Las Vegas, June 26–28: The Cathedral of Combat

EVO 2026, presented by Chipotle, transforms the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center into a three-day celebration of competitive fighting games, running from June 26 to 28, 2026. 

The event features 12 thrilling tournaments, hands-on experiences at publisher and developer booths, a sprawling vendor hall, EVO's iconic 300+ cabinet arcade, and electrifying moments inside the in-venue Arena Finals Experience. 

This is also going to be the first year operating under EVO's new ownership, after Sony and RTS sold their controlling stakes in the fighting game tournament series  — a fresh chapter for an institution that has defined competitive fighting games for three decades.

12 Games — The Most Ambitious Lineup Ever

EVO 2026 will see the Extended Lineup and Throwback Tournament scrapped in place of a main lineup featuring twelve games, with the six highest-entered games being featured on the arena stage. 

The full EVO 2026 lineup is: 2XKO (first appearance at EVO), BlazBlue: Central Fiction (third appearance), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (second appearance), Guilty Gear: Strive (fifth appearance), Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (third appearance), Invincible VS (first appearance), Rivals of Aether II (second appearance), Street Fighter 6 (fourth appearance), Tekken 8 (third appearance), Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes (third appearance), Vampire Savior: The Lord of Vampire (first appearance), and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage (first appearance). 

The Biggest Debuts: 2XKO, Invincible VS, and Virtua Fighter

Three titles making their EVO debut deserve special attention:

2XKO — Riot Games' highly anticipated League of Legends fighting game finally arrives on the biggest competitive stage in the genre. Built around iconic LoL champions and tag-team mechanics, its EVO debut is one of the most talked-about moments in the FGC calendar.

Invincible VS — The superhero fighting game based on Amazon's hit animated series makes a stunning first appearance at EVO, representing a new wave of IP-driven fighters entering the competitive scene.

Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage — SEGA's legendary 3D fighter returns to competitive glory after years of absence. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage on PS5 by SEGA  signals a full revival of one of the most technically demanding and historically significant fighting game franchises ever created.

EVO Japan 2026: Tokyo's Turn First

Before Las Vegas, the global competitive calendar opens in Japan. EVO Japan 2026 marks the return of the world's most prestigious fighting game brand to Tokyo, scheduled for May 1 through May 3, 2026, at the iconic Tokyo Big Sight, utilizing East Halls 1–3 to accommodate thousands of global competitors and spectators. 

The 2026 iteration boasts the largest prize pool in the event's history, with a total of 30 million yen up for grabs across all titles — doubling the previous year's offering and raising the stakes significantly for the global talent in attendance. 

EVO France and Singapore: A Truly Global Calendar

EVO in 2026 is no longer just two events. The calendar also includes EVO France 2026 and, looking ahead, EVO Singapore 2027  — a sign that the tournament series is aggressively expanding its global footprint, bringing world-class fighting game competition to new regions and new audiences.

How the Arena Finals Work

The drama of EVO's format has been refined for 2026. Top 8 Finals for six of the featured titles will take place in the arena within the same West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center  — and the six games that make the main stage are decided entirely by player registration numbers. The more players enter a game, the bigger its stage. Democracy, fighting game style.

The Arena Finals Experience on Sunday is a separate item that must be purchased as an add-on  — but for fans who make the trip to Las Vegas, watching the world's best Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 players battle for the EVO throne in a packed arena is an experience unlike anything else in esports.

30 Years of EVO — The Legacy Continues

In 1996, 40 players gathered in San Diego to battle it out over arcade classics Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2.  Thirty years later, EVO 2026 brings together thousands of competitors from across the world, representing every skill level, every background, and every fighting game community on earth.

That is the magic of EVO — and it has never been more alive than in 2026.

Las Vegas. June 26–28. Twelve games. One champion per title. All of it on the line.

Round One. FIGHT.