Arnis events at the Southeast Asian Games was first held at the 2005 edition in Manila, Philippines.
Arnis would first feature in the Southeast Asian Games in 1991 as a demonstration sport when the Philippines hosted the regional games. [1] [2] The sport would only be featured occasionally in the Southeast Asian Games when the Philippines is hosting it until 2023 when Cambodia decided to include it their games' calendar. [2]
In 2005, Arnis was made a regular sport. [3] The martial art would only return in 2019. [4]
| Games | Year | Host | Best nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| I–XV | 1959–1989 | Not held | |
| XVI | 1991 [a] | Manila, Philippines |  Philippines [2] |
| XVII–XXII | 1993–2003 | Not held | |
| XXIII | 2005 () | Manila, Philippines |  Philippines  Vietnam |
| XXIV–XXIX | 2007–2017 | Not held | |
| XXX | 2019 () | Philippines | Philippines |
| XXXI | 2021 | Not held | |
| XXXII | 2023 () | Phnom Penh, Cambodia | Philippines |
As of the 2023 Southeast Asian Games
* Host nation (Cambodia)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philippines (PHI) | 23 | 9 | 6 | 38 |
| 2 | Vietnam (VIE) | 9 | 15 | 14 | 38 |
| 3 |  Cambodia (CAM) | 3 | 8 | 23 | 34 |
| 4 |  Myanmar (MYA) | 3 | 6 | 23 | 32 |
| 5 |  Timor-Leste (TLS) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Totals (5 entries) | 38 | 38 | 69 | 145 | |
Does not include medals from the 1991 edition, where arnis is a demonstration sport