HUGE Pop-Up Arcade Coming to Las Vegas This Weekend at EVO 2025
By knapparcade
This coming weekend, the Evolution Championship Series aka EVO - the largest and longest-running arcade fighting tournament in the World, is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament itself is like the Super Bowl for popular arcade fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Street FighterMarvel Vs. Capcom, King of Fighters and many more. When I said that this event is HUGE in the title, I wasn't exaggerating. There's all sorts of major companies sponsoring it, including Chipotle, Under Armor, Red Bull, AT&T, which takes place over 14 acres of space in the convention center. 6.5 Million people are expected to tune into the stream, which is broadcast in multiple languages On top of that the event has a MASSIVE Pop-Up arcade. Dubbed the "Voodoo Ranger IPA Pop-Up Bar," the 23,000 square-foot Pop-Up arcade will contain over 300 cabinets and pinball machines, including awesome games like: Killer Queen School of Ragnarok Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Cyberbots A collection of games celebrating the history of Fatal Fury character Terry Bogard Sonic The Fighters DonDonPachi DaiOuJou Tetris Grand Master Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo Sonic Blast Heroes Bishi Bashi Dance Dance Revolution Pump It Up EZ2AC F355 Challenge Jurassic Park: Lost World Quick and Crash Dungeons & Dragons Pinball King Kong: Myth of Terror Island Pinball And lots more! EVO will also feature numerous panel discussions on all sorts of topics, including SEGA, SNK and much more. Sounds like an amazing event. Below is the official press release for the event and a bunch of awesome pictures from EVO 2024. https://www.start.gg/tournament/evo-2025/details "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Final Details Unveiled for Evo Las Vegas with Time to Book Your Tickets for the Biggest and Most Immersive Event of the Year The three-day festival packs a punch for everyone to celebrate the fighting game community and its culture from generational fans to first timers LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2025) - The Evolution Championship Series (known as Evo) is just one week away, and the fighting game community still has time to secure their tickets for the biggest and most immersive event of the year. Evo presented by Chipotle will welcome competitors and fans from more than 60 countries to its flagship event on August 1-3 at the Las Vegas Convention Center with a packed three-day festival offering something for everyone. Tickets and hotel rooms are available at https://evo.gg/. With 6.5 million people expected to tune-in, Evo will introduce tens of thousands of fans in Las Vegas to upcoming gaming titles offering the opportunity to play them for the first time in person, including Quarter Up’s (Skybound Entertainment) Invincible VS and Arc System Works’ Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. In Street Fighter 6, Capcom revealed they will showcase Sagat next weekend, while 2XKO is bringing Vi to play before releasing their closed beta on September 9, 2025. Fatal Fury: City of Wolves’ upcoming DLC fighter, Ken Masters, will be a playable character at the SNK booth. As Evo kicks off, there will be showcases throughout the day with exciting new announcements, reveals, collaborations with publishers, panels with legends including five-time Evo champion Arslan Ash, and interactive segments for fans to enjoy, such as Japanese influencer Betty and nine-time Evo champion Justin Wong. Finally, fans can gather throughout the Convention Center for Watch Parties to witness the thrilling Grand Finals of the featured competitive titles. Evo will have official stream partners in French with MGG, Spanish with MainGame GG, Portuguese with Warner Play Brazil, and in Chinese on Douyu. Beyond the event's eight official broadcasts, streamers will also be able to co-stream the competition for their communities. It’s all about celebrating competition, community, and culture, with everyone invited. “This year's flagship Evo event will bring together people from all over the world in a celebration of fighting game competition and culture,” said Rick Thiher, General Manager of Evo. “Evo has become a must-attend event that creates and invigorates fighting game fandom. All ages can visit and explore a gigantic arcade of gaming classics, museums filled with FGC history, and a show floor full of exhibitors and vendors alongside our storied tournaments.” To kick-off, Evo attracts the best competitors from around the world who will compete in Arena and Extended lineups featuring the following titles: Arena Lineup SNK’s Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Cygames’ Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear -Strive- Capcom’s MARVEL vs. CAPCOM 2 Warner Bros. Games’ Mortal Kombat 1 Capcom’s Street Fighter 6 Bandai Namco Entertainment’s TEKKEN 8 Arc System Works’ Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes Extended Lineup: offbrand games & Aether Studios’ Rivals of Aether II SNK’s The King of Fighters XV and Samurai Shodown Arc System Works’ BlazBlue Centralfiction and Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 Capcom’s Capcom vs. SNK 2 SEGA’s Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O Xbox Game Studios’ Killer Instinct The Arena and Extended Lineup Top 8 Finals will take place on Saturday and Sunday. Beyond the competition, Evo brings the fighting game community together. There will be plenty of major brands activating with immersive experiences at Evo including Chipotle (headlined with the foiled-wrapped Burrito Bus welcoming fans all weekend with free rides to a nearby Chipotle location to satisfy their cravings), AT&T, PlayStation, Qiddiya Gaming, Nacon, Zenni, Red Bull, White Claw Zero Proof, Under Armour, Voodoo Ranger IPA, and Grand Archive TCG. The panels and showcases throughout the weekend will be both entertaining and informative for all those interested in learning more about the FGC. Evo is also about discovering the culture of fighting games, and fans will have nearly 14 acres to explore, with one of the largest arcades in the U.S. with the Voodoo Ranger IPA Pop-Up Bar as a centerpiece on the Show Floor. Artist Alley is your destination to purchase curated art at Evo, as well as an expansive museum with exhibits that highlight the art of fighting games, featuring guest artists Shinkiro and jbstyle offering meet-and-greet opportunities. Another exciting exhibit offers fans the chance to recreate Evo Moment #37, where Daigo Umehara came back to defeat Justin Wong in one of the most famous moments in gaming history. Attendees can also be a part of the BYOC (Bring your own console) area, which is a community-led tournament area for fighting games not part of the Evo lineup. On the final day, Evo will kick off the Arena Stage with a major Invincible VS announcement alongside other must-see features throughout the day that will include Virtua Fighter, and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls. Other planned segments include Arc System Works, who will be making announcements regarding UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II on Saturday and Guilty Gear -Strive- on Sunday. Additional surprise reveals should also be expected during the weekend. The Evo Arena on Sunday is sold out and will feature a newly redesigned space with larger screens, additional seats and ticketed entry. “We’re seeing a real convergence of brands, publishers, platforms, and fans as we continue to build Evo into a global experience,” said Stuart Saw, CEO of RTS (Co-Owner of Evo). “Our community knows Evo is the place to be - whether in person or online - to not only play games, but connect and share in their passions collectively.” The complete Evo schedule is as follows (subject to change): Friday, August 1 (all times Pacific) Doors open at 8:30am Museum closes at 8pm Cosplay prejudging at 1-3pm, 5-7pm Venue closes at 10pm or when competitive play finishes Friday Showcase: 9:30am: Stream Starts 10am: Show opening (Venue tour) 10:30am: Capcom Street Fighter League NA vs EU exhibition hosted by RobTV 11:30-12pm: Feature Interviews with two iconic Japanese artists jbstyle and Shinkiro 12-12:30pm: SEGA Panel 12:30-1:00pm: Warner Bros. Panel 1-1:30pm: Rivals of Aether II Panel 1:30-2pm: Evo Jeopardy with FGC commentator and content creator JM Crofts 2-3pm: Cygames Panel 3-4pm: Seth Killian Interview with five-time Evo champion Arslan Ash 4-5pm: SNK Panel 5-6:30pm: Invincible VS Developer Panel + Exhibition 6:30-7pm: Cannon Awards 7-8pm: Arc System Works HUNTERxHUNTERxNENxIMPACT Panel + Exhibition 8-8:30pm: Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls Panel 8:30-10pm: Betty vs Justin Wong (nine-time Evo champion) 10pm: End of show Saturday, August 2 (all times Pacific) Doors open 8:30am Museum closes 8pm Cosplay prejudging at 1-3pm Cosplay finals 5pm Venue closes at 10 pm or competitive play finishes Top 8 timing (all times estimates and subject to change) Saturday Arena Finals lineup: 10am: Mortal Kombat 1 2pm: UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes 5pm: Marvel vs Capcom 2 8pm: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising Saturday Extended Lineup Finals: 10am: GUILTY GEAR XRD REV 2 1pm: Capcom vs. SNK 2 5pm: Samurai Shodown 6pm: Rivals of Aether II 7pm: Killer Instinct Sunday, August 3 (all times Pacific) Doors open 8:30am Museum closes 8pm Venue closes at 10pm or competitive play finishes Top 8 timing (all times estimates and subject to change) Sunday Arena Finals Lineup: 10am: Guilty Gear -Strive- 1:30pm: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves 4:30pm: TEKKEN 8 8pm: Street Fighter 6 Sunday Extended Lineup Finals: 10am: Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. 1pm: BlazBlue Central Fiction 4pm: The King of Fighters XV Sunday Arena Stage Features: Invincible VS Guilty Gear -Strive- Marvel Tōkon Fighting Souls Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Virtua Fighter TEKKEN 8 Evo Street Fighter 6 and more! About Evo The Evolution Championship Series (Evo) represents the largest and longest-running fighting game tournaments on Earth. In 2024, the Las Vegas event featured 10,244 competitors becoming the largest tournament in esports history. Evo brings together the best of the best from around the world with events in the U.S., Japan, and France (and soon-to-be Singapore in 2026) in an electric showcase of skill and fun, as players and fans gather to honor the competitive spirit in an open bracket format that reveals the world’s strongest fighting game players. Evo was established in 2002 after a series of local arcade tournaments run by Tom and Tony Cannon were first held in 1996. Evo is owned and operated by RTS and Sony Interactive Entertainment. Evo returned to Japan on May 9-11 at Tokyo Big Sight and became the largest in-person tournament in the history of the country. Evo will make its European debut at the Palais des Expos in Nice, France, on October 10-12 and also announced it will expand to Singapore in 2026.
Credit - EVO 2024 Stephanie Lindgren
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul
Credit - EVO 2024 Darrell McCready
Credit - EVO 2024 Darrell McCready
Credit - EVO 2024 Darrell McCready
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul
Credit - EVO 2024 Stephanie Lindgren
Credit - EVO 2024 Robert Paul