From Virtua Fighter to Street Fighter: Evo 2026 sets its Arena Finals lineup
Paul Delos Santos
Host · Writer
Evo returns to Las Vegas for the 19th time at the Las Vegas Convention Center West Hall from June 27-29.
To spice things up for this edition, Evo decided to let players decide who would earn a spot on the Arena Finals stage.
In past years, games were assigned to the Arena Finals stage. This year, however, the games were assigned a stage and time based on the number of entrants, with the most-attended game earning the final spot on Sunday night.
“Evo is defined by its global community, and we want fans worldwide to have an active voice in the experiences available at our events this year,” said Evo general manager Rick Thiher in a press release in December. “2025 saw record-setting events from Evo across the globe, and that passionate response inspires our team to continue creating and expanding opportunities for the FGC in the years ahead.”
Final Registration Leaderboard for #Evo2026.
See the full breakdown of these numbers, including entrant crossover and country data: https://t.co/ZIP1VcRF8q pic.twitter.com/KMsApg0W0w
— Evo (@Evo) June 12, 2026
The arena will feature six games across Saturday and Sunday, while the other seven will be featured on the Showcase Stage in the Expo Hall over the two days.
Virtua Fighter 5: REVO World will kick things off on the Showcase Stage at 10 a.m. Saturday, while Granblue Fantasy: Rising will be in the Arena Finals Stage. A pair of Arc Systems games follow up on the stages with Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes hosting its championship sets at 1 p.m. on the Showcase Stage, while Guilty Gear – Strive will start in the Arena Finals at 2 p.m.
BlazBlue Centralfiction will close out the Showcase Stage at 6 p.m., while Rivals of Aether II will make its first Arena Finals appearance at 6 p.m.
Sunday’s championships will feature some of the biggest names in fighting games.
2XKO, Riot Games’ foray into fighting games, will open the Arena Finals stage at 10 a.m., while retro classic Vampire Survivor: The Lord of Vampire will be on the Showcase Stage at the same time. First-year team fighter INVINCIBLE VS takes the stage at noon on the Showcase Stage, while Tekken 8’s finals will appear in the Arena Finals at 2 p.m.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, which played in the Arena Finals in 2025, moves to the Showcase Stage with its championships taking place at 3 p.m.
Following an announcement at 6 p.m., the festivities close out with Street Fighter 6 in the Arena Finals.
“Evo 2026 is shaping up to be our most expansive event experience yet, and our growing team is excited to welcome the FGC back to our bellwether festival in Las Vegas,” Thiher said in a press release. “It’s our first time hosting Evo in June, so we’re looking forward to kicking summer into high gear with a weekend of fighting game competition for fans from around the world.”
Paul Delos Santos covers esports for The Sporting Tribune. He is also the founder of Inside Esports, a newsletter covering the Fighting Game Community and Riot Games ecosystem. Subscribe at insideesports.media.
