TL;DR
- Combo Breaker 2025 was held over the weekend of May 23-25.
- Games consisted of 24 titles being hosted, such as Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Vampire Savior.
- The Combo Breaker prize pool varied between games, but Tekken 8 stood out as offering up to $1 million.
- Prolific players like Mulgold, SonicFox, and others took first place yet again.
- BANDAI NAMCO announced Armor King for Tekken 8 Season 2 in the autumn.
Combo Breaker 2025, a yearly esports tournament that just concluded its latest event on May 23-25, has drawn in big viewership, big winners, and even bigger reveals.
For those unaware, Combo Breaker is a community-based event held in Schaumburg, Illinois, just outside Chicago, which began in 2015. In its tenth year, the Combo Breaker schedule this year consisted of 24 games over May 23, with Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves taking top billing. However, others like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Street Fighter II: Turbo also featured, with plenty of memorable moments to mark Combo Breaker’s 10th anniversary.
There were also some surprising reveals, with developers BANDAI NAMCO announcing Armor King as the next character of the game’s Season 2 DLC.
Now that the Combo Breaker tournament is over for another year, we list the results from the major events and every game featured at the event.
What fighting games were at Combo Breaker 2025?
| Game | Developer |
|---|---|
| Street Fighter 6 | Capcom |
| Tekken 8 | BANDAI NAMCO |
| Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising | Arc System Works |
| Guilty Gear Xrd REV2 | Arc System Works |
| Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves | KOF Studio |
| Guilty Gear: Strive | Arc System Works |
| Melty Blood: Type Lumina | French-Bread |
| Mortal Kombat 1 | NetherRealm Studios |
| Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. | Sega AM2 |
| Under Night In Birth II: Sys:Celes | Arc System Works |
Combo Breaker 2025: Street Fighter 6 results
- DRX’s Leshar as Ed dominated SF Combo Breaker, easily winning first place.
- Highlights include Blaz losing to DualKevin in a fraught fight and Bonchan unable to win against LeShar.
- Ryu and Akuma are showing up more frequently, proving how their Ansatsuken fighting style still appeals to esports players.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | DRX | Leshar | Mai, Ed, Terry |
| 2nd | DFM | Itabashi Zangief | Zangief |
| 3rd | — | DualKevin | Rashid |
| 4th | Mouz | EndingWalker | Ryu |
| 5th | 2G | Blaz | Ryu |
| 5th | RB | Bonchan | Akuma |
| 7th | SR | JAK | Juri, Mai |
| 7th | DFM | GO1 | Chun-Li |
Combo Breaker 2025: Tekken 8 results
- DNF’s Mulgold as Claudio easily won first place at the Tekken Combo Breaker event, earning 560 points toward this season’s Tekken World Cup.
- BANDAI NAMCO revealed Armor King as the next character in Tekken 8 Season 2, along with a July 10 release date for Fahkumram.
- In a bout of randomness, some players decided to go shirtless as the matches progressed.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | DNF | Mulgold | Claudio, Feng |
| 2nd | Falcons | ATIF | Anna, Dragunov |
| 3rd | DRX | Knee | Bryan |
| 4th | T1 | Edge | Hwoarang |
| 5th | Varrel | PINYA | Raven |
| 5th | TM | Arslan Ash | Nina |
| 7th | DRX | LowHigh | Bryan |
| 7th | Varrel | Rangchu | Panda, Lidia, Kuma |
Combo Breaker 2025: Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves results
- GO1 won the event, playing 12 rounds straight to take the title.
- The victory also meant that GO1 earned an invite to compete at the SNK World Championship later this year.
- Combo Breaker 2025 marked the Esports debut of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | DFM | Go1 | Marco |
| 2nd | AG | Reynald | Kain |
| 3rd | ONIC | NYChrisG | Hokutomaru |
| 4th | RB | — | Gato |
| 5th | T1 | ZJZ | Hotaru |
| 5th | CAG | Fenrich | Kain |
| 7th | FW | GamerBee | Kain |
| 7th | WBG | Poongko | Gato |
Combo Breaker 2025: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising results
- Xerom easily took the title for Granblue as Charlotta, making a clean sweep in two rounds at the Grand Final.
- Zane was doing all they could to block Xerom’s attacks, but it was simply no use, looking defeated, but ultimately a good sport to Xerom at the end.
- Since its release in December 2023, several fine-tuning patches have meant that characters like Charlotta and Vaseraga are featuring more at Esports events, as Combo Breaker 2025 proves.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kanme | Xerom | Charlotta |
| 2nd | PAR | Zane | Grimnir |
| 3rd | — | Monarch | Metera |
| 4th | Kanme | Elsa | Cagliostro, Versusia |
| 5th | — | Ryazo | Seox |
| 5th | — | Insurgent | Eustace |
| 7th | — | Kazunkai | Beelzebub |
| 7th | ONi | BlueSkyGuyBSG | Vaseraga |
Combo Breaker 2025: Mortal Kombat 1 results
- After years of defeat at other MK1 Combo Breaker events, SonicFox as Cyrax finally broke the curse this year.
- The fight between Rewind and VideoGamezYo was a big highlight, with fast attacks and big Kameo switches, making this one to watch on repeat.
- DLC Characters like Homelander and T-1000 appeared in the Top 8, only showing how strange it was to see these characters at Esports events like Combo Breaker.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | LG | SonicFox | Cyrax |
| 2nd | PAR | Rewind | Reiko, Homelander, Ermac |
| 3rd | CGL | VideoGamezYo | Homelander, Ghostface, General Shao |
| 4th | Panther | FaysalKombat | T-1000, Shang Tsung |
| 5th | ONi | Bandinoz | Rain, Ermac |
| 5th | — | TheMightyUnjust | T-1000 |
| 7th | Rez | Dyloch | General Shao |
| 7th | FSP | Han Rashid | Havik |
Combo Breaker 2025: The King of Fighters XV results
- TheGio deservedly made first place, with strategic swaps between the two sets to take this year’s title and $4,855.20 of the $11,560 prize pool.
- Isla, Heidern, and Rock appeared multiple times in the Top 8, showcasing how adept players have become with these characters already.
- The battle between Leyec and Madkof was one to remember, with characters being swapped at smart moments, which resulted in a win for Leyec.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | GHZ | TheGio | Blue Mary, Yuri, Isla | Blue Mary, Isla, Heidern |
| 2nd | LEV | Layec | Kim, Goenitz, Orochi Chris | Others |
| 3rd | CR | Madkof | Sylvie, Heidern, Goenitz |
| 4th | Falcons | Mok | Shun’ei, Duo Lon, Kukri |
| 5th | Falcons | Tamago | Kula, Blue Mary, Benimaru | Rock, Ryo, Benimaru |
| 5th | QAD | Wero Asamiya | Iori, Rock, Yuri |
| 7th | Falcons | E.T. | Sylvie, Isla, Heidern | Ralf, Heidern, Isla |
| 7th | — | Memo | Iori, Benimaru, Rock |
Combo Breaker 2025: Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. results
- ChinpanJ as Jacky won three rounds straight against Itabashi Zangief as Shun, performing several low kicks and punches to win the title.
- Jacky and Shun are still dominating as top picks for players, thanks to their fast, close attacks.
- Virtua Fighter is experiencing somewhat of a comeback, with the next entry in deep development. So much so we wouldn’t be surprised to see it at a future Combo Breaker event.
| Position | Team | Player | Character(s) Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | MGG | ChinpanJ | Jacky |
| 2nd | DMF | Itabashi Zangief | Shun |
| 3rd | Reject | Fuudo | Shun |
| 4th | — | Himajean | Jean |
| 5th | — | Gomengai | Brad |
| 5th | — | Dark Nova VF | Sarah |
| 7th | — | Tenguman | Aoi |
| 7th | — | JackoRCB | Jeffry |
What else was played at Combo Breaker 2025?
Although games like Tekken 8, Street Fighter 6, and others were showcased at Combo Breaker 2025 as main events, others weren’t. These other matches featured retro games like Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and more. Below is a full breakdown of what was featured between May 23-25:
| Game | Developer |
|---|---|
| Mortal Kombat X | NetherRealm Studios |
| Skullgirls: 2nd Encore | Hidden Variable Studios |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | HAL Laboratory |
| Super Street Fighter II Turbo | Capcom |
| Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 | Capcom |
| Street Fighter III: Third Strike | Capcom |
| Vampire Savior | Capcom |
| The King of Fighters XV | KOF Studio |
| Rivals of Aether II | Aether Studios |
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | BANDAI NAMCO and Sora Ltd |
| Killer Instinct | Iron Galaxy |
| DRAGON BALL FighterZ | Arc System Works |
| Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 | Capcom |
Conclusion
Overall, Combo Breaker 2025 was a great watch, and the surprising DLC reveal of Armor King only made the event one to remember and a perfect way to celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary.
It was also welcome to see past games featured and given almost as much attention as Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6. Watching players fight it out in Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Vampire Savior, and other retro games were fantastic, and we’re hoping other events take note of this and feature similar games in the future.
Combine this with the humorous moments of the audience crowdfunding some players to go shirtless during matches, and the tense Combo Breaker results of winners and losers, Tekken 8 especially, and the event only proves how fun, engaging, and varied it is, ten years on since its debut.
FAQs
Why is it called Combo Breaker?
The event is named after a move in fighting games called ‘combo breaker’, a term meant for players to interrupt an opponent’s combo.
What game says Combo Breaker?
Killer Instinct, originally developed by UK company Rare, coined the line ‘Combo Breaker!’ whereby players can perform special moves.
How long is Combo Breaker?
The event is usually a three-day event held over a weekend.
Where is Combo Breaker held?
The Combo Breaker location is held in Schaumburg, Illinois, just outside Chicago, USA.
References
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926842813922099502 (X)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926794936642334865 (X)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926741651323535613 (X)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926799277033980212 (X)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926480897924039078 (X)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNXnIicNerA (YouTube)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926795406723141678 (X)
- https://x.com/COMBOBREAKER/status/1926747755155746974 (X)
- https://x.com/FGC_Daily/status/1926496310544196017 (X)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VPHL2Qu2vQ (YouTube)
