Best Cosplay of the First Half of Summer 2026

June and July treated us to major news, long-awaited releases, and fresh cosplay. We've rounded up the standout work in this article. On the menu today: the woman from the GTA 6 cover, Jessie from Toy Story, Malevola from Dispatch, Vi from Arcane, plus heroines from classic series that are still going strong — Ada Wong and Lara Croft. These photo sets have already taken social media by storm and delighted fans of the original projects.

Amid rumors swirling around a story DLC for Resident Evil Requiem, the first concept art of Ada's new look surfaced online. That art became the basis for a cosplay by Oichi. The outfit ended up resembling her look from the sixth game in the series, which is generally considered a low point for the franchise — though, to be fair, it did have a full campaign playable as Miss Wong and a co-op mode. You'll find more projects like that in our list of best co-op horror games — the scariest titles to pay with a friend.

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In our Dispatch review, we praised the game's voice acting. Besides Aaron Paul, the cast included actors from the web series Critical Role. That's the same team behind The Legend of Vox Machina, based on their own Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. A video game based on that show is now in development at AdHoc, the team behind Dispatch. Which means second season is likely going to be a long wait. The cosplay of the red-skinned half-demon Malevola was created by Asami Gate.

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Arcane is fairly regarded as one of the best video game adaptations ever made. Its creators kept it to just two seasons, telling the story of Vi, Jinx, and Caitlyn. But based on statements from Riot Games representatives, that's only the beginning — more animated series about other League of Legends characters are reportedly on the way. Andrasta brought Vi's look to life for this cosplay.

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Toy Story 5 hit theaters on June 19. This animated franchise has been an enormous success and has picked up a number of prestigious awards, including several Oscars. Disney is currently placing heavy bets on direct sequels to its own hits, rather than remakes of its classics — and that strategy is already paying off, with the sequels to Inside Out and Zootopia landing among the top three highest-grossing animated films of all time. Only Ne Zha 2 has earned more. Toy Story 5 is also doing great at the box office, with earnings reaching $958 million. Lada Lumos created this cosplay of Jessie.

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Back at the end of 2006, a remake was planned to mark the first Tomb Raider's 10th anniversary. But developer Crystal Dynamics didn't finish in time, so the re-release didn't hit store shelves until 2007. Years later, history repeated itself. Work on a new remake was originally set to wrap up in 2026, but it ultimately got pushed to February 12, 2027. Though releasing it on the 14th — Lara Croft's birthday — would have seemed like the obvious move, given that's the date the earlier remaster collections came out. If you're into games in the spirit of the Tomb Raider series, check out our list of 53 best action-adventure games on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Switch. Shirogane-sama brought the Tomb Raider to life for this cosplay.

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On the cover of GTA 6, you can spot a woman in a tank top and a thong. It's still unknown whether she'll actually appear in the game itself. But fans have tracked down a real-life model who might have served as the inspiration for the character — DJ Gabriela Chiquin, who hasn't exactly denied the rumors either. Nikawuw created this cosplay of the woman from the GTA 6 cover. She previously brought to life the blonde woman and the racer from the game's first trailer as well.

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Elden Ring turned out to be FromSoftware's most successful creation to date, having sold more than 30 million copies of the original game. Its co-op spin-off, Nightreign, has more modest numbers by comparison — 5 million. Plenty of fans are hoping for a Bloodborne remake from the studio, but right now Hidetaka Miyazaki is busy with The Duskbloods, a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive. And if you're into hardcore games, check out our list 35 hardest games for PC and consoles in 2026. Narga created this cosplay of Queen Marika. Photographer: Rozzy Lis.

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In terms of monthly revenue, Zenless Zone Zero noticeably trails behind Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. As a reminder, all three games are made by the Chinese studio miHoYo, known internationally as HoYoverse. You could conclude from this that 90s retro-futurism just hasn't caught on the way more familiar fantasy and space sci-fi have. Xenon brought Ellen Joe's look to life for this cosplay. Photographer: Aku.

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KPop Demon Hunters turned out to be the most-watched animated film on Netflix. Its story blends the world of modern k-pop music with Korean culture and mythology. Viewers especially praised the soundtrack, which landed on the top-10 of several prestigious charts. A sequel is already in the works, though it won't arrive until 2029. Zefirka Natsuki created the Mira cosplay. Oichi took on the role of Rumi.

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Netflix's Devil May Cry animated series drew a mixed reaction from fans. Even so, it managed to catch the attention of casual viewers and pull them toward the fifth game in the series, whose sales rose noticeably as a result, reaching 12.9 million copies. Capcom itself, meanwhile, isn't in a hurry to release new games starring Dante, Nero, or Vergil. Worth noting: Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the very first Devil May Cry, has recently returned to the company. He seems like the ideal candidate to lead a remake of the original 2001 game. Tniwe brought the demon hunter Trish to life for this cosplay.

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Work on a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel is already underway, though CD Projekt RED's main focus right now is on The Witcher 4. In the meantime, interest in the world of Cyberpunk is being kept alive by its anime adaptation. Season two of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners is set to arrive this fall, but back in early July, anyone at Anime Expo in Los Angeles got to watch the first episode early — and the audience was thrilled. Shproton created the cosplay of Judy Alvarez. Lizzie Whistle took on the role of Panam Palmer. Photographer: Ekaterina Morfeeva.

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The first three Streets of Rage games came out on the Sega Mega Drive back in the first half of the '90s, and it took years before they were ported to other platforms. The fourth entry in the series didn't arrive until 2020. It still stands as one of the best examples of the beat 'em up genre, and you can play through it with friends if you'd like. You'll find more games like this in our list of best co-op games 2026: 290+ picks for PC, PS5, Xbox & Switch. Valeria Himera created this cosplay of Blaze Fielding from Streets of Rage.

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Game of Thrones wrapped up its story all the way back in 2019. House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are prequels also based on George R. R. Martin's books. That said, cosplayers still gravitate more often toward heroines from the main series — Melisandre, Sansa Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen. Irina Meyer brought the Mother of Dragons to life for this cosplay (also on topic: House of the Dragon Season 3 Review).

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Detective mysteries solved with the help of a talking dog named Scooby probably bring back memories of childhood cartoons for a lot of us. Attempts to reinvent the franchise for a modern audience haven't gone well — that goes for the buzzy Velma show and every "Mystery Inc." movie without exception. That said, 2027 will bring us yet another spin on the franchise: Netflix's Scooby-Doo: Origins. It's also clearly drawing inspiration from Stranger Things, which is, at the very least, an interesting choice. LilitCos created this cosplay of Miss Dinkley.

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Many women who cosplay see it as genuine creative work, where original ideas and craftsmanship are what really matter. Standards have risen noticeably in recent years — nowadays, models are expected to bring not just good looks, but real acting chops too. In turn, today's work manages to impress even people who know nothing about cosplay.

So which beauty caught your eye? Let us know in the comments!