Exciting New Fighting Game Reveals Unveiled at Summer Game Fest

The Evo 2026 fighting game tournament is happening this weekend in Las Vegas, and while it primarily showcases competitions for titles like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8, it also acts as a hub for exciting fighting game announcements. This year is no exception, with thrilling reveals for Rivals of Aether 2 and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game already making waves.

With announcements sprinkled throughout the matches and multiple streams running at once, it can be challenging to keep up with all the news from Evo. This article will be continuously updated over the weekend to highlight every significant fighting game reveal from Evo 2026.

Koei Tecmo recently launched Dead or Alive 6 Last Round on June 25 and teased a new DLC fighter at Evo. The character, named Minato, is set to join the roster this summer. The teaser didn’t showcase any gameplay but highlighted the Miyabi stage while Minato converses with NiCO in the background.

Aether Studios brought an exciting roadmap for Rivals of Aether 2 updates to Evo. This year, players can look forward to two new characters, two additional events, and workshop support for items and characters. In 2027, Rivals of Aether 2 will host four events, introduce two new fighters along with two echo fighter-like “Remix Rivals,” enable eight-player matches, and allow players to use in-game currency to create custom color mixes for their outfits.

Looking ahead to 2028, Aether Studios plans to launch the first chapter of Rivals of Aether 2’s single-player story mode on consoles. They will also continue to enhance Steam Workshop support, introduce buddies into the game, and possibly include guest characters from other franchises.

One of the more unexpected announcements at Evo is that Tekken is getting a cartoon adaptation. The teaser trailer for Tekken! Cartoon showcases a cute art style featuring chibi versions of characters like Alisa Bosconovitch, Kazuya Mishima, Kuma, Paul Phoenix, and Yoshimitsu. Details about this new animation are still scarce, but it certainly marks a departure from the franchise’s usual tone.

Gameplay Group and Paramount Games kicked off pre-orders for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game during Evo, ahead of its July 23 release. The pre-order trailer provides a brief overview of the game and reveals four of the five Year 1 Pass characters: Iroh, Ty Lee, Lin Beifong, and Bolin. The fifth DLC fighter will be determined by a vote from those who pre-order.

During an Evo Showcase panel, developers shared that Iroh will focus on counter-attacks, Ty Lee will be a rushdown character, Lin Beifong will utilize metalbending in her moveset, and Bolin will blend mechanics from other firebender and earthbender characters. Players will have five options to vote for the fifth fighter: Tenzin, Kuvira, Amon, King Bumi, and Asami Sato, with Bumi appearing to be a popular choice based on audience reactions.

A year after its initial announcement, PlayStation has finally opened pre-orders for the FlexStrike Wireless Fight Stick, a controller designed specifically for fighting games. As with much gaming hardware these days, it comes with a hefty price tag of $200 and is set to ship on August 6 alongside Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.

Stay tuned for more updates as Day 2 of Evo 2026 kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.