Evo 2025 came swinging, bringing players from 60 plus countries to battle through pools and across 16 finals. The Evo Arena sold out and 10,000 fans packed the stands, making another landmark moment for the FGC and a reminder that Vegas is still the fighting game capital of the planet. SonicFox made more history with an eighth Evo title, now just behind Justin Wong’s all-time 9. Arslan Ash locked in another Vegas win in Tekken 8 after a tense Grand Final Reset. MenaRD did the rare double, taking Street Fighter 6 at Evo Japan and Vegas in the same year. This event did not just deliver hype. It delivered a full picture of how strong the scene is right now.
Friday’s Showcase stage ran hot all day with dev panels, exhibitions, and reveals. Sega announced Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.: World Stage coming to PS5 and Series X S, with a closed beta in September. Rivals of Aether II unveiled Galvan for October. Granblue Rising teased EX character variants. Fatal Fury showed more of its Ken Masters guest. Invincible VS and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls brought fresh gameplay. The night capped with OG Hunt, a first-to-10 exhibition where Justin Wong outlasted rising SF6 star Betty in a marathon that had the crowd on edge.
The Day 1 floor report read like a tour of where fighting games are headed next. 2XKO returned with more characters and constant lines. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls impressed with 4v4 team mechanics and a striking visual style. Invincible VS turned heads with fast team play and a deep roster. Sega’s booth pulled traffic with both Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. and Demon Slayer: Hinokami Chronicles 2. Beyond games, the Voodoo Ranger Arcade took over a massive footprint, the Artist Alley was stacked, and the Indie Game Dev section spotlighted fresh projects like Umbral Core and FrostFire: Battle Frenzy. White Claw built a home style lounge for mini tourneys and sampling its Zero Proof line. It was the most balanced floor Evo has run, with something compelling on every aisle.
Friday set the tone with all eight main games in motion. Mortal Kombat 1 and UNI2 locked in Top 8s, with SonicFox cruising on the winners side in MK1 while UNI2’s bracket produced key upsets before settling its Top 8 seeds for Saturday. Marvel vs Capcom 2, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Guilty Gear Strive, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Tekken 8, and Street Fighter 6 pushed deep into their pools with a few early shockers and a lot of favorites still alive.
Saturday brought the first wave of champions. SonicFox captured a record stretching eighth Evo championship in MK1. Defiant claimed UNI2. Khaos took Marvel vs Capcom 2. Kojicoco won Granblue Rising. Extended lineup winners included Plup in Rivals of Aether II, Scrub Saibot in Samurai Shodown, Vogue in Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, and BAS in Capcom vs SNK 2. Momentum in the arena built fast as Sunday set up for the final four main-game titles.
Championship Sunday sealed it. Kshuewhatdamoo won Guilty Gear Strive. GO1 took Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. Arslan Ash added another Tekken 8 crown, his sixth Evo title overall. MenaRD closed the night with Street Fighter 6, his first Evo Vegas win, punctuating a season that also included the Evo Japan title. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., Killer Instinct, The King of Fighters XV, and BlazBlue Centralfiction rounded out the extended lineup champs.
Street Fighter 6: MenaRD.
Mortal Kombat 1: SonicFox, eighth Evo title.
Under Night In-Birth II: Defiant.
Marvel vs Capcom 2: Khaos.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising: Kojicoco.
Guilty Gear Strive: Kshuewhatdamoo.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves: GO1.
Tekken 8: Arslan Ash.
Extended lineup winners included Plup, Scrub Saibot, Vogue, BAS, Akani Shiwapo, Roman22s, E.T., and xcaliburbladez across Rivals of Aether II, Samurai Shodown, Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2, Capcom vs SNK 2, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O., Killer Instinct, KOF XV, and BlazBlue Centralfiction.
This Evo showed the FGC’s depth. New IP’s and legacy franchises shared the stage. Established champs added chapters to their legacy while first time winners broke through. The crowd energy never dipped, from pools to final rounds. For us as long time fans and regulars on the show floor, the event hit that perfect balance of competition, community, and discovery.
Evo Vegas 2025 felt like a celebration and a reset. Big announcements, amazing finals, a show floor that actually rewarded you for wandering, and a crowd that stayed loud from day one to the last trophy lift. If you care about fighting games, this is the weekend you circle. If you are a brand that wants to meet that audience where they live, Evo is the room.
