EVO 2023 hits attendance record as line goes literally out the door

Declan Mclaughlin
EVO 2022

EVO 2023 broke its record for most signups for the Las Vegas fighting game tournament, which has led directly to one of the biggest lines ever seen for the event in general.

EVO 2023, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, has opened its doors to welcome in the first players for morning pool play and spectators looking to watch and see what the venue has to offer.

Developers like Riot Games are hosting beta tests for new titles, and other conventiongoers are selling merchandise on the venue’s floor.

Getting into the venue, however, has proven to be a nightmare, as the line to get into EVO has stretched out of the door, down the hallway, past the Mandalay Bay casino and into the lobby.

The monster line has been documented by many tournament goers, with Team Liquid’s Juan ‘Hungrybox’ Debiedma showcasing the queue in detail.

EVO 2023 first day sees an incredibly long line

The number of people trying to get into the venue is not at all surprising, considering the tournament broke its record for most signups. The line is so long that those who have the first block of pool play have been advised to skip the line entirely just to make sure they can make their matches on time.

One EVO participant said they used the early pool play line and it took over nine minutes for them to walk to the front of the regular line.

“We left the Mandalay room at 9:15 and my cousin is still making his way through the regular line,” the EVO attendee said.

The three-day fighting game tournament has brackets for eight titles, with Street Fighter 6 as the marquee game with over 7,000 players signed up to play. The event will run from around 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, with action across the entire day from multiple different brackets for viewers and attendees to choose from.

About The Author

Based in Indiana, Declan McLaughlin is an esports reporter for Dexerto Esports covering Valorant, LoL and anything else that pops up. Previously an editor and reporter at Upcomer, Declan is often found reading investigative stories or trying to do investigations himself. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University. You can contact him at declan.mclaughlin@dexerto.com.