Every year, EVO brings together the very best of the Fighting Game Community. While championships determine who stands on the podium, they only tell part of the story.
Behind every tournament is a community built by developers, artists, cosplayers, hardware creators, exhibitors, competitors, and passionate fans who continue pushing fighting games forward.
That’s why we created the LVLONE FGC Awards.
These awards celebrate the people, games, and experiences that make EVO and other fighting game tournaments unlike any other event in gaming. Whether it’s an unforgettable booth, an inspiring artist, innovative game accessories or the hottest new game these awards recognize the creativity, passion, and dvelopers that define the FGC.
Every exhibitor winner was personally selected by the LVLONE team after spending the weekend exploring the EVO show floor, speaking with exhibitors, creators, competitors, and members of the Fighting Game Community.
2026 Major Award Winners
Best in Show
The Best in Show award recognizes the exhibitor that delivered the most complete experience on the event show floor. This isn’t simply about having the biggest booth. We looked at presentation, accessibility, community engagement, hands-on opportunities, and the overall experience created for attendees.
If you spent any time on the EVO show floor, this award probably won’t surprise you.
Marvel Tokon (@MarvelTokon) – Arc System Works (@ArcSystemWorks)
Arc System Works delivered one of the strongest booth experiences of the weekend, featuring more playable stations, an expanded roster, and plenty of opportunities for attendees to spend meaningful time with Marvel Tokon.
After our experience with the earlier beta, we were optimistic but still had questions. While the visuals impressed us, we weren’t convinced the gameplay fully reflected the game’s potential. That changed the moment we played the latest build. The gameplay felt tighter, the systems more refined, and it was clear the development team had been listening to community feedback.
Our Take: Sometimes the best booth isn’t the biggest, it’s the one that changes your mind. Marvel Tokon left us more excited for launch than ever before and their fan experience for attendees waiting to try out the game reflected that.
Best Indie Game
The Best Indie Game award celebrates independent developers whose creativity, passion, and innovation push the fighting game genre forward.
Breakthrough – Shatterpoint Games – Website: shatterpointgames.com
Breakthrough immediately impressed us with gameplay that felt polished, responsive, and remarkably complete. If we hadn’t known it came from a small independent studio, we easily could have mistaken it for a AAA title. The gameplay flowed beautifully, every character felt distinct, and we especially loved the inclusion of armor mechanics across the roster. More importantly, the team’s passion was evident in every conversation we had.
Our Take: Breakthrough reminded us that innovation and passion continue driving the future of fighting games. We can’t wait to play it again.
Community Recognition Award
The Community Recognition Award honors the company or organization that has gone above and beyond in supporting and investing in the Fighting Game Community.
This year’s recipient was an easy choice.
2XKO — Riot Games
Since launching earlier this year, 2XKO has demonstrated an incredible commitment to the FGC by investing directly in its players. Through larger tournament prize pools, frequent content updates, new characters, skins, stages, and an active dialogue with the community, Riot Games has shown that it’s committed to building more than just a great fighting game, it’s committed to building a lasting community around it.
Our Take: The Fighting Game Community thrives when developers invest in the people who play their games. Riot Games has embraced that philosophy with 2XKO, and we’re excited to see how both the game and its community continue to grow together.
Best Artist
The Best Artist award recognizes the artist whose work, creativity, and passion left the greatest impression on us during EVO.
Artist Alley was overflowing with incredible talent this year, making this one of our toughest decisions.
Enerjax (@Enerjax)
What ultimately separated Enerjax from the rest wasn’t simply the quality of her artwork, it was the stories behind every piece. Every illustration carried its own inspiration and emotion, transforming each conversation into an unforgettable experience and reminding us that great art is about connection as much as creativity.
Our Take: Great artists create beautiful work. Exceptional artists create meaningful connections.
FGC Game Premiere Award
Unlike our annual awards, the FGC Premiere Award is reserved for landmark moments in fighting game history. It isn’t an award we expect to present every year. Instead, it’s reserved for major titles making their competitive debut and the first winner in that game’s debut.
2XKO Winner: Hikaru
While 2XKO first appeared competitively at EVO Japan, we chose to recognize its Las Vegas appearance as the title’s flagship EVO moment. Hikaru made that decision easy by winning both EVO Japan and EVO Las Vegas, establishing himself as the defining player of 2XKO’s inaugural competitive season.
Editor’s Note: Although 2XKO premiered competitively at EVO Japan, EVO Las Vegas remains the flagship event of the EVO calendar. Hikaru’s victories at both events made him the clear choice for this one-time recognition.
Our Take: History begins somewhere, and Hikaru has already secured his place in 2XKO history.
To all the winners a big congratulations for not only cementing the awards you deserve but for also being apart of the community in every which way that matters.
We’ll see you at the next LVLONE FGC Awards.
