Since the early 2000s, the Evolution Championship Series, or Evo has been the largest premier fighting game tournament in the world. Completely open to any wishing to enter, Evo boasts thousands of entrants and attendees. As the landscape of the fighting game genre has evolved, as have the games showcased at the main stage at Evo.
While there are often a large swath of side-tournaments, Evo has long been characterized by games featured on the main stage, with some games becoming synonymous with the event. Even games that haven't been featured at the event in years played a major role in shaping what Evo has become, so today we're going to examine the ten games that have defined Evo over the years.
10 Guilty Gear XX
From Guilty Gear Xrd to Dragonball FighterZ, numerous fighting games developed by Arc System Works have had the chance to shine at Evo. However, Guilty Gear XX was one of the earliest Arc System Works games to be featured at the event and one that had some of the most longevity. With a lengthy tenure at Evo that began in 2003 and lasted until 2009, Guilty Gear XX one of the longest-running games of Evo's history with numerous noteworthy players entering over the years such as Daigo Umehara, Marn, Tokido, and Combofiend.
9 Tekken 7
As far as 3D fighting games franchises are concerned, few are as iconic as Tekken. The most recent entry in the Tekken franchise, Tekken 7 has been at Evo every year since its release in 2015, making it a staple of the tournament for the better half of a decade. In addition to being the most frequently entered 3D fighting game to appear at Evo throughout the 2010s, Evo has been used on numerous occasions to make DLC announcements for the game.
8 Street Fighter V
Since the inception of the Evolution Championship Series, there is one series that has been present on the main stage every single year: Street Fighter. As every year, the tournament features the most recent entry in the Street Fighter series as one of the main events, it's no surprise that Street Fighter V has been present at every single Evo since its release in 2016.
While the game has not been featured in as many Evos as other entries in the Street Fighter series, Street Fighter V has been one of the central defining games of the past four Evos, boasting more than 5,000 entrants in its first year at the event.
7 Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II is one of the most notable pioneers in the fighting game genre, shaping the landscape for every fighting game that followed its release. Prior to Evo, the Tournament was started in 1996 as a Street Fighter II and Street Fighter Alpha 2 tournament called "Battle by the Bay," a tournament that would eventually become what we currently know as Evo. As one of the games that Battle by the Bay was formed around, it's no surprise that Street Fighter II was featured at every single Evo until 2011.
6 Capcom Vs. SNK 2
Featuring characters from two of the most notable fighting game developers, Capcom and SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK 2 was one of the three games to be featured as a main event tournament in the very first Evo in 2002. Featured at every Evo from 2002 to 2008, a plethora of well-known tournament players were present within top eight Capcom Vs. SNK 2's tournaments at Evo such as Justin Wong, Daigo Umehara, and Peter Rosas (a.k.a. Combofiend).
5 Street Fighter III: Third Strike
Appearing at every Evo from 2003 to 2009, Street Fighter III: Third Strike is frequently regarded as one of the best fighting games of all time and is responsible for one of the most iconic moments in Evo history.
We are of course talking about "Evo Moment 37," also known as the Daigo parry, in which Daigo Umehara playing Ken perfectly parries Chun-Li's multi-hit super (from Justin Wong), only to link it into a super of his own, winning the round!
4 Super Smash Bros. Melee
Though Super Smash Bros. Melee had initially appeared at Evo for one year in 2007, in 2013, the game's community notably raised over $90,000 to have Melee featured on the main stage of Evo once again. While Nintendo had initially issued a cease and desist to prohibit the game from being streamed at the event, this was quickly overturned as they caved due to an enormous backlash.
Melee would go on to appear at every Evo from 2013 to 2018, being one of the most viewed games each year it was present.
3 Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3
If there is one word that could be used to describe Marvel Vs. Capcom 3's presence at Evo, it would be "Hype." As one of the fasted paced and over the top fighting games to ever grace the main stage of Evo, Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3's showcases of top-level play of the game were truly something to behold. It's not hard to see why the term "When's Marvel?" was popularized during the peak of the game's popularity, as it was one of the most heavily anticipated tournaments to be showcased.
2 Street Fighter IV
While there have been several Street Fighter games that have been featured on the main stage of Evo over the years, few have defined a generation quite like Street Fighter IV. Appearing at every Evo from 2009 to 2015, Street Fighter IV was the most entered tournament several years in a row, notably increasing the number of attendants at the event. While present at Evo, Street Fighter IV led to a plethora of iconic moments such as Infiltration using one of the lowest tier characters in the game, Hakan, within top eight of the tournament in 2013!
1 Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
One of the only three games to appear on the main stage of the very first Evo in 2002, few games are as synonymous us with the tournament as Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. While Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 was one of the most exciting games for viewers in the 2010s, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was defining the hype of Evo from the very beginning. One of the most anticipated games every year in which it appeared, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was on the main stage of Evo from the first Evo in 2002 until its final appearance in 2010. The game is so synonymous with the Evo that prior to the event's cancelation in 2020, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 was slated to make a return via an invitational tournament that would feature many of the best players in the world, including past Evo champions.