2026 Competitive Series for 2XKO Announced with its Console Launch

According to developer Riot Games Inc., 2XKO is set to arrive on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in Jan 2026, following a lengthy wait since its PC Early Access. The official announcement, on Dec 5, also introduces Riot’s expanding plan for the title, targeting the Fighting Game Community (FGC). 

The Early Access on PC dropped on Oct 7, 2025, and since then, around 1500 community tournaments have been observed, according to the developer. After the worldwide engagement, Riot wishes to formalize the 2XKO competitive landscape, with the first Major of “2026 Competitive Series,” kicking off on Jan 29. 

Riot Games, known for MOBA titles such as VALORANT and League of Legends, marked a shift with the fighting game 2XKO. It is a free-to-play, two-versus-two (“2v2”) tag-team fighting game, derived from the publisher’s renowned game, League of Legends’ “Runeterra” universe. 

Riot’s console launch plan is strategic: the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions go live Jan 2026, aligned with the start of season 1. 2XKO season 1 will observe the launch of “Frame Perfect,” a new competitive-themed skin. Riot has also informed that a portion of earnings from Frame Perfect will go towards funding prize pools and covering tournament costs.

2026 Competitive Series: Format and Riot’s FGC Vision

Along with the console launch update, Riot has laid out plans for the 2026 Competitive Series. Marking a subtle shift from its internal competitive network (Riot’s own League structure), for 2XKO, Riot aims to support the existing fighting game events. 

The schedule includes 20 “Riot-sanctioned” global tournaments across the year. Five Majors, each positioned as one of the “biggest competitive moments,” and 15 Challengers, regional-level open tournaments. 

Every competitive circuit will comprise one Major and three Challengers, aligning with one of the five in-game seasons. First Major starts with Frosty Faustings. Following its culmination on Feb 1, the first three Challengers will start with Genesis X3 (Feb 13-15). The second one, Texas Showdown, is slated for Mar 27-29, followed by Viennality on Mar 28-29.

Riot is pushing the new framework as a long-term investment in the broader Fighting-Game Community (FGC). They emphasize support for local, community-run events and aim to build sustainable, competitive infrastructure.

The project, unveiled under the codename Project L in 2019, was rebranded as 2XKO in Feb 2024. Since then, the title has attracted attention due to its roots in the League of Legends (LoL) universe and its LoL universe characters. With 2XKO’s 2026 console launch and the unveiling of the community-based 2026 Competitive Series, Riot Games is positioning the title for long-term relevance and an experiment within the FGC landscape.