Evo France 2025 – what a week! From October 10 to 12, Nice was buzzing with Tekken and other fighting games, and I was lucky enough to be right at its core. Going to France for Evo is hard to put into words, but a short write-up is a must because this trip will stay with me for a long time.
While Evo France 2025 officially ran from Friday to Sunday, my journey lasted a bit longer – from October 8 to 13. I spent this time in Nice, taking part in Evo France itself and squeezing in a bit of sightseeing on the side. Evo – obviously, one of the biggest Tekken (and beyond) tournaments in the world. A dream trip: sun, fighting games, a unique vibe, temperatures way nicer than back home in Poland… and hundreds of people who know what sidestep, juggle, and why you shouldn’t whiff recklessly in front of another player really mean. 😅
Tekken feels like an old buddy you’ve been through a lot with – and it’s thanks to Tekken I got into martial arts, started building websites, ran tournaments, and just generally figured out you can have a passion that brings you so much joy. That’s where it all began, when everyone around me was still playing FIFA on their PCs – in the end, this turned out well and led to starting Honmaru – after all, there was no one local to play fighters with offline.
Evo France 2025 was the biggest tournament I’ve ever entered (the only other international one, on a slightly smaller scale, was Tekken World Tour 2019 in Łódź – but if TWT is only about Tekken, Evo is in a whole different league). Hundreds of fighting game fans, cosplay, new and old friendships, freeplays, tournament matches… and a true fanboy bucket list moment – meeting loads of global FGC familiar faces, including Katsuhiro Harada and Michael Murray, managed to exchange a few words, get selfies and autographs. 😎
Watching the top 8 finals from the front rows of the main stage? That happened too – perfect seats (big thanks for helping me secure those!). The finals’ energy? Tekken hype at its peak – every match a blast of shouting, applause and pure hype.
In the evenings (or sometimes between brackets) I managed to squeeze in some sightseeing, which mostly meant sprinting through Nice and Monaco (pro tip: watch out for roaming charges in Monaco, they can end up costing more than the whole trip!). It felt like a turbo-charged city break, leaving me as satisfied as I was wanting more. The unique vibe was only amplified by constantly bumping into Evo attendees – either with badges, themed outfits, or controllers in hand.
I finished Tekken 8 tournament with 3 wins and 2 losses, which landed me in 257th place out of 1169 – not much to brag about, but honestly, I still feel like a winner. To be there, to play, to soak in the atmosphere of an international tournament, and to enjoy a holiday with other players, a controller in hand, fighting games, the sea, great food, drinks, and a truly pleasant climate.
It was also a symbolic milestone – 20 years of Honmaru! It’s hard to believe two decades have already passed. On one hand it feels like it was just yesterday, and on the other… well, let’s just say Tekken changed a bit since then.
And of course – massive props to the Polish FGC crew! Awesome lineup, a lot of laughter, quality discussions, and exactly the kind of vibe I love about the FGC (doing Tekken sets at the airport included). Thanks to everyone for the company and all the shared memories. And the rest? Let’s leave that somewhere between frame advantage on block and recovery time… and of course, etched in memory for years to come. 💪
Anyone feeling like they missed out can start marking their calendars already, because next year’s Evo will once again take place in Nice, France. I hope this short recap showed that it’s definitely worth it :).
Polish FGC crew: Evo France vlogs
The Polish crew showed up in force at Evo France 2025, and I’m sharing two great video reports documenting the event. Check them out below!
The Best of Evo France 2025 – video
From the official Evo France channel on YouTube.
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