The 48 Best Fighting Games of All Time

Whether you grew up slamming quarters into arcade cabinets or discovering the genre through modern platform fighters, the contenders range from pixelated legends to visually stunning modern juggernauts. Cast your vote!

1. 1
   Street Fighter II

   Capcom's 1991 landmark that essentially invented competitive fighting games and defined the genre's DNA for decades.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Mortal Kombat X

   NetherRealm's 2015 sequel gave every fighter three playable variations and moved the story 25 years forward to the children of the original heroes.
   694pts
3. 3
   Tekken 3

   Namco's 1997 PlayStation hit that revolutionized 3D fighting with fluid animations, sidestepping mechanics, and an iconic roster.
   651pts
4. 4
   Marvel vs. Capcom 2

   A chaotic 2000 crossover with a staggering 56-character roster and tag-team combat that redefined team-based fighting games.
   626pts
5. 5
   SoulCalibur II

   Namco's 2002 weapon-based fighter remembered for its guest characters, refined combat, and stunning visuals that set the standard for the series.
   626pts
6. 6
   Virtua Fighter 5

   Sega AM2's 2006 3D fighter, re-released as R.E.V.O. in 2025, is valued for realistic martial arts, precise frame data and deep defensive play.
   542pts
7. 7
   Tekken 7

   The 2015 entry that revitalized Tekken with the rage mechanic, power crushes, and a cinematic story mode that broke sales records.
   491pts
8. 8
   Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2

   Arc System Works' 2017 update of Guilty Gear Xrd used cel-shaded 3D models that look hand-drawn, a technique the studio later reused for Dragon Ball FighterZ.
   491pts
9. 9
   Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

   Midway's 1995 arcade update of Mortal Kombat 3 brought back fan favorites like Scorpion and Kitana and added run buttons and preset dial-a-combo chains.
   491pts
10. 10
    Mortal Kombat (2011)

    NetherRealm's 2011 reboot retold the first three Mortal Kombat games in a cinematic story mode and introduced bone-crunching X-ray attacks on a 2D plane.
    491pts
11. 11
    Ultra Street Fighter IV

    The final 2014 version of Street Fighter IV, the 2008 game that revived the series with Focus Attacks and brought fighting games back to packed tournament halls.
    491pts
12. 12
    Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

    Arc System Works and Atlus' 2014 fighter continues the Persona 4 story, letting characters summon their Personas in an approachable air-dashing anime system.
    434pts
13. 13
    The Last Blade 2

    SNK's 1998 Neo Geo weapon fighter, set in Bakumatsu-era Japan, is remembered for painterly backgrounds and its choice of Speed or Power fighting styles.
    434pts
14. 14
    Virtua Fighter 2

    Sega AM2's 1994 arcade sequel ran texture-mapped 3D fighters at 60 frames per second and became one of the biggest arcade hits in Japan.
    434pts
15. 15
    Soulcalibur VI

    Bandai Namco's 2018 weapon fighter retold the series' original timeline, added the Reversal Edge clash mechanic and invited Geralt from The Witcher as a guest.
    434pts
16. 16
    Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

    Nintendo's 2018 platform fighter brings back every character from the series' history and is the best-selling fighting game ever, with more than 30 million copies sold.
    434pts
17. 17
    Mortal Kombat 11

    NetherRealm's 2019 gore showcase featuring the most polished presentation in franchise history and a surprisingly emotional story mode.
    434pts
18. 18
    Street Fighter 6

    Capcom's acclaimed 2023 revival that reinvigorated competitive play with the Drive system and a critically lauded World Tour open-world mode.
    434pts
19. 19
    Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R

    The 2012 final revision of Guilty Gear XX, first released in 2002, keeps the series' fast hand-drawn sprites and heavy metal soundtrack.
    434pts
20. 20
    Garou: Mark of the Wolves

    SNK's 1999 Fatal Fury sequel introduced Terry Bogard's protégé Rock Howard and the Just Defend mechanic, with some of the finest sprite animation on the Neo Geo.
    367pts
21. 21
    Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

    Capcom's 2011 update of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 added 12 characters to the three-on-three tag battles and became a fixture of the Evo tournament.
    367pts
22. 22
    The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match

    SNK's 2009 remake of The King of Fighters 2002 expanded the dream-match roster to 66 fighters and remains a favorite of competitive KOF players.
    289pts
23. 23
    Killer Instinct (2013)

    Double Helix and Iron Galaxy rebooted Rare's combo-breaker series as a 2013 Xbox One launch title, later praised for its deep combo system and online play.
    289pts
24. 24
    Mortal Kombat II

    The 1993 arcade sequel that perfected the brutal fatality system and featured arguably the most beloved roster in franchise history.
    289pts
25. 25
    Super Smash Bros. Melee

    Nintendo's 2001 party-fighter that spawned one of the most dedicated competitive scenes in gaming history and remains beloved over two decades later.
    289pts
26. 26
    Dragon Ball FighterZ

    Arc System Works' 2018 anime fighter universally hailed for its stunning visuals, accessible combos, and faithful Dragon Ball presentation.
    289pts
27. 27
    Skullgirls

    Lab Zero's hand-drawn 2012 fighter, inspired by Marvel vs. Capcom 2, lets players field teams of one to three characters balanced by team size.
    289pts
28. 28
    Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r]

    French Bread's 2020 update of its 2D anime fighter revolves around the GRD tug-of-war meter and a slower, footsie-driven style of neutral play.
    289pts
29. 29
    Guilty Gear Strive

    Arc System Works' 2021 anime fighter praised for its breathtaking visuals, rock soundtrack, and a deep but accessible fighting system.
    197pts
30. 30
    Tekken 8

    Bandai Namco's 2024 entry rebuilt Tekken on Unreal Engine 5 and added the aggressive Heat system, continuing the Mishima family saga between Jin and Kazuya.
    197pts
31. 31
    The King of Fighters XIII

    SNK's 2010 entry, with redrawn high-resolution sprites and a combo system built on Drive and Max cancels, closed the Ash Crimson story arc.
    197pts
32. 32
    BlazBlue: Central Fiction

    Arc System Works' 2015 finale to the BlazBlue saga pairs a lengthy story mode about Ragna the Bloodedge with a deep, fast 2D anime fighting system.
    197pts
33. 33
    Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

    Capcom's 1999 cult classic celebrated for its precise parry system, fluid jazz-infused aesthetic, and razor-sharp competitive depth.
    197pts
34. 34
    Injustice: Gods Among Us

    NetherRealm's 2013 DC Comics fighter imagined Superman ruling as a tyrant and introduced interactive objects and stage transitions that smash fighters through walls.
    197pts
35. 35
    King of Fighters '98

    SNK's beloved 1998 entry widely regarded as the definitive KOF experience, with a perfectly balanced roster and no-nonsense gameplay.
    197pts
36. 36
    Injustice 2

    NetherRealm's 2017 DC superhero fighter that combined deep lore, a cinematic story mode, and an innovative gear-based progression system.
    197pts
37. 37
    Soulcalibur

    Namco's 1998 weapon fighter introduced free eight-way running, and its 1999 Dreamcast port, a North American launch title, holds a 98 on Metacritic.
38. 38
    Super Street Fighter II Turbo

    Capcom's 1994 arcade finale to Street Fighter II introduced Super Combos and the hidden fighter Akuma, and it is still played at retro fighting game tournaments.
39. 39
    Street Fighter Alpha 3

    Capcom's 1998 prequel entry let players pick one of three fighting styles called isms, and the PlayStation port added a World Tour mode and sold a million copies.
40. 40
    Darkstalkers 3

    Known in arcades as Vampire Savior, Capcom's 1997 monster fighter replaced rounds with a single bout of stacked life bars and introduced Jedah, Lilith, Q-Bee and B.B. Hood.
41. 41
    Tekken Tag Tournament

    Namco's 1999 arcade spin-off gathered over 35 Tekken fighters into two-on-two tag battles and launched alongside the PlayStation 2 in North America and Europe.
42. 42
    Capcom vs. SNK 2

    Capcom's 2001 crossover pits 48 Capcom and SNK fighters against each other, using a Ratio system to weight team members and Grooves that borrow mechanics from both companies' games.
43. 43
    Bushido Blade

    Square's 1997 PlayStation sword duel game dropped health bars and timers, so a single clean strike could kill, while its Body Damage System let wounded fighters limp or crawl.
44. 44
    Dead or Alive 4

    Team Ninja's 2005 Xbox 360 fighter, the last directed by Tomonobu Itagaki, added Bounce Combos and the Halo supersoldier Spartan-458 as a guest, and sold over a million copies.
45. 45
    Killer Instinct (1994)

    Rare's 1994 arcade fighter, ported to the Super NES a year later, replaced rounds with two life bars and let players escape long auto-double combos with Combo Breakers.
46. 46
    Mortal Kombat (1992)

    Midway's 1992 arcade original used digitized actors and gory Fatalities, and the outcry over its violence helped bring about the ESRB age ratings in the United States.
47. 47
    Super Smash Bros. Brawl

    Masahiro Sakurai's 2008 Wii crossover brought the first third-party fighters, Solid Snake and Sonic, plus online play and the Subspace Emissary story mode, and sold over 13 million copies.
48. 48
    Samurai Shodown II

    SNK's 1994 Neo Geo weapon fighter added rolls, ducks and small hops, plus a POW-meter super move that breaks the opponent's weapon and forces them to fight unarmed.

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