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 :).
Ana was at Evo too – second take ⭐️
Ana from the Honmaru team also showed interest in the event right away, which honestly gave me that extra push to lock in the trip and get all the travel stuff sorted sooner rather than later. Here’s her take on Evo from her point of view.
Some people dream about unicorns, others about taking part in a big gaming event somewhere in Europe. I definitely belong to the second group. So when Dumian asked me back in December if we’re going – my answer could only be one thing. Less than five minutes later, I already had my tickets booked.
After months of waiting, the time finally came, and on October 8th we landed safely in Nice. A few words about the city itself – such an incredible vibe. That Mediterranean magic hits you instantly, and it’s totally worth spending a day or two just exploring. Trust me, a baguette with camembert tastes way better when you’re staring at the sea.
On Friday, October 10th, everything kicked off. Luckily, we picked up our tickets the day before, skipping those huge lines. Definitely worth it, especially since the first matches started as early as 10 AM. A few thousand people stepped up to fight for glory, the grand prize, or simply with the minimum goal of “not getting perfects against them.” From the broad Tekken scene, you might have seen or, if you were lucky (or unlucky), faced off against Arslan Ash, Jeondding, Fergus, Joka, Knee, Kirakirа, or even Qudans. The stars were definitely there, and the Polish scene was proudly represented by a strong group of over 30 players.And our guys did amazing – Frizen and Bati finished the tournament in 25th place after some tough matches, and you can easily spot some familiar-sounding nicknames within the top 100.
The atmosphere was indescribable – nothing can quite capture the emotions of cheering together; fingers crossed, joyful shouts, rooting for “our” players, hyping each other up. Add to that the prestige of the event, the chance to meet Katsuhiro Harada, Michael Murray, the crew from Sandfall Interactive (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33), top-level players, or just a bunch of passionate, positive weirdos who feel the same “vibe,” and could there be a better way to celebrate 20 years? To quote a classic: „I don’t think so”.
Next year, Evo is coming back to Nice again. The decision’s made, I’m not even waiting for Dumian’s cue. I’m going. There are so many matches to watch, so many feelings to shout out loud, and in Nice itself, a few spots I want to revisit and many more I want to discover – baguette and camembert in hand. Au revoir!
– Ana
The Best of Evo France 2025 – video
We’ve got Polish recap videos in a separate post, but here’s something in English from the official Evo France channel on YouTube.