Tournament lineup

Games, competitions, and rules

CB2026

COMBO BREAKER’s annual event is a celebration of the fighting game genre. For 3 days this Memorial Day Weekend, players and fans from across the world will converge in Schaumburg, IL to test their skills, meet new friends, face old rivals, and share their love for fighting games.

Get a Badge

EVENT schedule

Additional details will be available in the CB2026 Program Guide releasing Monday, May 18, 2026.

Badge Pickup Hours:

Thursday, May 21: 2 to 10 PM CDT
Friday, May 22: 8 to 9 PM CDT
Saturday, May 23: 8 AM to 9 PM CDT
Sunday, May 24: 9 AM to 9 PM CDT

2026 Games

Details and Rules

Click a Tournament Game for its individual rules. General Tournament Rules and FAQ at the bottom of this page. Event Schedule HERE.

More WAYS TO COMPETE

Auction Tournaments

Character-locked brackets only enterable via a live, cash auction of playable characters! There will only be one player per character or team included.

ALL IN TOGETHER

Community Tournaments hosted by independent organizers featuring titles outside CB2026’s core lineup. Find out more information HERE.

Cosplay Contest

COMBO BREAKER’s cosplay contest celebrates fighting games by highlighting the costuming skills of artisans in the fighting game community! More info HERE.

High Score Classics

The arcade at CB2026 is better than ever! Compete in classic arcade games all weekend and see if you can claim top placements on their leaderboards.

Tabletop Lounge

Take a break from video games and test your mind in tabletop gaming! First-come, first-served tables will be available at the venue.

Plan Your Trip

Where to stay and what to do at CB2026!

Hotels and Schedule

Key Info

Tournament Faq

Frequently asked questions about our compeitions and formats

Registration

You can register for CB2026 tournaments via start.gg/combobreaker.

Online Registration will be open until May 1, 2026. Competitors may register for CB2026 tournaments until that date. Players who enter during online registration will be separated by geographic region and, when possible, existing tournament results by bracket seeding.

Registering on-site is limited to non-competitor, spectator registration. Registering for CB2026 tournaments will not be available on-site. Please register online if you plan to compete in CB2026 tournaments!

Prizing

Tournament finalists will be awarded medals, trophies, and prize payments. Top 8 finalists will receive CB2026 medals. Grand Champions will be awarded CB2026 trophies. Top 4 competitors of approved Community Tournaments will also receive finalist medals.

Payout Percentages
100% of Game Entry Fees go into their respective Prize Pools. Percentages below represent the listed player’s cut of an individual game’s prize pool.

Tournaments with 63 competitors or fewer will pay out to the top 3 places.
1st Place – 50% of the Prize Pool
2nd Place – 30%
3rd Place – 20%

Tournaments with 64 competitors or more will pay out to the top 8 places.
1st Place – 42% of the Prize Pool
2nd Place – 24%
3rd Place – 14%
4th Place – 8%
5th Place (tie) – 4%
7th Place (tie) – 2%

Pot Bonuses
Pot Bonuses, when provided by developers or sponsors, will be split based on their respective requests.

Restrictions
Attendees under the age of 18 will need to have a parent or guardian fill out a form to accept any prizing they earn. All prize recipients may be requested to fill out a W-9 or W-8 tax form to receive prizing.

Terminology

Bracket
A flow chart indicating who should play whom at any point during a tournament. All Brackets at Combo Breaker are Double-Elimination, in that players are not eliminated until they have 2 (two) Set losses.

Game
A single head-to-head game between 2 players, ending with a player win screen. In tournaments, players must win X number of Games to win a Set.

Set or Match
Equivalent terms, both referring to a “Best of X” or “First to Y” series of Games. A player who wins a Set advances to the next round of the Bracket.

Judge
An individual chosen to run a Bracket. A Judge is a tournament official and will be empowered to control the flow of Sets on a Bracket. While Judges can resolve conflicts and issues involving players, it is often advised that you seek out a Tournament Director for substantial concerns.

Tournament Director
An individual overseeing the event Judges and managing competitor experiences. Tournament Directors are empowered by the Event Organizers to resolve conflicts in line with event rules.

Event Organizers
The person or people responsible for running the event.

Tournament Format

CB uses an open-entry, Double Elimination format in its tournaments.

Double Elimination is a format requiring a participant to lose two matches in a competition before being eliminated. As a competitor, you will start the tournament in the Winners Bracket and then advance towards Grand Finals with each victory. Should you lose, you will find yourself in the Losers Bracket; a second chance bracket path where victories can still lead to Grand Finals.

Exhibitions at COMBO BREAKER events may feature other tournament formats.

Tournament Brackets

Tournaments may feature two types of open brackets based on the number of entrants, single phase or multi-phase brackets.

Single-Phase Bracket
Single-Phase Brackets are used for tournaments with 32 competitors or fewer. A single stand-alone double-elimination bracket advances all players until a champion is crowned.

Multi-Phase Bracket
Multi-phase brackets are used for tournaments with 33 competitors or more. Tournament entrants are split up into several double-elimination “pools” brackets of equal size, so that each pool bracket contains fewer than 32 competitors. The top few players who advance to the latest rounds of each pool bracket advance to the next phase of the tournament, with set losses carrying over to the next phase. The process continues until all remaining competitors are placed in a single double-elimination bracket, which proceeds until a champion is crowned.

Who Makes The Brackets?
CB brackets are developed by Competition Director CurlyW, with assistance from trusted community representatives. COMBO BREAKER’s bracket team is trusted by many of the world’s most notable fighting game tournaments.

For preparation, CB2026 tournament brackets will be posted online at least two weeks before the event for review.

Tournament Live Streams

CB2026 tournaments are broadcasted in partnership with independently owned and operated fighting game channels on Twitch and YouTube. A list of broadcast channels will be published before the event.

Check-in Protocols

Pool check-in begins 10 minutes before the start time for the pool. For example, if you are in a 10 AM pool you can check in with your bracket runner by 9:50 AM. If you are in a 5 PM pool, you can check in starting at 4:50 PM. If you are not checked in by the time your pool starts, you risk being disqualified from the Winner’s Bracket and, eventually, the tournament.

You are responsible for checking in to your pool on time. In the rare event that you are competing in multiple tournaments at once, you must notify your bracket judge of the overlap.

Set Procedures

These are the rules in effect when tournament sets are played. If you are playing in a CB2025 tournament, you will need to know these rules.

• Bracket referees will instruct players to play a match against each other
• Before players sit down to compete, they must come to an agreement on who will be 1 player and 2 player side
• If an agreement is not reached, a game of rock-paper-scissors will select who gets what side
• Before the match begins, player should disconnect any bluetooth-connected devices paired to the console
• Once controllers are functioning and bluetooth-connected devices are desynced, players go Versus Mode
• Players should check their buttons using in the in-game UI or by loading a button-check game
• To begin the set, both players confirm they are ready to play and select their characters
• A Double-Blind character selection can if requested from the bracket referee
• After characters are selected, players play the first game in the set
• After each game ends, the loser of that game has the option to change their character(s) prior to the next game
• Additional changes the losing player may make will be listed in a tournament game’s specific rules
• After the loser selects their character(s), the winner may select their character(s)
• The players will then continue playing games in their set until a winner is decided
• If a game ends in a draw, it will be replayed. It will not count as a game won by either player
• Once the match ends, players disconnect their controllers and report their results to the bracket referee

Bring Your Own Controller

You are responsible for having a pad/controller, arcade stick, leverless peripheral, or other input device to play on for tournament and casual activities. This input device must adhere to tournament rules and be available to you when your match is called. Lending your controller to another player and not having it when your match is called is not a valid excuse for delaying the tournament. Be warned that in this situation you may receive a loss if you are delaying the bracket.

Regulations on Wireless Controllers
All controllers, even those for casual play only, are required to be wired to a console. Wireless controllers, of all kinds, are not eligible for play unless specified as legal in a game’s individual rules. A wireless controller with the batteries removed and powered exclusively through a USB connector will be considered legal. Wireless controllers that operate exclusively through a USB dongle will also be considered “Wired” controllers.

You are responsible for your controller and its functionality. If your controller’s wireless sync interferes with tournament matches it will be confiscated. There is a zero tolerance policy at COMBO BREAKER for controller’s that pause another competitor’s match. If you are found to be using an unapproved wireless controller you will be disqualified from the tournament and have your controller confiscated until the end of the event.

PlayStation & Xbox Exceptions
The PlayStation DualShock and DualSense controllers and the official Xbox Wireless controller is legal for tournaments.

In all moments of confusion, the COMBO BREAKER controller policy will align with the Evo controller and equipment policy listed on evo.gg/rules.

Converters

Controller converters are allowed at CB but limitations may apply. COMBO BREAKER recommends Brooks Converters as a legal option for most tournament needs. Please contact [email protected] for questions about tournament legality for specific converter to avoid issues.

Disqualifications

You can be disqualified for not following event rules and/or an individual game’s tournament rules. If you are disqualified from a game you are not entitled to a refund. If you are on time and follow event rules (and common sense) this will not be an issue for you. If you do not know where to be and at what time to be there, or what rules to be following, please ask a Tournament Official. Tournament Official rulings are final. Arbitration will only be provided, as warranted, by COMBO BREAKER’s Event Directors.

Collusion

Conspiring with your fellow competitors is considered cheating. If the Tournament Directors determine that you have colluded to manipulate tournament results you will be immediately disqualified. Intentionally under-performing to advance a friend or teammate is collusion. Anyone disqualified in this manner forfeits all rights to titles, prizes, and bragging rights they would have earned. Determinations are made at the sole discretion of the Tournament Directors. Bracket runners and judges cannot, and will not, make this determination.

Pausing, Stoppages, Bugs, and Glitches

If a game pauses during play, immediately signal your bracket judge. Unless the Inevitable Defeat condition is met (see below), the player whose controller paused the game will receive a Round loss. The round loss due to a pause could simultaneously result in a game loss if the pausing player’s opponent is on game point, as well as a set loss if the opponent is on set point. If the game does not have rounds, e.g. Dragon Ball FighterZ, the pause results in a game loss, and could result in a set loss if the opponent is on set point. For games with stocks, e.g. Smash Bros. Ultimate, the pause results in a stock loss, and could result in a game loss if it was the player’s last stock. In the event that the game pause is due to a legitimate hardware malfunction you will be allowed to get another controller and continue the Set, if possible.

Inevitable Defeat
The Inevitable Defeat condition comes into play if a pause occurs during a move or animation, and after the game has been unpaused, the round or game ends (i.e. a player is KOed) with no further inputs from either player. If this condition is met, the pausing player will not be penalized a round/game, and the set will continue as normal. For games with stocks, the Inevitable Defeat condition can only apply if both players were on their final stock, with all other pause situations resulting in a stock loss.

Bugs & Glitches
Intentionally triggering a bug or glitch that stops the game from being played counts as a loss for the triggering player. Discovering a bug or glitch in a tournament set does not count as a loss. It is at your Bracket Judge’s discretion to determine culpability.

Macros and Turbo

Turbo and program (macro) functions in all controllers are banned. If you are caught using them you will be disqualified for cheating.

Hardware Button Binds, so long as they trigger all of their inputs on the same frame, are legal. You may not use binds that combine directions and actions. This means a button that presses light punch+hard punch at the same time is legal, but a button that presses forward and light punch is not. Hardware Macros are not allowed. If you are using a device that has hardware modifications you must present it to the bracket runner prior to the start of your pool to check its legality.

More clarity from PhreakMods: Leverless devices that handle SOCD (Simultaneous Operation of Cardinal Direction) properly are not considered to cause impossible behavior and are tournament legal. Controllers that handle these operations and do not allow opposing directions on the same frame include Hit Box, Godlike Controls Cthulu+. PhreakMods Cerberus, & Akishop Customs PS360+, and Brook Universal Fighting Boards.

TL;DR: Don’t cheat, earn your victories.

Partnered Tournaments and Specialty Rules

Individual tournaments at CB2026 may have unique rules due to specific title characteristics or inclusion in partnered Publisher Tours. Please review the Details & Rules pages of the tournaments you are registered for to ensure you have a complete understanding of rules and regulations.

Warnings and Removals

Players who engage in inappropriate behavior may be removed from CB2026. Depending on the severity of the behavior, players may be allowed a warning before being removed from the event. Players removed from the event will be disqualified from all tournaments they are entered into and will lose access privileges to the convention.

Actions that will lead to warnings include:
∙Physically interfering with an ongoing match
∙Excessive out-of-game misconduct including, but not limited to, repeatedly loading into and quitting games to change characters, leaving the pool station area between games in a set, unsolicited and inappropriate contact with other players, damaging tournament equipment, tampering with or damaging other player’s equipment, excessive or hostile trash-talking personally directed at other players

Actions that will result in immediate removal from the event:
∙Any repeat actions after a prior warning
∙Physically attacking another tournament player or attendee
∙Theft or other illegal activity
∙Inability to adhere to the event Code of Conduct

I have additional questions! Who do I ask?

Please contact [email protected] with any additional questions.

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