The Guilty Gear Strive Grand Finals during EVO Japan had to be temporarily halted mid-match due to hardware issues.
The annual fighting game event, held over three days, wrapped up its final third on May 11 with Grand Finals for several tournament titles, including Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Strive, and more.
The Strive Grand Final between Daru_I-NO and RedDitto, playing as I-No and Ramlethal Valentine, respectively, came to a complete stop in the final round.
Streamed on Twitch, both players’ characters could be seen walking backward and pausing mid-match before play cut to the commentary box.
“Oh no, it feels like yet another issue has happened,” one commentator started, with another adding, “This is a heartbreaking way for these Grand Finals to play out.”
Seconds later, both players resumed play, with Daru ultimately taking the win.
Begins at 11:29:48
Multiple EVO Japan console issues reported
Multiple reports of PlayStation 5 consoles not working properly during 2025’s iteration of the event circulated online during and after the event.
In a May 9 X/Twitter post, pro player Punk criticized the PS5’s performance, blaming its “malfunction” on his loss in a Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves match.
“I really just lost in COTW because of a PS5 malfunction where it will make your pad walk backwards and nothing else works. Same thing happened last year during EVO Japan in SF6 also.”
PS5s being subjected to intense heat in a hot, poorly-ventilated venue has since become the commonly believed cause of the issues, although this hasn’t been confirmed by event organisers or Sony, the latter of which jointly owns EVO.
Whatever the confirmed cause, numerous fighting game fans voiced their disappointment.
“Embarrassing ending to EVO Japan,” one commenter said, while others called on the event to adopt a different platform. “It’s way past time to change the PS5 for PCs in big tournaments at least. EVO Japan not using PCs is so bad.”
Multiple EVO events are held around the world each year, with EVO USA taking place on August 1, 2025, in Las Vegas.
