Tier List Template

Best Fighting Games Tier List

Ranking based on competitive depth, legacy, and influence in the fighting game community.

29 visible games

S

Street Fighter II Master System port of Street Fighter II': Champion Edition, ported and published by Tec Toy in Brazil. Tekken 7 Experience the epic conclusion of the Mishima clan and unravel the reasons behind each step of their ceaseless fight. Powered by Unreal Engine 4, Tekken 7 features stunning story-driven cinematic battles and intense duels that can be enjoyed with friends and rivals alike through innovative fight mechanics. Super Smash Bros. Melee A crossover platform fighting game featuring characters from Nintendo franchises including Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pokémon, and Fire Emblem. Unlike traditional fighters, the goal is to knock opponents off the stage rather than deplete a health bar. Damage accumulates as a percentage, increasing the distance a character is launched when hit. Players use simple one-button inputs combined with joystick directions to execute moves. The game supports up to four players simultaneously and includes various single-player modes alongside its multiplayer focus. Its fast-paced, aggressive gameplay fostered a long-running competitive esports scene that persisted well beyond the game's original lifespan. Mortal Kombat II Mortal Kombat II is a fighting game originally developed by Midway for arcades in 1993. It serves as the second main installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise and follows the success of its predecessor by enhancing the gameplay and further developing the original game's mythos. Mortal Kombat II introduces more varied finishing moves and several iconic characters, such as Kitana, Mileena, Kung Lao, the hidden character Noob Saibot, and the series' recurring villain, Shao Kahn. Guilty Gear: Strive Discover the Smell of the Game with Guilty Gear: Strive! Immerse yourself in new gameplay mechanics designed to be simple and welcoming for fighting game newcomers, yet deep and creative for veterans. Ride the Fire into a heavy metal inspired alternate future full of over-the-top action, style and fun!

A

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is the second follow-up to Street Fighter III. The game increased the character roster by adding five new characters and also added further refinements to the previous game's play mechanics and rules. All the returning characters from the previous Street Fighter III games were given new stages, endings, and voice actors for certain characters, continuing the overall storyline from where the first two games left off. Tekken 3 Tekken 3 is the third installment in the Tekken series. It maintains the same core fighting system as its predecessors but brings many improvements, such as significantly more detailed graphics and animations, fifteen new characters added to the game's roster, more modern music and faster gameplay. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crossover fighting game for the Nintendo Switch and the fifth main entry in the series. It features every playable fighter from previous installments alongside new additions such as Inkling and Ridley. The game includes faster combat, new items, and expanded defensive mechanics. Modes include local and online multiplayer, a single-player adventure mode called World of Light, and various casual and competitive rulesets. SoulCalibur II SoulCalibur II is the third installment in the Soul series and continues the tradition of his predecessors with improved graphics, new characters and new levels. A majority of the action takes place in Weapon Master mode where you have to choose a character and travel a set map to fight the many other warriors through different levels and challenges. Console ports were released, including guest characters from other franchises. The Arcade version has a unique mode called "Conquest Mode". This mode, which uses a name and password system to save data, allows the player to select one army among four. The player then fights against enemies in a series of eight 1-round battles, win or lose (the first seven are based on the player's rank, and the eighth is chosen by the player – this can only be interrupted by a Versus challenger.) After each round, the player earns EXP and can be promoted, and the game also rates the player in four categories: Soul, Power, Wisdom and Skill. The game also keeps track of which moves the player knows and uses most often. After the eight battles, territory control is updated and the player has the option to fight a bonus round against their character played by the AI. Mortal Kombat 11 Mortal Kombat is back and better than ever in the next evolution of the iconic franchise. The all new Custom Character Variations give you unprecedented control of your fighters to make them your own. The new graphics engine showcases every skull-shattering, eye-popping moment, bringing you so close to the fight you can feel it. Featuring a roster of new and returning Klassic Fighters, Mortal Kombat's best-in-class cinematic story mode continues the epic saga over 25 years in the making. Dragon Ball FighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ is born from what makes the Dragon Ball series so loved and famous: endless spectacular fights with its all-powerful fighters. Killer Frequency Killer Frequency is a first-person horror puzzle game set in 1987, that puts you in the role of a late-night radio talk show host in small town America whose callers are being stalked by a mysterious killer. Virtua Fighter 5 Virtua Fighter 5 features an all-star cast of 17 fighters, including characters from the previous iterations along with two new characters named El Blaze and Eileen. The game delivers fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping action as players head into battle, taking on a host of popular characters. Players not only achieve victory by defeating highly-skilled opponents, but also by competing for prizes which earn them in-game money allowing them to buy many items at in-game shop. These items allow players to customize their ultimate warrior and become the top Virtua Fighter.

B

Street Fighter V Experience the intensity of head-to-head battle with Street Fighter V! Choose from 16 iconic characters, each with their own personal story and unique training challenges, then battle against friends online or offline with a robust variety of match options. Earn Fight Money in Ranked Matches, play for fun in Casual Matches or invite friends into a Battle Lounge and see who comes out on top! Tekken Tag Tournament 2 The console release added new characters and stages. Mortal Kombat X Mortal Kombat X is the tenth main game in the one-on-one fighting series and a sequel to the 2011 title Mortal Kombat. The game stays close to the visual style and the mechanics of the 2011 reboot. The main controls are still based on two types of punches and kicks, and blocking, to form combos with uppercuts, teleports, special moves that incorporate weapons and fatalities. The three-tiered energy from the previous title returns, making available X-Ray moves, powered up EX moves and combo breakers. As introduced in Injustice: Gods Among Us, characters can use the environment to re-position themselves or optionally use parts as weapons. Each character now has three variations with different moves and weapons. There is once again a sprinting gauge, returning from Mortal Kombat 4. BlazBlue central fiction BlazBlue: Central Fiction is a 2D fighting game developed by Arc System Works. It is the fourth game to the BlazBlue series, and is set after the events of BlazBlue: Chrono Phantasma. The game adds Naoto Kurogane and Hibiki Kohaku as playable characters. BlazBlue: Central Fiction marks the conclusion of the story surrounding protagonist Ragna the Bloodedge. Skullgirls Skullgirls is a fast-paced 2-D fighting game that puts players in control of fierce warriors in an extraordinary Dark Deco world. Featuring all-new game systems which test the skills of veteran fighting game fans while also making the genre enjoyable and accessible to newcomers, Skullgirls is a modern take on classic arcade fighters with a hand-drawn high-definition twist. It’s a one-of-a-kind, action-packed competition complete with awesome combos and an intriguing backstory. Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is the fourth game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. The player's controls were simplified to make the gameplay more accessible to the wider audience of casual players and the button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main buttons and 2 assist buttons. The game also features a different air-combo system and 3 on 3 tag, compared to the 2 on 2 tag from previous games in the series. Dead Take Find your missing friend. Uncover the secrets within. Brave a luxurious and haunting mansion in Dead Take, a first-person psychological horror crafted by Surgent Studios. Samurai Shodown "A brand new title from SNK! A new Samurai Shodown is on the horizon! Since its birth in 1993, the Samurai Shodown series has been known as the premier weapon based versus fighting games, and was essential in cultivating the weapon based fighting game genre. As the first new release in the series in more than 10 years, Samurai Shodown is aiming to yet again push boundaries and deliver some serious samurai action! Developed using Unreal Engine 4 and utilizing a unique brushstroke graphical style to match the Japanese roots of the series, Haohmaru, Nakoruru, Galford and a whole cast of other popular characters will battle once again for victory!"

C

Street Fighter IV Street Fighter IV brings the legendary fighting series back to its roots by taking the beloved fighting moves and techniques of the original Street Fighter II, and infusing them with Capcom’s latest advancements in next generation technology to create a truly extraordinary experience that will re-introduce the world to the time-honored art of virtual martial arts. Newcomers: - Abel - C.Viper - Rufus - El Fuerte - Gouken Tekken 5 The home version of Tekken 5 came with new character customization options and a beat 'em up mode called Devil Within. Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Deception is the sixth installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Based on the Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance engine, players once again have to fight to stop this new threat in the sixth installment of the fighting series. The standard Arcade, Versus, and Practice modes return, as well as new items to be found in the Krypt. In addition, there are new Konquest Adventure, Chess Kombat, and Puzzle Kombat modes to give the player new mini-games. The Playstation 2 and Xbox versions offer online, competitive play against other players. The Gamecube version does not include online play, but offers Goro and Shao Kahn as exclusive playable characters. Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator is a Japanese fighting game and the updated version of Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign. The updated version adds new characters Jack-O, Johnny, and Jam Kuradoberi, as well as updated mechanics, balancing, systems, M.O.M. Mode, and more. Undertale Yellow Welcome to Undertale Yellow. In this fan made prequel to the RPG Undertale, you control a human who falls underground into the world of monsters... but will you make it out alive? Grab your cowboy hat and your gun and take the place of Undertale’s Yellow soul in their journey through the Underground on an original adventure. Persona 5 Persona 5, a turn-based JRPG with visual novel elements, follows a high school student with a criminal record for a crime he didn't commit. Soon he meets several characters who share similar fates to him, and discovers a metaphysical realm which allows him and his friends to channel their pent-up frustrations into becoming a group of vigilantes reveling in aesthetics and rebellion while fighting corruption. Power League 64 Power League 64 is a baseball game for the Nintendo 64. It was released only in Japan in 1997.

D

Soulcalibur (1998) SoulCalibur is a weapon-based 3D fighting game developed by Project Soul and produced by Namco. It is the second game in the Soul series, preceded by Soul Edge (1996). Originally released in arcades in 1998, it ran on the Namco System 12 hardware. In 1999 it was ported to the Dreamcast with improved graphics and new features. The North American version was released in September 1999 as a launch title for the Dreamcast and was part of the successful launch of the new console. It became available as a downloadable title on Xbox 360's Xbox Live Marketplace in 2008. The title brought many innovations to the fighting game genre that include a heavy emphasis on weapons and a unique eight-way movement system. Soulcalibur is widely regarded as one of the best Dreamcast titles and is one of the most critically acclaimed fighting games of all time.

F