Evo changed a lot for its biggest tournament ever with Evo 2023 ditching the traditional top-eight model and transitioning to a focused-down top-six finale to accommodate over 9,000 competitors from Aug. 4 to 6 in Las Vegas.
From Street Fighter 6’s record-breaking turnout of more than 7,000 players to the astounding return of Marvel vs Capcom 3 to Evo’s main stage, Evo 2023 was a must-watch event for every fighting game fan.
This year, Evo cut down its lineup to eight games and only featured the top six players on the finals stage for those titles. To keep FGC tradition alive, the top eight players will all still receive an Evo Finalist medal and a cut of the game’s prize pool—even if they don’t get to play on the main stage.
Even with the format changing, fans attending Evo or watching from home still expected to see some big announcements during the event, including a first in-person look at Riot Games’ Project L.
For anyone who wanted to keep track of the full top-eight results for every main Evo 2023 tournament, along with all of the best announcements that happened live from the venue in Vegas, here is a present from me to you—all wrapped up in hopes and dreams shaped like a Marvel vs Capcom revival.
Evo 2023: Live Top 8 standings and final results
Related: Evo 2023: Full game schedule and how to watch
Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Ninjakilla_212 | $10,000 |
| 2nd | Nicolas | $5,000 |
| 3rd | Scorpionprocs | $3,750 |
| 4th | A F0xy Grampa | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | TheMightyUnjust, Xombat | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | Rewind, MakoraN | $375 |
Melty Blood: Type Lumina: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Moai | $10,000 |
| 2nd | DAI | $5,000 |
| 3rd | Jimmyjtran | $3,750 |
| 4th | Jing | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | KR_Wrestlingman, ScrawtVermillion | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | Lunar, ronde | $375 |
King of Fighters XV: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Xiao Hai | $10,000 |
| 2nd | E.T. | $5,000 |
| 3rd | mok | $3,750 |
| 4th | Wero Asamiya | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | MadKOF, Lacid | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | FKang, ZJZ | $375 |
Dragon Ball FighterZ: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Hikari | $10,000 |
| 2nd | Yasha | $5,000 |
| 3rd | Nitro | $3,750 |
| 4th | Gropis | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | Kite, Garlic Bread | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | KJpixel, INZEM | $375 |
Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Jibrill | $10,000 |
| 2nd | Evaision | $5,000 |
| 3rd | Kane Blueriver | $3,750 |
| 4th | LiberalTerminator | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | Spartan Throne, Mundank | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | RF, Escalante | $375 |
Tekken 7: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Arslan Ash | $10,000 |
| 2nd | AO | $5,000 |
| 3rd | ULSAN | $3,750 |
| 4th | Genghis D0n | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | Anakin, Meo-IL | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | Nobi, Doujin | $375 |
Guilty Gear Strive: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | Leffen | $10,000 |
| 2nd | NBNHMR | $5,000 |
| 3rd | Daru_I-No | $3,750 |
| 4th | UMISHO | $2,500 |
| 5th/6th | Tyurara, Verix | $1,500 |
| 7th/8th | Setchi, Zando | $375 |
Street Fighter 6: Evo 2023 final standings
| Place | Player | Prize |
| 1st | AngryBird | $20,000 + Capcom Cup X invite |
| 2nd | MenaRD | $15,000 |
| 3rd | Punk | $10,000 |
| 4th | Tokido | $7,000 |
| 5th/6th | Haitani, Kakeru | $4,000 |
| 7th/8th | Fujimura, Nemo | $2,000 |
Evo 2023: Major announcements and best reveals
Evo is known as an event where companies drop big announcements and reveals for fighting game franchises since the hardcore audience they are trying to play to is watching from the stands at the event or online at home.
From full game reveals to DLC and enhancements for already playable titles—and everything in between—here is what you might have missed from Evo 2023.
Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] is officially announced
After 10 years of waiting, Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes] was officially announced by Arc System Works and developer French-Bread.
This is a direct sequel to Under Night In-Birth, will feature new and returning characters, along with a revamped battle system. It will also be the first Under Night In-Birth title to feature rollback netcode, so players can rest easy.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising shows off two new characters
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is set to be an enhanced version of the original 2020 game, with improved visuals, gameplay, and more. The open beta tournament at Evo 2023 is already letting players see some high-level action, but the developers also wanted to include a nice treat by showcasing two of the new fighters.
During the special event panels on Aug. 4, Cygames showed players their first look at newcomer Nier’s gameplay. They also teased the next character joining the roster, Grimnir.
Skullgirls Championship Series returns while Sonicfox and dekillsage show off the next fighter
The Skullgirls Championship Series was confirmed to make a return in 2023. And, while we already knew about Maria and have seen some early looks at the character’s gameplay, Sonicfox and dekillsage took the newest Skullgirls fighter to the Evo mainstage for an exhibition.
You get to see plenty of what makes Maria special, and some awesome behind the scenes for the design process behind each character thanks to the partially finished animations and other incomplete elements.
Rivals of Aether 2 shows off returning fighter and more gameplay
Rivals of Aether 2 is set to release at some point in 2024, and Aether Studios wanted to show off a first look at Maypul in 3D, along with some new gameplay for the game.
Historic achievements for multiple fighting game legends at Evo 2023
In a surprising return, Evo 2023 saw the return of the Cannon Award, a legacy award given out to influential and key members of the Fighting Game Community that have achieved greatness or helped grow the scene in a meaningful and positive way. It is named for the Cannon brothers, Tom and Tony, who helped co-found the event.
This year, it was awarded to CEO creator Alex Jebailey, Tampa Never Sleeps founder Tong Lee, and Combo Breaker founder and Evo general manager Rick “TheHadou” Thiher.
Killer Instinct gets surprise 10th anniversary revival at Evo 2023
During the Killer Instinct 10-Year Anniversary Invitational, fans of the franchise got a massive surprise in the form of head of Killer Instinct, James Goddard confirming a new update coming to the game to celebrate the occasion.
Dropping later this year, KI will receive a free update to add an all-new balance patch, improved matchmaking, and 4K support on Xbox Series X/S consoles. It is also being developed by the original developers at Iron Galaxy.
More information will be shared in the coming months ahead of its release.
Related: Killer Instinct isn’t dead, receives massive 10th-anniversary surprise at Evo 2023
Plankton joins Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl 2
Ahead of its release later this year, Nickelodeon All-Stars Brawl 2 showed off Mr. Krabs arch-enemy Plankton, who will join the roster as a fighter.
Piloting a mech based on his own body and full of different gadgets, players got a full look at his moveset and just what the bottomfeeder will bring.
SNK reveals Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, next King of Fighters XV character
After teasing the game at Evo 2022, SNK finally gave fans a taste of what the sequel to 1999’s Garou: Mark of the Wolves.
Related: Yasuyuki Oda wanted SNK to revisit Garou: Mark of the Wolves because it was left incomplete
Fittingly titled Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, the teaser trailer showed updated models of Rock Howard and Terry Bogard looking very different from their King of Fighters XV style, showing this new title will have a distinct art style to set the two apart.
No information about a release date or additional content was shared, but this update shows that the game is coming along nicely in development and is likely going to drop in late 2024 or early 2025.
SNK also showed the next fighter being added to KoFXV as part of its DLC lineup, Duo Lon, who typically battles with ghostly powers that can even deform his own body. He will release as part of an update later this fall, while Najd joins the roster on Aug. 8.
Tekken 8 gets two new challengers, including a coffee-obsessed debut
Harada-san and Michael Murray made their usual appearance on Evo’s final stage to share a few updates for Tekken, including that the Tekken World Tour will host its 2023 finals in New Orleans from Jan. 12 to 14. They even brought out former Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono on stage.
That was followed by two character announcements for Tekken 8: the return of Raven and a newcomer named Azucena being revealed.
Raven got a new look and some seriously flashy “shadow” clones that can carry combos and lead to mixups. It looks like this new technique of his will have multiple different uses, and Murray noted T8’s Special Style controls will be a great way to use them.
Azucena is from Peru, obsessed with coffee, and has a moveset that apparently revolves around faking out opponents with feints and last-second movements.
Mortal Kombat 1 gets three new characters at Evo 2023
Even though Mortal Kombat 11 didn’t make it to Evo 2023’s final day, NetherRealm Studios brought a Mortal Kombat 1 trailer for the biggest stage in fighting games.
The trailer focused on the reveal of Repitle as a playable fighter, followed by showing off Ashrah and Havik. Sareena was also revealed as the newest Kameo Fighter.
Guilty Gear Strive finally gets Johnny, announces Season Three system reworks
Guilty Gear Strive is hitting a new level, dropping a big new update for Season Three on Aug. 24 that will include two new battle mechanics and Johnny as the headliner for a new run of DLC fighters.
Related: Here’s Johnny: Guilty Gear Strive add favorite, make massive combat upgrades for Season Three
Johnny will be the first of four new characters joining the roster this season, with more details coming later for who will hit the stage next. As part of that update new offensive and defensive options called Wild Assault and Deflect Shield will change how players interact with each other, along with new special moves for the existing roster.
Capcom drops turtle-sized surprise with a new character for Street Fighter too
Street Fighter 6 is getting a collab with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Aug. 8, adding new costumes and other cosmetic items to the Battle Hub. It also included a live rendition of the classic TMNT theme song at the Evo venue.
We also finally got an in-game look at the next SF6 fighter, A.K.I. No gameplay was shown, but she showed off a knowledge of poison and a very creepy set of personality traits and movements.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is going free-to-play, sort of
We finally have a release date for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, but CyGames dropped a surprise twist to the revamped version by announcing there will be a free version.
Along with the full and deluxe versions that will feature the full game and all the new features that come with it, it will also include four characters, the intro chapter, and access to online play in lobbies even though additional few features will be limited.
It will basically work like a more advanced trial anyone can try before buying the full version when it becomes available on Nov. 30.
