Get ready for a gaming showdown like no other! Evo 2026 is shaking things up with a massive 12-game lineup on the main stage, up from the usual 8, promising an epic battle across genres. With early bird registration wrapped up, the organizers have unveiled the current leaderboard, and the results are already sparking conversations. But here's where it gets controversial—while some titles are holding strong, others are facing unexpected shifts in popularity. Let’s dive into the details and see what’s brewing in the fighting game community.
Street Fighter 6 unsurprisingly takes the top spot, continuing its dominance since its 2023 launch. Despite a dip in numbers from Evo 2024’s record-breaking 5,265 players to 4,228 at Evo 2025, it still outpaced the second and third place games combined. And this is the part most people miss—Evo Japan 2026 saw Street Fighter 6 more than double the combined entrants of the other 11 games, though the global leaderboard tells a slightly different story.
Tekken 8 holds steady in second place, a welcome sight after its rollercoaster Season 2. Meanwhile, 2XKO makes a surprising debut in third place, leaving fans curious about its final numbers. Guilty Gear Strive and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising maintain their strong positions at fourth and fifth, respectively, proving their longevity in the scene.
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has slipped to sixth place after its third-place debut at Evo 2025, a common trend for second-year games. Invincible VS surprises at seventh, outperforming expectations, while the classic Vampire Savior sits comfortably in eighth.
Here’s the full early entrant leaderboard for Evo 2026:
- Street Fighter 6
- Tekken 8
- 2XKO
- Guilty Gear Strive
- Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
- Invincible VS
- Vampire Savior
- Rivals of Aether 2
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction
- Under Night In-Birth 2 [Sys:Celes]
- Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
Rivals of Aether 2 marks a return of platform fighters to Evo after a six-year absence of Super Smash Bros., while Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage struggles to gain traction in the West, landing at the bottom of the rankings. Speaking of surprises, Under Night In-Birth 2 has seen the largest drop, falling from seventh to eleventh, though the addition of four new games this year could play a role.
Interestingly, NetherRealm Studios is absent from the main stage for the first time in years, following Mortal Kombat 1’s low turnout at Evo 2025 with just 377 players. With early bird registration closed, normal registration runs until May 4, followed by late registration until May 25. Evo 2026 kicks off earlier than usual, from June 26–28 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Evo Awards 2026 nominees are also out, and public voting is now open. But here’s a thought-provoking question: With the fighting game landscape evolving rapidly, which titles do you think will rise or fall by the final registration? And do you agree with the current rankings, or are there hidden gems waiting to surge ahead? Let’s debate in the comments!
