Evo 2026 finally completed its weekend-long competition, bringing not just classic franchises to its lineup, but new IPs like Invincible VS. Each game holds substantial opportunity for its meta to evolve, especially with the upcoming support.
Many companies joined the major event to reveal their plans to support their active fighting games. Some games are even brought back with new content and modern features, giving more variety for the Fighting Game Community. More news will most likely be announced at the upcoming events in Evo France 2026 and Evo Singapore 2027.
A sneak peek at the upcoming seasons in Invincible VS
Invincible VS appeared during Evo 2026 to announce what to expect for its upcoming debut season on June 30, 2026. It will feature various new content to freshen up the super team battles, including Endless Ladder mode, rewards, premium and free outfits, adjustments, and more.
Along with the Season One reveal is a small peek at Season Two, which will star Angstrom Levy as the next character. The villain will be playable through a distinct demo at Evo France, on October 9-11, 2026.
The confirmed DLC lineup for Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game presented the new characters appearing for its debut seasonal support. Bolin, Ty Lee, Lin, and Uncle Iroh are part of the first DLC lineup for the game’s support, balancing representatives for Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra.
The last character for the first season pass is chosen by a community vote. The developers presented an available selection of characters that could join the first Avatar fighting game: Tenzin, Kuvira, Amon, King Bumi, and Asami. Even though only one character will be chosen by majority, the other characters could return during another possible official season. For now, the developers will prepare to post new details publicly in the near future.
The first new challenger in Virtua Fighter Crossroads
Virtua Fighter Crossroads featured its first new character named Bakunawa Killer. The masked fighter relies on distinct martial arts to take down his targets.
He’s confirmed to be one of the most dangerous fighters in Vilasapara, considering his name. Not much is known about him, yet Pai Chan is one of the few pursuing him. She might also recognize his true identity, but who he is will be kept a mystery until the game’s upcoming launch.
SNK’s Modern fighting games
SNK brought multiple announcements for its latest fighting games, including King of Fighters 15. The latest KOF will feature a brand new update that will affect every fighter, shifting the current meta on July 2, 2026.
The developers also provided another look at Kenshiro, a guest fighter for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. He’s currently available, being shadow dropped after Evo Grand Finals ended. While it is the end of season 2, the developers are currently working on Season 3. SNK will provide more details for the next round of fighters in July 2026.
SNK’s retro NEO GEO fighting games
SNK isn’t just refreshing its modern games, but also its Neo Geo classics. One of the games returning is Ninja Master’s: The Scroll of the Ninja Emperor. It brings multiple new features to make its weapon-based battle more enjoyable, such as online matchmaking with rollback netcode, new practice mode with training features, Gallery mode, and speed adjusters in Time Attack. It’s currently available on Steam for anyone interested in the Neo Geo classic that resembles Samurai Shodown.
Another classic coming to Steam is The Path of the Warrior R, the third entry in the Art of Fighting franchise. It’s more than a standard re-release with the new online mode, rebalancing for the entire cast, and Yuri Sakazaki and King as new characters. The developers plan to reveal more about the game in the near future.
The new pair of champions for 2XKO
2XKO is nearing the end of its seasonal support with the second-to-last character, Lux. Her fighting style relies on her staff and magical abilities, making her excel at any range in combat. More about her unique mechanics will be revealed in her full trailer in Fall 2026.
As a surprise, Riot Games presented a peek of Samira as the last character for the season. The studio will reveal more about the blade gun-wielding fighter sometime after Fall 2026.
Upcoming fighter for Dead or Alive 6 Last Round
Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has revealed more about the upcoming fighter, Minato. She appears to be a student with a school uniform as one of her outfits.
Her expanded trailer reveals she isn’t new to fighting, since she strategizes how to approach her opponent with given information and data. More about her story will be revealed once she officially joins Dead or Alive 6 in Summer 2026.
New support for Rivals of Aether 2
Aether Studios is bringing new content for its latest project with Gouie, a new toxic fighter. The lost Mireling is a platypus-shaped being that can create allies and traps for extra damage. It can also inhale and store projectiles in its shapeshifting body before using it as its own projectile. Its technical fighting style will add more variety to the roster during its official launch on August 4, 2026.
Gouie isn’t the only confirmed fighter for Rivals of Aether 2, but also Mina the Hollower. She’ll be joining the roster in a special collaboration within 2027, becoming part of the game’s packed roadmap.
Major update patch planned for Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
Cygames recently announced the native release of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising coming to Nintendo Switch 2. It will be available in time for the next major update that’s introducing a new fighter: Id.
The studio posted a trailer that reveals Id’s malicious fighting style. He’s a swordsman who prefers close combat for his rushdown assaults, especially when transforming into a dark creature. His beastly form exchanges his disjointed weapon for a new moveset that allows him to close the distance for overwhelming attacks.
The Foreboding Blade will be available within update patch 2.60 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 17, 2026. This new version will also bring several new in-game content, including a battle stage, costumes, system mechanics, gameplay adjustments, character balancing, and more. Cygames will keep itself connected to the community with more details for the update patch 2.60 before its official launch, including what’s included for the new console port.
New characters for Arc System Works’ latest fighting games
Arc System Works joined Evo 2026 to reveal new updates for its competitive projects. Surprisingly, the announcements weren’t solely for Guilty Gear Strive, but also for an older game, Blazblue Centralfiction.
Trinity Glassfille is the new character joining Blazblue Centralfiction as a playable fighter. It’s the first new support coming to the latest Blazblue installment since it previously released version 2.0 in 2017. This new update will revitalize the series, as the developers will reveal her new playable moveset in the near future.
The next fighter Arc System Works revealed is Robo-Ky, a veteran fighter from Guilty Gear X Plus. He isn’t the same as before since he now wields dual swords and various technological tools, including a flying horse. He will make his way into the latest Guilty Gear on July 2, 2026, for season pass 5 owners.
The new dark fighter in Under Night In Birth 2 Sys Celes
Under Night In Birth 2 Sys Celes welcomes another dark character in the roster. The mysterious fighter is Zohar, also described as the “Doppelganger.”
She showed off her aggressive rushdown during her trailer, relying on her claws and speed for relentless offensive pressure. She also controls a nail weapon, which can transform into a separate entity for deviously confusing mix-ups.
Her mysterious story will be revealed during her debut addition in summer 2026. The developers will keep the community updated about her confirmed release date soon.
The next veteran characters in season 3 of Tekken 8
Season 3 has provided a chance for established Tekken characters to return for the latest Tekken. The game took some time to reveal the next veteran fighters: Bob and Roger Jr.
Bob is the next fighter coming into Tekken 8 with a fresher moveset and four new costumes. The trailer features the stellar martial arts that let him close the distance by rolling and throwing himself at his target. His huge weight doesn’t slow him down at all, especially with a defensive move for rebounding attacks. The Tekken 6 representative will officially release on August 24, 2026, though users with early access can play him on August 19, 2026.
The next fighter to join Tekken 8 is the Tekken 5 representative, Roger Jr. He couldn’t show his new moves, yet still made his first in-game appearance by facing off against Leroy. He’ll most likely show off his refreshed fighting style during his confirmed new trailer at Evo France 2026.
The last confirmed team for Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls
Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls took the chance to finally reveal the last team joining its galactic competition. Ghost Rider will participate in the tournament with his official teammates: Blade, Loki, and Deadpool.
The diverse additions to Ghost Rider’s group change the official team name from Midnight Suns to Samurai Outriders. The new characters are armed with sharp weaponry that gives both close and distant ranged attacks, making them dangerous in any position. Along with Loki’s addition is his home realm as the new stage: Asgard.
Anyone curious to try Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls can join its new Open Beta for PlayStation 5 and PC on July 24-26, 2026. Arc System Works will provide more details for its upcoming tests soon, as the game is still planned to release on August 6, 2026, with Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Ultimate editions.
What do you think of these announcements from Evo 2026? Let us know on the Smash Jump social media pages!
