36 Best Fighting Games of All Time

Are you looking for some competitive fighting games? We have you covered. In this list, we will highlight the absolute best fighting video game titles of all time. Whether that’s classic title hits to modern releases, here are our picks for the best fighting games to not pass up on.

#36 Street Fighter 6

Platform: PC PS4 PS5 XSX|S
Release Date: June 02, 2023

Steam | PlayStation | Xbox

Capcom’s hard-hitting franchise is back, and Street Fighter 6 aims to be the best the series has ever offered.

The battles have never been more intense, as each character has been improved to utilize their classic moves and their fighting style so they can be used differently to get to your opponents and beat them down. That doesn’t even mention the unique new characters with new moves you’ll have to adapt to.

Plus, if you’re a newcomer, the game offers multiple control schemes that will ensure you can learn the moves and play well among more experienced players. This fighting title is for everyone, so don’t be afraid to try it out.

#35 MultiVersus

• Release date: July 19, 2022
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Player First Games
• Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows

Here’s a game that many people are enjoying right now, and by many, we mean millions. There have been over 10 million players in MultiVersus, and the title is only in beta!

This fighting game focuses mainly on 2v2 combat, but you’ll be able to do 1v1 or a 4-person free-for-all should you want.

The roster comes from the Warner Bros Discovery lineup of characters. That means you’ll get the chance to play Batman, Ricky and Morty, Bugs Bunny, Arya Stark, The Iron Giant, Gizmo from Gremlins, and so on.

Multiversus oozes personality, fun, and wackiness. Plus, with more updates coming in the future, it’ll only get grander.

#34 Spiderheck

• Release date: June 16, 2022
• Developer: Neverjam
• Publisher: tinyBuild
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC

No, you’re not fighting an army of spiders in Spiderheck; horror movies have already done that. Instead, Spiderheck makes you a spider and sends you to face other players who are also spiders!

But fear not. It’s not as basic as it sounds. Your spiders will hold weapons, throw projectiles, and bound around the arena so that you can get the upper hand or dodge certain doom!

Some modes will have you facing waves of other players, while others encourage 1-on-1 duels with your friends or enemies with special rules to see who can overcome the odds!

An over-the-top and gravity-defying spider experience awaits you.

#33 Gigabash

• Release date: August 4, 2022
• Developer: Passion Republic Games
• Publisher: Passion Republic Games
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5

Kaiju films are popular because everyone loves watching monsters destroy entire cities. In Gigabash, you’ll live out your Kaiju-fueled fantasies by being the monsters trying to destroy everything! These are the Titans, monsters who have surfaced after a long sleep and are angry!

Or, you can be the hero and wield a Titan-Hunting Mech and fight off the beasts so you can save the world!

No matter your option, participate in intense battles with the city’s fate at stake! Use a variety of natural and mechanical abilities to overcome your foes! Fight in 1v1 clashes or 2v2 tag battles!

Battle around the world and make sure you’re the dominant force of nature or man.

#32 Omega Strikers

• Developer: Odyssey Interactive
• Publisher: Odyssey Interactive
• Platform: Microsoft Windows
• Release date: September 16, 2022

Have you ever played table hockey and felt this would be an epic fighting game? If so, someone agreed with you and made Omega Strikers. In this 3v3 combat title, you’ll pick a Striker from a roster of characters with unique talents and head to the battlefield. But, of course, the goal is to score goals! How quaint.

Specifically, you’ll need to keep the ball moving while also taking out your opponents and score five goals before they do. While there are microtransactions in the game, they are strictly cosmetic. However, there are multiple modes to play, so try them all out!

#31 Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: All-Star Battle R

• Release date: August 29, 2013
• Developer: CyberConnect2
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3
• Publishers: BNE Entertainment, Namco Bandai Games America Inc.

If you’re a fan of the JoJo anime, you’re almost obligated to get Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure: All-Star Battle R. This fighting game takes the best characters from across the entire saga and puts them in a fighting title to duke it out.

Whether you want to play as one of the Joestar line of heroes or villains like Dio, you’ll have the option to pick whoever you want. Create matches that have never happened in the anime, or recreate some of the best clashes the series ever had!

Enjoy the various modes that’ll test your skills, and then put them to the ultimate test online against other players!

#30 Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

• Publisher: Atlus, Atlus USA, Sega
• Developer: Atlus, Arc System Works
• Platform: PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Release Date: November 2013

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a sequel to Persona 4 Arena and sees players fighting it out as various characters from the Persona gaming franchise. Players can make use of a range of attacking moves, combos and special abilities. As well as being an engaging standalone fighting experience, the game has a story mode that’s presented in a visual novel style that will appeal to fans of the overall franchise. The game has a cool beat-em-up style vibe to it with striking anime-style graphics that really help the game to pack a punch. For exciting 2D animated fighting, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a great experience.

#29 Mortal Kombat 11

• Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: NetherRealm Studios
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
• Released: 2019

Mortal Kombat 11 is the latest in the beloved fighting franchise, featuring a story that rips time apart and unwinds reality. Of course, you’re likely wanting to play the game with your friends, tearing them apart with incredibly gory fatalities. Of course, if you get the Ultimate edition of the game you’ll get all the DLC characters too, including ones you wouldn’t expect to see in a thousand years.

#28 WWE 2K22

• Publisher: 2K Games
• Developer: Visual Concepts
• Platforms: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS5, PS4, PC
• Released: 2022

After taking a whole year out, WWE 2K is back with the latest installment in the series. While last years edition of the game had a litany of issues, ranging from barely even running on certain platforms to being horrifically out of date the second it released, this year Visual Concepts is hoping that the year off has helped. This year they’ve even readded a classic and beloved mode, GM mode, that allows players to book fantasy matchups and run their own shows.

#27 Injustice 2

• Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment
• Developer: Netherrealm Studios
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Released: 2017

Injustice 2 is basically Mortal Kombat but with superheroes. It’s even developed by the same guys! The story of Injustice is well known by this point, centering around a Superman that has finally snapped and given up his long-held moral beliefs. He creates a dictatorship, and Batman is morally opposed to him. In terms of the multiplayer however, there’s a ton of characters you can play as, all of which have a whole host of super moves and powerful finishers they can do to defeat their opponent. 

#26 Super Smash Bros Ultimate

• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Nintedo
• Platforms: Switch
• Released: 2018

If you’re looking for a fighting game with a huge roster, an incredible array of stages, an insane amount of music and a competitive scene that shows no sign of diminishing, then Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the game for you. While the story isn’t exactly anything to write home about, being mostly exhibition matches, the multiplayer more than makes up for it. Play as anybody ranging from Mario to Samus, Link to Shulk, Joker to Sora, the world is your oyster and the oyster is about to be beaten the hell up!

#25 Brawlhalla

• Developer: Blue Mammoth Games
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
• Release: 2014

Brawlhalla is a free to play game in the same vein as Super Smash Bros, with a similar amount of crossover appeal. There’s characters from WWE, Tomb Raider, Adventure Time, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and much more here to choose from, meaning you can beat the hell out of various franchises until they’re black and blue in the face! Get on in there, get your boxing gloves on and fight! 

#24 Street Fighter 2

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platforms: Basically everywhere
• Released: 1991

There’s a reason that Street Fighter 2 is one of the most beloved fighting games of all time. The game basically wrote the handbook on the competitive scene, and it reset the cultural point of view on fighting games in general. Despite all the sequels and everything that has happened in the thirty years since the game released, it’s still one of the greatest fighting games of all time. 

#23 Mortal Kombat

• Developer: Midway
• Publisher: Midway
• Platform: Everywhere
• Released: 1992

Mortal Kombat. What on earth can I really say about Mortal Kombat that hasn’t already been said? It’s a game that caused the invention of a whole new game rating system, caused a nationwide discussion about gore in video games and set off a whole movement. The game itself might seem tame by modern standards, but looking at it through the eyes of the time it’s perhaps one of the most important games ever made.

#22 Tekken 3

• Developer: Namco
• Publisher: Namco
• Platform: PlayStation, Arcade, 
• Released: 1998

Tekken 3 sold more than 35,000 arcade units and more than 8 million PlayStation copies, making it one of the highest selling PlayStation games of all time. Often cited as one of the greatest games of all time, it introduced a whole new cast of characters and added an emphasis on the third axis. Characters can now go in and out of the background, making it a much more involved and complicated game than it was previously.

#21 Skullgirls

• Developer: Reverge Labs
• Publisher: Autumn Games
• Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Vita, PC, Switch, IOS
• Released: 2012

Skullgirls is a fighting game modelled after Marvel VS Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes. It has a story mode and various multiplayer modes that all make use of unique features such as infinite combo detection and protection against unblockable attacks. All of these features make Skullgirls an extremely beloved fighting game that is still played to this day, and thus deserves your play. 

#20 Killer Instinct 

• Developer: Rare
• Publisher: Midway, Nintendo
• Platform: Arcade, SNES, GameBoy
• Release: 1994

The original Killer Instinct is a classic arcade title. Similar to a lot of modern fighting franchises, you have a double health bar, automatic combos and finishing moves, but this was at the very beginning of all that. The double health bar in particular has become a staple of fighting games, yet it would be nowhere without Killer Instinct. If you want something more recent of course, there’s the 2013 Xbox One reboot.

#19 Samurai Shodown

• Developer: SNK
• Publisher: SNK
• Platform: Arcade
• Release: 1993

Samurai Shodown is a fighting game set in the late 18th century in which characters all use various forms of weaponry. It’s an incredibly fast paced game and one in which you’ll be dead if you even take a moment to breathe. The series got three anime adaptations and multiple sequels, so you know that it must have hit the right chord for many people.

#18 Darkstalkers

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platform: Arcade, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
• Release: 1994, 2022

Darkstalkers is a pastiche of classic gothic horror, with many of the featured characters being based on old folk tales. It’s the same basic gameplay system as Street Fighter 2, but with several new additions such as Air Blocking, Crouch Walking and Chain Combos. The series was recently announced to be getting a port in an upcoming collection, so there’s no time like the present to get into it!

#17 Soul Edge

• Developer: Namco
• Publisher: Namco
• Platform:  Arcade, Playstation
• Release: 1995

Soul Edge might have a name you recognise. I’ll give you a minute to think about it. Still nothing? Soul Edge is the first title in the SoulCalibur series, and was created prior to the 8-way run. You can sidestep to either side by double tapping to the foreground or to the background, plus you can move into the air to gain further advantages over your opponent.

#16 X-Men: Children Of The Atom

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platform: Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation
• Release: 1994

X-Men has a long and storied history with video games. Of course, most of them aren’t any good at all, but X-Men: Children Of The Atom is an exception to this rule. As with every other game on this list it’s a fighting game with multiple characters, allowing you to play as the entire mutant squad. Colossus, Cyclops, Iceman, Psylocke and Wolverine are all here and ready to do some beating!

#15 Guilty Gear XRD

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Sega
• Platform: PS3, PS4, PC
• Released: 2014

Guilty Gear XRD is a subseries of another fighting series that has wonderful cel-shaded graphics and incredibly approachable gameplay. There’s a six button layout that allows you to kick, slash, heavy slash and dust, in addition to being able to taunt your opponent into going for an attack against you so that you can take advantage of said opening. There’s also a series of special attacks, but we’ll allow you to discover exactly what those are.

#14 Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platform: Arcade, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC
• Release: 2010

Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition is the arcade version of Super Street Fighter IV brought to home systems. There’s a whole host of tweaks and changes in this version of the game that range from balancing different elements of characters to new EX moves for each and every character. There’s four different and brand new characters for you to mess around with out of the box, so there’s quite a lot for you to do here.

#13 The King Of Fighters XV

• Developer: SNK
• Publisher: SNK
• Platform: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
• Release: 2022

One of the latest entries on this list, The King Of Fighters XV was announced in 2018 and released extremely recently. Each team of fighters uses three different fighters that you can switch between at will and use in a whole host of modes ranging from Ranked Match to Casual Match to Room Match and Online Training. It’s an extremely accessible title for newcomers and one that I could heartily recommend to anybody wanting to get into the fighting game scene. 

#12 Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

• Developer: Atlus
• Publisher: Sega
• Platform: PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
• Release: 2013, 2022

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a canonical (yeah, you read that right) fighting game set in the world of Persona 4. It takes place after the original Persona 4 Arena, two months after Persona 4 and three years after Persona 3. The game features a crossover of characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4 fighting it out among each other to work out a complicated series of events and also to figure out who among them is the very best.

#11 UFC Undisputed 3

• Developer: Yukes
• Publisher: THQ
• Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
• Released: 2012

UFC Undisputed 3 might not be the latest game in the series, but it is often considered as one of the best. Obviously this game features various different UFC fighters, and allows you to create your own. It was the last game to be published under THQ, so the servers are down, but the single player is still there.

#10 Skullgirls Second Encore

• Developer: Reverge Labs
• Publisher: Autumn Games
• Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Vita, PC, Switch, IOS
• Released: 2013

Skullgirls Second Encore is a fighting game modelled after Marvel VS Capcom 2: New Age Of Heroes. It has a story mode and various multiplayer modes that all make use of unique features such as infinite combo detection and protection against unblockable attacks. All of these features make Skullgirls Second Encore a marked difference from the original game, and worth picking up as an aside.

#9 Soul Calibur 6

• Developer: Bandai Namco
• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Released: 2018

Soul Calibur 6 is the latest release in the Soul Calibur series, a series that itself almost defines the fighting game genre. You have the new mechanics such as Reversal Edge, Soul Charge and other familiar mechanics. Of course, the reason that you’re even looking into the game is due to the insane guest characters such as 2B and Gerald of Riveria, and they’re here too! 

#8 Guilty Gear XRD Rev 2

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Sega
• Platform: PS3, PS4, PC
• Released: 2014

Guilty Gear XRD Rev 2 is part of  a subseries of another fighting series that has wonderful cel-shaded graphics and incredibly approachable gameplay. There’s a six button layout that allows you to kick, slash, heavy slash and dust, in addition to being able to taunt your opponent into going for an attack against you so that you can take advantage of said opening. There’s also a series of special attacks, but we’ll allow you to discover exactly what those are. It’s an update to the already existing game that allows for new characters, new story modes and new stages.

#7 Virtua Fighter 5

• Developer: Sega
• Publisher: Sega
• Platform: PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, PC
• Release: 2006

Virtua Fighter 5 introduces a clash system to the game in which you and your opponent can cancel out each others moves in a shocking display. That’s not all though, as it also adds multiple items, multiple characters as well as old returning favourites, and serves as a continuation of one of the most beloved fighting game series of all time.

#6 Guilty Gear Strive

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Arc System Works
• Platform: PS4, PS5, PC
• Release: 2021

Guilty Gear Strive is the seventh mainline game in the Guilty Gear series and the 25th game in Guilty Gear overall, meaning that there’s been a hell of a lot of time for the developers to refine this formula. It’s a complete retooling of the system that keeps the core essence of the game while revamping various mechanics and added the ability to take your opponents to a completely different part of that arena. 

#5 BlazBlue: Central Fiction

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Arc System Works
• Platform: PS3, PS4, Switch, PC
• Release: 2015

BlazBlue: Central Fiction is a huge story mode, stretching to other forty hours. There’s also extra arcade modes separated into three different acts. There’s the 28 different characters from BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma Extend with an additional eight thrown in for good measure. There’s also now a countdown for Overdrive that displays itself in the form of a countdown counter, with your character portrait even shaking when you take damage!

#4 Street Fighter V

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Platform: PS4, PC
• Release: 2016

Street Fighter V is the latest in the Street Fighter series and as such is the most up to date version of the game. There’s sixteen characters in the base game, with thirty characters added post-launch along with a whole new story mode. This version of the game also introduces the V-Gauge, which is a gauge that gives you multiple new skills at your disposal.

• Publisher: Capcom
• Developer: Capcom
• Platform: PS4, PS3, Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC
• Release: 2011

There’s a reason that Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 is considered one of the top games perhaps ever made. The insane competitive scene around this game alone should convince you to pick this up, but if that’s not enough, how about the insane roster? There’s characters from Resident Evil clashing with Spider-Man, something that absolutely nobody can turn down.

#2 Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4

• Developer: CyberConnect2
• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Release: 2016

Once an anime like Naruto becomes as popular as it’s became, it’s no wonder that it got a fighting game. Like Dragon Ball, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is a 3D fighting game that includes characters from both the movies and a grand total of, wait for it, 106 characters from the Naruto universe. As a 3D fighting game, it’s filled with different things you can do to freshen up your fighting scene and your methods.

#1 Tekken 7

• Publisher: Bandai Namco
• Developer: Bandai Namco
• Platform: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Release: 2015

Tekken 7 sold over eight million copies, making it an immensely successful release so it’d be a shock if you’ve not already played it, but just in case we’re going to break it down for you. There’s fifty-four playable characters in the game, so it’s not quite as insane a roster as the other games on the list, but it’s got that signature Tekken charm and insanity, so if you want to see a Tiger fight a human then this is where you want to put your time in. 

Bonus Games

Blazblue Cross Tag Battle

• Developer: Arc System Works
• Publisher: Arc System Works
• Platforms: Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Release: 2018

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle is a crossover fighting game that features characters from BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In Birth and RWBY meaning that there’s over twenty different fighters to choose from just in the base game, without even considering the DLC fighters. In terms of actual gameplay, it features the standard systems you’d expect with the addition of an endless two on two tag team battle, as well as various other modes.

Nidhogg 2

• Publisher: Messhof
• Developer: Messhof
• Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One, Switch
• Released: 2017

For my money, Nidhogg 2 is one of the purest fighting games ever made. Sure, it’s not quite as flashy as any of the other games on this list, nor is it as complicated, but it’s as fun as any of them. Try to make your way across multiple screens while your opponent uses a sword to attempt to disembowel you, even having the ability to throw their sword at you!