History of X Games Timeline

X Games Asia have been held annually since 1998, extending the X Games brand to audiences across the Asian continent.

In 2002, ESPN announced the establishment of the X Games Global Championship, aiming to take the brand onto an international stage.

In May 2003, the X Games held the Global Championships, a special event where athletes from five continents competed across 11 disciplines.

Since 2010, Winter X Games Europe has been held in Tignes, France, and also began holding events in Norway in 2016, expanding winter competition across the continent.

In May 2011, ESPN held a bid to select three host cities in addition to Los Angeles, Aspen, and Tignes, France, to form a six-event calendar for the next three years beginning in 2013.

In May 2012, the selected cities were announced: Barcelona, Spain; Munich, Germany; and Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, completing the planned six-event global calendar.

An X Games event in Sydney, Australia was held in 2018, and winter and summer events were also planned for 2019 and 2020 in China and a return trip to Norway in 2020.

X Games Chiba, the first edition to take place in Japan, was introduced in 2022, bringing the X Games to Japanese audiences for the first time.

Image source: Remina Chiba

Chuck Carothers performed the first body varial in freestyle motocross at the X Games, a groundbreaking trick in Moto X Freestyle.

Jamie Bestwick takes the gold in BMX Vert, his first since 2000, marking another milestone in his storied vert career.

Kyle Loza became the first person to three-peat gold Moto X Best Trick in controversial fashion by using the same trick he used to win in 2008, the 'Electric Doom', especially after the judges had said that 'innovation' would win the gold that year.

Shaun White failed to land the 1080 in Skate Best Trick after 29 attempts, highlighting how elusive the trick remained even for the sport's biggest stars.

Image source: Shaun White

Sébastien Loeb (Citroën DS3), by then eight consecutive times World Rally Championship winner since 2004, claimed gold on his debut in the X Games' RallyCross event.

Image source: Sébastien Loeb

Mitchie Brusco landed the first 1080 in Skateboard Big Air, earning the silver medal and stunning the skateboarding world at just 15 years old.

Image source: Mitchie Brusco

Jeaux Hall landed the 1080 in the half-pipe contest after 17 attempts, adding to the growing list of elite-level tricks landed at the Winter X Games.

Heath Frisby landed the first snowmobile frontflip in X Games history, achieving one of freestyle snowmobiling's most coveted milestones.

Torstein Horgmo landed the first triple cork in a snowboard competition at the X Games, a milestone moment in freestyle snowboarding history.

Image source: Torstein Horgmo

Kelly Clark landed the first 1080 by a woman in competition, in Women's Superpipe, setting a new standard for women's snowboarding progression.

Image source: Kelly Clark

Gus Kenworthy landed the first switch triple rodeo in a ski slopestyle competition at the X Games, advancing freeskiing into new territory.

Image source: Gus Kenworthy

Iouri Podladtchikov landed the first cab double cork 1440 in Men's Snowboard Superpipe, showcasing elite technical progression in the pipe.

Image source: Iouri Podladtchikov

Henrik Harlaut earned a perfect score with his nose butter triple cork 1620, delivering one of the most celebrated runs in Winter X Games history.

Image source: Henrik Harlaut

At Winter X Games 17 in Aspen, Colorado (January 24–27, 2013), Mark McMorris scored a 98.00, the highest score ever recorded in the men's snowboard slopestyle event.

Image source: Mark McMorris

Max Parrot attempted to land the first cab triple cork 1620 in Snowboard Big Air, continuing his reputation as one of snowboarding's most progressive riders.

Yuki Kadono attempted to land the first switch backside triple cork 1620 in Snowboard Big Air, pushing the limits of big air progression.

Max Parrot landed the first cab triple cork 1800 in Snowboard Big Air, raising the bar for rotational difficulty in snowboarding competition.

Gui Khury landed the first 1080 in a skateboard vert competition, winning best trick and making history as the first skater to land the trick on vert in competition.

Mitchie Brusco landed his second 1080 in Skateboard Big Air and earned his first X Games gold medal, cementing his status among the discipline's elite.

Alex Hall landed the first 2160 in Men's Ski Big Air, completing six full rotations and redefining the ceiling of freeskiing progression.

Image source: Alex Hall (skier)

2010: X Games 16 – Staples Center, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum & L.A. Live hosted the sixteenth edition of the summer games, drawing huge crowds and global attention.

Bob Burnquist announced his retirement from the X Games, having competed every year since the first X Games in 1995, closing an era for one of skateboarding's greats.

Image source: Bob Burnquist

During X Games Aspen 2015, ESPN used camera drones to capture aerial views of the athletes' runs, pioneering new broadcast technology for live sports coverage.

X Games Chongli 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting the planned expansion of X Games events in China.

X Games Minneapolis 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the cancellation of the flagship summer edition.

The first Summer X Games to be held at professional training facilities, without an in-person audience, both due to the COVID-19 pandemic and close proximity to the 2020 Summer Olympics. The decision was made in 2021 due to COVID-19 protocols, but also due to positive response from athletes who enjoyed the relaxed 'backyard' format.

In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad, though the event is still aired on ESPN and ABC despite the ownership change with additional coverage being aired on the Roku Channel.

Competitions took place July 16–23, 2023 across multiple venues in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Ventura. It was the first Summer X Games event in the USA since 2019 with in-person attendance open to the public. The Tony Hawk's Vert Alert competition (Salt Lake City, UT, June 23–24, 2023) served as a qualifier for the skateboard vert competitions.

The inaugural XGL draft was held in March 2026, assigning athletes to newly formed city-based teams ahead of the league's debut season.

In 2026, the X Games League (XGL) was launched to transform X Games into a year-round global league and introduced city-based teams. The league made its debut in June 2026 at the X Games in Sacramento, California.