 2020.

Going back a bit further than that, BlazBlue: Central Fiction matches that total to tie for the most-featured BlazBlue title across Evo’s history at four. That being Evo 2017, Evo Japan 2018, and the most recent showings at Evo 2025 and this year. BlazBlue: Continuum Shift was the first game in the franchise to make an Evo appearance in 2011 and BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma got a shot in

The lack of representation isn’t from a lack of interest from the community, but rather a mix of BlazBlue not having any new fighting games since Cross Tag Battle dropped in 2018 and the rapid release/rise of other anime fighters in the years since. For example, Guilty Gear is more popular than ever now, GranBlue Fantasy Versus exploded onto the scene, and Under Night In-Birth is going strong.

The classic BlazBlue games have gotten a lot of love in recent years, with updates on Steam adding rollback netcode to Central Fiction and Cross Tag Battle. Now we get to see eras of players clash in what will be the second biggest Central Fiction event to date.

What to expect from BlazBlue: Central Fiction at Evo 2026

Evo 2026 will just miss being the biggest BlazBlue: Central Fiction event on the board by a single entrant, losing out to its 2025 Extended Lineup iteration at 248 to 249 total players. But that doesn’t change the fact it is a near-record turnout for a game that is celebrating its 10-year anniversary later this year—at least for the North American and European releases.

With this event you will see a mix of BlazBlue mainstays, Arc System Works fiends, and multi-fighting game enthusiasts spread throughout the bracket. And, adding to the other storylines, XCaliburBladez, a Dead or Alive legend, will have a chance to win a second straight Evo title.

XCaliburBladez: 1st at Frost Faustings XVIII, 1st Evo 2025 Extended Lineup, 1st at CEO 2025
Monarch: 1st at Combo Breaker (2024, 2026), 5th at Evo 2025 Extended Lineup
Fenritti: 2nd at Evo 2017, 2nd at ARCREVO America 2019, 3rd at Evo 2025 Extended Lineup, 5th at Combo Breaker 2026
Jona: 1st at Slashback 2026, 1st at ARC World Tour 2024 Finals Side Tournaments, 1st at Evo 2023 Community Showcase
Icecool: 3rd at Combo Breaker 2026, 5th at Frosty Faustings XVIII
Division: 4th at Evo 2025 Extended Lineup
Fukkuu: 2nd at Frosty Faustings XVIII
Don: 3rd at Frosty Faustings XVIII

How to watch BlazBlue: Central Fiction at Evo 2026

BlazBlue: Central Fiction will close out the first day of finals coverage on the Showcase Stage for Evo 2026. That means you can tune into the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel, or your co-stream of choice, to watch the Top 8 starting at 6pm PT on June 27.

Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes]

When Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] was first announced, even fans of the series likely didn’t expect the game to have four appearances on the Evo mainstage a little over two years after it dropped. But here we are for another grind, and the likely crowning of a new Evo champion.

Another grind for the GRD

In its fourth appearance on the Evo main stage, three in Las Vegas and one at Evo Japan this year, Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] remains one of the most fun fighting games to watch, especially for viewers who might be new to attending big events.

The GRD (Grind Grid) provides an extra level of push-and-pull that is already at the core of the fighting game experience, rewarding offensive play in ways that make the game a unique kind of chess match in the genre. All you need to do is watch any of the best matches from last year’s event to see that magic at work.

And, while the game has been in a relatively complete state since the release of Izumi in August 2025, a new DLC fighter is currently under development for release later this year. Maybe we will get our first glimpse of the future, character and potentially project wise, at some point at Evo 2026.

What to expect from Under Night In-Birth II at Evo 2026

Under Night In-Birth II did see a sizable dip in registrations compared to the last two years in Las Vegas, which you can learn more about from the Evo team’s Competitors: By the Numbers breakdown.

That dip includes several notable absences, such as OmniDeag, who won both Combo Breaker and Frosty Faustings this year, and the current ARC World Tour champion, Jaca. Along with both reigning Evo champions, Defiant from Evo 2025 and Oushuu-Hittou from Evo Japan this year.

So, while many of the top players in the world are still here to compete, there might be some new faces rising to contend for the title this time around. They will have to go through Senaru and BigBlack if they want to reach the top of the mountain.

BigBlack: 1st at Slashback 2026, 2nd at Evo 2025, 4th at Combo Breaker 2026
Senaru: 2nd at ARC World Tour 2025-26 Finals, 4th at Evo Japan 2026, 1st at Evo 2026
Knotts : 2nd at Slashback 2026, 3rd at Evo 2025, 1st at CHAIN SHIFT 2026
MIYAGI Muteki: 5th at Evo Japan 2026, 7th at ARC World Tour 2025-26 Finals
Mario: 4th at Evo 2025, 1st at GENESIS X3
Silent: 3rd at Slashback 2026, 1st at Texas Showdown (2025, 2026)

How to watch Under Night In-Birth II at Evo 2026

Under Night In-Birth II will be the second game to kick off its Top 8 on June 27. Matches will start at 1pm PT on the Showcase Stage, with streams live on the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.

We are already in the middle of a new era for Virtua Fighter, as Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. takes on the Evo main stage and the franchise’s first wholly new game in almost 20 years is on the horizon. So get a glimpse of what might come next for the legendary series returns to Las Vegas from June 26 to 28.

Continuing on the World Stage

With Virtua Fighter Crossroads, the game’s sixth entirely new entry, set to release at some point in 2027, the classic fighting game franchise is already experiencing a promising revival on the world stage. That is mostly thanks to how the various re-releases of Virtua Fighter 5 have helped revive interest in the SEGA fighter.

Since VF5 Ultimate Showdown dropped on PlayStation 4 in 2021 there have been 11 different events with more than 100 competitors, something that has become more common in recent years thanks to additional updates, and the release of Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage in 2025.

Evo 2026 won’t even be the second biggest tournament for VF5 this year, with Evo Japan and Combo Breaker hitting higher numbers at 197 and 170 players respectively. That is a great sign for the scene hedging into a brand new game next year which should bring more new players in than any previous Virtua Fighter game based on how hard SEGA and RGG Studio are betting on it.

What to expect from Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. at Evo 2026

Virtua Fighter is a global franchise, but has a strong presence in Japan when it comes to top players, and not everyone is going to travel to compete. For example, we are going to be missing some of the top modern representation in the form of current Evo Japan champion Virgo and 2025 Virtua Fighter Open winner Tonchan. But there are still several players making the trip over to compete, and the Americas are out in full force.

GentlemanThief has been competing in VF events at Evo since 2012 and is the reigning Combo Breaker champion. He also finished 7th at last year’s Virtua Fighter Open Championship, 9th at Evo 2025’s Extended Lineup, and second at Evo’s Community Showcases for the game in 2023 and 2024.

But if you want to bet on experience, there are few that can compete with the legendary Itabashi Zangief. While still competing in Street Fighter 6 at a high level, Itabashi Zangief keeps up his Virtua Fighter roots, with second place finishes at each of the last Combo Breaker events and a victory at Evo 2024. He is also a multi-time Evo Champion, having won for Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution in 2004 and VF5 in 2007.

Here are a few other names you can keep an eye out for in the bracket too.

KNR: 2nd at Frosty Faustings XVIII, 4th at Combo Breaker 2026
Yellowtail: 7th at Evo 2025, 7th at Evo 2007
Tricky: 9th at Evo 2026
AyuFanb0y: 9th at Evo 2025
Gakusei Sarah: 13th at Evo 2025
Signia: 13th at Evo 2026
Ryan Hart: 7th at Evo 2012 Side Event

The winner of Evo 2026 will receive a direct invite to compete at the Virtua Fighter Open Championship 2026 Special Event.

How to watch Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. at Evo 2026

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. will be the opening game when Top 8 broadcasts begin on June 27, kicking off its matches at 10am PT. You can catch the streams on the Evo Events YouTube and main Evo Twitch channel, along with co-streaming creators on both platforms.