The Evolution Championship Series, often called Evo, is an annual American event that celebrates competitive fighting games. All tournaments are open to participants and use a format where players can lose twice before being eliminated. Like the Super Battle Opera, players from around the world join, including places known for gaming such as Japan, South Korea, and Pakistan. The first Evolution was held as a tournament featuring Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2, named the Battle by the Bay. It was renamed Evo in 2002. Each year, more people attend the event. Since 2005, the tournament has taken place in various locations across the Las Vegas Valley. From 2021 to 2025, the event was co-owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment and the Endeavor esports venture RTS. As of 2026, RTS, now owned by Qiddiya City, a large project in Saudi Arabia, fully owns Evo.

History

Evo was founded by Tom Cannon, who also worked on Shoryuken.com, a website about fighting games. The tournament began as "Battle by the Bay," a competition with 40 players in Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 in Sunnyvale, California. Later, the event moved to a regular location in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. In 2002, the name changed to Evolution Championship Series, or EVO for short. Over time, the tournament grew, with more than 1,000 participants in 2009.

At first, the tournament used arcade machines, but in 2004, it switched to console versions of the games, which caused some controversy. During the move to seventh-generation consoles, most games were played on a PlayStation 3, though Evo 2014 used the Xbox 360 for most games. In addition to official tournaments, there is a "BYOC" area where players bring their own consoles to compete in different games and side events.

Battle by the Bay, or B3, was organized by Tom "inkblot" Cannon, Tony "Ponder" Cannon, Joey "MrWizard" Cuellar, and Seth "S-Kill" Killian. It was held in the Golfland arcade hall in Sunnyvale, California, and included 40 players from the United States, Canada, and Kuwait. The event featured tournaments for Super Street Fighter II Turbo and Street Fighter Alpha 2.

The B4 Street Fighter Championships took place in Folsom, California, in July 2000. This event added new Capcom fighting games to the lineup, including Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was the first non-Street Fighter game included in the tournament.

The B5 Championships in August 2001 in Folsom, California, had a larger international audience, especially from Japan. Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 was introduced at B5, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was a major highlight of the event.

In 2002, the event was officially named "Evo." Evo 2002 was held at the University of California, Los Angeles, on August 9, 2002.

Evo 2004 took place at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, from July 29 to August 1. Approximately 700 competitors from over 30 countries participated in nine different games, including Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Tekken 4. Most games used home consoles instead of arcade machines, except for Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, which used arcade cabinets. This event is famous for "Evo Moment #37," where Daigo Umehara won a match by countering a powerful move from an opponent with very little health.

In 2005, Evo was held at the Green Valley Ranch casino and hotel in Las Vegas for the first time.

Evo 2006 was at the Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. This was the first year Capcom officially supported the tournament. That year, Mario Kart DS was included in the lineup, along with fighting games like Dead or Alive 4 and Guilty Gear XX Slash.

Evo 2007, called Evo World 2007, was held at the Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas from August 24 to 26. The official game roster included eight titles, such as Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Evo 2008 took place at the Tropicana Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip from August 8 to 10. The official games included Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. The Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament faced criticism for its rules. Attendees also previewed upcoming games like Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

Evo 2009 was held at the Rio Convention Center in Las Vegas from July 17 to 19. The official games included Street Fighter IV, which increased attendance significantly. Over 1,000 players competed in the Street Fighter IV tournament alone.

Evo 2010 was at Caesars Palace from July 9 to 11. Super Street Fighter IV had about 1,800 players competing for a $20,000 prize. Justin Wong won the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 tournament but did not reach the top 8 in Super Street Fighter IV. Melty Blood: Actress Again was chosen as the final game after a poll on Shoryuken.com.

For Evo 2011, players could earn ranking points at eight tournaments. The event was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino from July 29 to 31. It included players from all 50 U.S. states and 44 other countries. Over 2 million people watched the event online. Street Fighter producer Ono Yoshinori announced a free balance patch for Super Street Fighter IV, and other games like Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and Skullgirls were showcased.

Evo 2012 took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from July 6 to 8. On January 3, Joey Cuellar announced details about Evo 2012.

Outside Vegas

In 2010, the Evolution Championship organizers announced a new event called "Evo vs Godsgarden," which was planned to take place in Japan the next year. However, the event was canceled after the Tohoku earthquake and delayed indefinitely. During a Nico Nico livestream after Evo 2013, Cuellar said he still wanted to hold a tournament in Japan.

At Evo 2016, it was announced that a separate event named "Evo Japan" would be held in Japan. Japanese companies Aetas, Hearts United Group, and Shochiku Broadcasting invested a total of $1 million in the event. During a presentation at the Tokyo Game Show in 2016, organizers said the tournament would be held in January 2018, with a "pre-tournament" event planned for 2017.

At Evo 2017, the lineup for Evo Japan 2018 was revealed. The games included Street Fighter V, Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2, Tekken 7, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, The King of Fighters XIV, and ARMS. The event took place from January 26 to 28. The lineup focused on games popular in Japan, and games like Super Smash Bros. Melee, Injustice 2, and Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite were not included because they are less popular in the region.

Despite having 7,000 participants, Evo Japan reported a $1.13 million loss, according to financial reports from Hearts United Group.

Evo Japan 2019 was held in February 2019.

In October 2019, it was announced that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate would be the main game for Evo Japan 2020.

After Evo 2022, the lineup for Evo Japan 2023 was revealed. The games included Guilty Gear Strive, Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, The King of Fighters XV, Granblue Fantasy: Versus, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, and Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown. The event was planned for March 2023.

In August 2023, it was announced that Evo Japan 2024 would be held in April 2024. The lineup included Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, The King of Fighters XV, and Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes], with Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike as the Throwback Tournament.

In August 2023, it was also announced that Evo would add a third event in a new location in 2024.

In July 2024, it was announced that the third event, Evo France, would take place in Nice from October 10 to 12, 2025. The games included Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear Strive, Tekken 8, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and Dragon Ball FighterZ. It was also announced that a fourth event would be held in Singapore in 2026, and a new awards show called the Evo Awards would take place in Los Angeles in February 2025. In December 2024, it was announced that Evo Japan 2025 would be held in Tokyo from May 9 to 11, 2025, with games including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, and The King of Fighters XV. Special tournaments would feature Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.

In December 2025, the lineup for Evo Japan 2026, scheduled for May 1 to 3, 2026, was revealed. The lineup included 12 games, such as Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Guilty Gear Strive, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, The King of Fighters XV, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Fist of the North Star, Vampire Savior, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes], and 2XKO. This lineup was shared alongside the lineup for Evo 2026.