35 Best Fighting Games for PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch

Looking for the best fighting games in 2026? This list covers 35 fighters on PC, PS5, Xbox and Switch, from tournament giants like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 to couch brawlers you can play with a friend on one screen.

Short on time? Start with these ten: Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Guilty Gear Strive, Mortal Kombat 1, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. Everything else is sorted by what you actually want from a fighting game: local 2-player brawls, competitive games with a living ranked scene, the biggest releases of 2026, anime fighters, 3D fighters, and classic arcade collections with modern netcode. Almost every game here supports local versus on one screen, and most of the modern ones offer crossplay and rollback netcode, so finding an opponent is easy whether they sit next to you or on another continent.

Two controllers, one couch, one screen — that is still the purest way to play a fighting game. This section collects the best fighting games for 2 players at home: platform fighters where you knock rivals off the stage and where even first-timers have fun, plus full-fledged versus fighters with story modes and loads of single-player content for the nights your friend goes home. Every game here supports local multiplayer without an internet connection, which also makes them perfect for couch play on a single PC — plug in a second controller and you are set. Some go even further and fit four or eight players on one screen. The flagship competitive fighters in the next section work great for two players as well, but the games below shine brightest when the whole room is shouting at the TV.

The ultimate party fighter and the game that made platform fighters a household name. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate throws out health bars entirely: every hit raises your opponent's damage percentage, and the higher it climbs, the farther they fly, until one solid smash launches them off the screen. The rules click in seconds, which is why kids, parents and hardcore players can share the same couch, while competitive players dig into edge-guarding and movement tech for years.

The scale is absurd. Nearly 90 fighters, from Mario and Pikachu to Solid Snake, Cloud and Persona 5's Joker, more than a hundred stages and music from dozens of franchises. Up to eight people can brawl locally in one match, and the World of Light campaign turns the game into a full adventure with a map and bosses. Smash Ultimate is a Nintendo Switch exclusive and also runs on Switch 2 through backward compatibility.

If you want a gory Mortal Kombat for two players with as much content as possible, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate delivers all of it in one package: the base game, both Kombat Packs and the Aftermath story expansion. The plot revolves around Kronika, keeper of time, who pulls fighters from different eras together, so young Johnny Cage gets to trade insults with his older self while Liu Kang and Kung Lao try to rewrite history.

NetherRealm kept the combat readable. Fatal Blows unlock when your health runs low and give you a real shot at a comeback, while Krushing Blows turn ordinary attacks into X-ray close-ups of broken bones. You can build custom variations from each character's moves, and the guest list is a movie fan's dream: Terminator, RoboCop, Rambo and the Joker. For a night of local versus, it is hard to beat — half the fun is arguing over who gets to try the next Fatality.

A superhero fighting game from the Mortal Kombat team, and one of the best story campaigns the genre has ever had. In Injustice 2, Batman's resistance and the remnants of Superman's fallen Regime are forced to team up when Brainiac arrives to harvest Earth. The real hook, though, is the Gear system: matches drop costume pieces that change both your hero's look and stats, so two players' versions of the Flash can look and fight completely differently.

Stages are interactive — throw a car at your opponent or blast them into a new arena — and the rotating Multiverse mode keeps tossing out challenges with rewards. The guest roster is a delight too: Sub-Zero, Raiden, Hellboy and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. For couch play it is a perfect middle ground between depth and pick-up-and-play fun. If caped heroes are your thing, it also features in our list of the 33 Best Superhero Games on PC, PS4/PS5, and Xbox.

Brawlhalla is the best free fighting game for most people: a Smash-style platform fighter that runs on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and phones, with full crossplay between them. Fighters battle on floating stages and try to knock each other off the edge. The twist is weapons — swords, scythes, cannons and hammers drop onto the stage, and each legend has two weapon types that completely change their moveset.

The barrier to entry is about as low as it gets. Matches last a couple of minutes, the controls click within an evening, and up to eight players can join a local match, which makes it a lifesaver when a big group shows up and nobody wants to buy another copy of anything. The roster keeps growing with crossover guests such as Rayman and Lara Croft. For more games that do not cost a cent, see our Best Free PC Games in 2026.

A platform fighter for anyone who grew up on Nickelodeon cartoons. In Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, SpongeBob, Aang, the Ninja Turtles, Garfield and plenty more slug it out on stages pulled from familiar shows. The sequel fixed the first game's biggest complaints: characters are now fully voiced, and everyone has super moves that charge up during a match.

Under the cartoon surface sits a surprisingly competitive engine, with breakable shields, air dashes and combos that look properly tournament-ready at a high level. Solo players get a roguelite-flavoured campaign, while up to four people can play locally. It is a great pick for playing with younger siblings or kids: the characters are instantly recognizable, the rules are simple, and there is still plenty of room for an adult to improve.

Rivals of Aether II is the indie answer to Smash for players who want something faster and meaner. Aether Studios moved the series to 3D models but kept classic platform-fighter gameplay: the fire lion Zetterburn, the water puppy Orcane and the rest of Aether's elemental animals fight to knock each other off the stage. Compared to the first game, shields and grabs have joined the toolkit, while parrying with precise timing remains the heart of defense.

Released in 2024 as a PC exclusive, it quickly became a favourite of the competitive platform-fighter crowd. New characters arrive as free updates, online play runs on rollback netcode, and up to four players can battle locally. If you are a Smash fan on PC, this is the best substitute you will find — the same chaotic fun, with an even higher skill ceiling.

These are the fighting games the global competitive scene is built on: the headline titles at Evo and other majors, with seasonal character releases, regular balance patches and ranked modes that stay busy for years. Do not let the word "competitive" scare you away. Every game here has tutorials, modes against the CPU and beginner-friendly control options, so you can start from zero. If you want to play the best the genre has to offer on PC, PS5 and Xbox — and maybe enter a local tournament one day — start here. All of them support local versus too, so they double as excellent 2-player fighting games.

If you only buy one fighting game, make it Street Fighter 6. Capcom pulled off something that seemed impossible: a game that is genuinely welcoming to newcomers and bottomless for veterans. Modern controls let you throw out special moves with a single button, while Classic controls keep the traditional motion inputs and full control over every normal.

Everything revolves around the Drive Gauge. It fuels rushes, parries, enhanced specials and the armored Drive Impact that can smash through a guard. Burn through it carelessly and you enter Burnout, where you are wide open to punishment. That is why players compare Street Fighter 6 to chess: every resource has to be spent with the next few moves in mind.

The single-player World Tour mode is a treat of its own. You create a fighter, roam Metro City and learn from series legends like Ryu and Chun-Li. In the Battle Hub you can meet other players, challenge them at arcade cabinets or play retro Capcom classics. The game is out on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2, and the roster keeps growing, including guests: Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui have crossed over from Fatal Fury.

Tekken 8 is the most aggressive entry in the series, and that is by design. Older Tekken games rewarded turtling behind a block and waiting for mistakes. Here the game actively pushes you forward: part of the damage you take can be recovered by staying on offense, and once per round you can activate Heat, which powers up your fighter and opens special combo routes.

The story campaign brings the decades-long Mishima saga to a head, with Jin Kazama facing his father Kazuya in a showdown staged like an anime blockbuster. Newcomers get Arcade Quest, a story about your own avatar learning the basics in game centers, while experienced players will appreciate the replay feature that suggests what to do at the exact moment you made a mistake. New characters arrive in seasons, so online matchmaking stays healthy. Tekken 8 is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Mortal Kombat 1 is a full reboot: Liu Kang, now the Fire God, has rebuilt the universe from scratch. Familiar faces got new origins — Sub-Zero and Scorpion are brothers, Kitana and Mileena are sister princesses — and the story mode plays like a Hollywood action movie worth finishing even if you never touch ranked.

The big combat addition is Kameo fighters. Before each match you pick a partner who jumps in at the press of a button to attack, extend a combo or bail you out of pressure. Fatalities are as gruesome as ever and among the most inventive in the series. The Khaos Reigns expansion added a new story chapter and fighters, and the guest list includes Homelander, Omni-Man and the T-1000. All of the planned content has been released, so the best value now is an edition with every DLC included. If you have a taste for gore, our list of the Most Brutal and Bloody Games on PC and Consoles will keep you busy.

SNK's legendary series returned more than a quarter of a century after Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves won Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2025. It looks like a comic book cover come to life and keeps the soul of the arcade: snappy rounds, crunchy hits and no bloated systems.

The centerpiece is the REV meter. It powers enhanced moves, long strings and a special guard, but push it too far and it overheats, locking you out for a while — so every match becomes a balancing act between pressure and restraint. Before a fight you also choose where on your health bar the Selective Potential Gauge activates: early, in the middle or at the very end. Newcomers can use the simplified Smart Style controls. The Episodes of South Town mode follows Terry Bogard and Rock Howard, and the roster includes two of the strangest guests in fighting game history: Cristiano Ronaldo and DJ Salvatore Ganacci.

SNK's team fighter, where you do not pick one character — you pick three. In The King of Fighters XV you send your squad in one by one: lose with your first fighter and the next one steps in. Team order matters as much as execution. You can save your strongest character for the anchor slot and lead with someone who builds meter for the rest.

The systems support every skill level. MAX Mode briefly powers you up, Shatter Strike blows through enemy pressure, and the auto-combo Rush helps beginners land damage from day one. The roster is huge, collecting legends from Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and KOF itself. Online play uses rollback netcode, and the Ultimate Edition bundles every DLC fighter. If you love classic arcade style and team battles, it is one of the best fighting games on PS5 and PC.

2026 has been a great year for the genre. Three big licensed fighters arrived: a Marvel game from the makers of Guilty Gear, a fighter based on Avatar: The Last Airbender, and a bloody tag fighter based on the Invincible comic. All three were built with newcomers in mind, with simplified inputs, easy combos and characters you already know from TV and film, yet each one has enough depth to hook genre veterans. If you want to play what the community is talking about right now, start here.

For many players and critics, the fighting game of 2026. Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls comes from Arc System Works, the studio behind Guilty Gear Strive and Dragon Ball FighterZ, working with PlayStation Studios, and it reimagines Marvel's heroes in a lavish anime style. Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Storm and Doctor Doom move like characters from a high-budget anime series.

The hook is 4v4 battles. You build a team of a leader and three partners, but they do not all enter at once. At first your allies help with assist attacks, and as you meet conditions during the fight, they unlock for full tag-ins. It sounds chaotic, yet it plays remarkably clearly: basic combos are within reach for beginners, while the synergy between team members gives experts years of lab work. The game launched on PS5 and PC with crossplay between them. Read our full Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls review.

Fans were nervous about a fighting game based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, but it turned out to be one of the best licensed fighters in years. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game uses hand-drawn 2D art that looks lifted straight from the show, and its 12-character roster includes Aang, Korra, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Toph, Azula, Ozai, Kyoshi and Zaheer, plus Avatar State versions of Aang and Korra.

Every bender plays differently. Aang lives on movement, Azula can be methodical or wildly aggressive, and Sokka skips bending entirely in favour of weapons and tricky setups. The controls are about as approachable as it gets: three attack buttons that chain into each other and only two motion inputs for specials. Depth comes from support characters — before each fight you choose one of three, and each one alters some of your fighter's moves. The game is out on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch, with a Switch 2 version announced. Check out our Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game review for more.

The goriest fighting game of 2026. Invincible VS is based on Robert Kirkman's comic and the animated series, so the blood and broken bones are part of the style, not a gimmick. Supers and Ultimates leave opponents in a mess, just like Omni-Man's infamous first-season rampage, and the story mode was written by Kirkman himself together with the Invincible team.

Mechanically it is a 3v3 tag fighter. You can call in a partner for an assist, swap them in, or tag mid-combo to extend damage, while defenders get tools of their own, like the assist breaker and counter tag. The system is simple but not shallow, and the 18 characters feel distinct: speedy rushdown fighters like Mark Grayson and Dupli-Kate against heavyweights like Conquest. Invincible VS is available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Its ranked population is modest, but for local battles with friends it is a blast.

Anime fighting games win people over with spectacle: striking art, flashy supers with mini-cutscenes, air combos and stories that feel lifted from your favourite series. This section covers two styles. First, classic 2D anime fighters where precision and combo knowledge matter — Guilty Gear, BlazBlue, Under Night. Second, arena fighters based on popular anime, where battles happen in full 3D and feel closer to action games — Naruto, Dragon Ball, Demon Slayer. Many anime fighters use 2v2 or 3v3 team battles and offer simplified controls, which makes them a perfect entry point for anime fans who have never played a fighting game before.

An absurdly stylish fighter that looks hand-drawn even though it is fully 3D. Arc System Works pushed its tech to the limit in Guilty Gear Strive: the models are animated frame by frame like traditional anime, and supers come with cinematic cuts set to Daisuke Ishiwatari's heavy rock soundtrack.

Matches are fast and aggressive, but without the marathon combos that once made the series feel impenetrable. Strive also tackles a classic genre problem — getting trapped in the corner forever. Push someone into the wall for too long and it breaks, sending the fight to a new part of the stage and rewarding the attacker. Roman Cancels let you cut any attack short and keep the pressure going, and high-level play revolves around them. The story mode is presented as a full anime film you can watch without throwing a single punch. The game is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is that rare anime fighter loved equally by fans of the show and by tournament players. Another Arc System Works hit, it offers 3v3 team battles, air combos, the signature Super Dash and Dramatic Finishes that recreate iconic scenes from the anime when you land the final blow with the right character in the right situation.

The roster spans the whole saga, from Goku and Vegeta to Majin Buu, Broly and the Dragon Ball Super cast. Auto combos on a single button mean anyone can play, while at the top level it is one of the fastest and most demanding fighters around. The PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions received rollback netcode, and the online scene is still active years after launch.

The successor to the cult Budokai Tenkaichi series that fans waited more than fifteen years for. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a behind-the-back arena fighter: characters fly across huge 3D environments, level mountains and trade energy beams in battles that look like actual episodes of the anime.

Its pride is scale — nearly two hundred playable characters, including multiple forms of the same heroes, from kid Goku to the Dragon Ball Super era. Episode Battles let you relive major story arcs as several characters, and certain choices send events down "what if" paths that never happened in the series. The Custom Battle editor lets you build your own scenarios and share them with others, and local split-screen makes it a great couch game. It is not the most technical fighter on this list, but it is the best way to feel like you are inside Dragon Ball.

A gorgeous 2D fighter based on the Japanese RPG Granblue Fantasy, and probably the most common answer to "what is the most beginner-friendly fighting game?" Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is designed so the first wins come quickly: special moves can be performed with a single button, and the combat is built on clean, readable actions.

There is plenty of depth underneath. Every character has a unique mechanic, and matches are won through spacing and sharp punishes. Beyond the usual modes, the online lobby hosts Grand Bruise Royale, a party mode where dozens of players compete in silly minigames. Crossplay between PlayStation and PC plus rollback netcode keep online play smooth, and the roster grows with regular updates. The story mode continues the adventures of the original game's crew. If you want an anime fighter without memorizing long combos, start here.

A niche but deeply respected 2D fighter from French-Bread. Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes is all about tactics and controlling the pace. Its signature mechanic is the GRD meter, a tug-of-war in the middle of the screen: whoever attacks and defends more effectively fills it up, and the winner of each cycle enters Vorpal state with powered-up moves. Winning the battle for momentum matters as much as dealing damage.

The roster is compact, but every character is polished to a shine, and the dark story of nighttime battles in the Hollow Night is told visual-novel style. The sequel adds new characters and better online play over the original. It is available on PC, PlayStation and Switch, and it is the natural next step for players who enjoyed Guilty Gear and want something more methodical.

The best Naruto game and the benchmark for anime arena fighters, from CyberConnect2. In Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4, battles take place in 3D arenas: ninjas throw kunai, call in support partners and trade jutsu like Rasengan and Chidori, and managing your chakra unlocks ultimate techniques with lavish cinematics.

The story mode covers the Fourth Great Ninja War and the final clash between Naruto and Sasuke. Boss fights are staged like movie scenes, mixing combat with interactive sequences, and the scale sometimes rivals the anime itself. There are more than a hundred characters, and the Road to Boruto edition adds the next generation's story. The game is out on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. For anime fans it is the first fighter to try, and it works great for 2 players on one screen.

The sequel to the Demon Slayer arena fighter from CyberConnect2, the studio behind the Naruto Storm games. Demon Slayer: The Hinokami Chronicles 2 adapts three arcs at once: the Entertainment District, the Swordsmith Village and the Hashira Training. Key fights are recreated almost shot for shot from the anime, right down to Tanjiro's breathing techniques.

Battles are 2v2 in 3D arenas: you can switch characters on the fly or call your partner in for a support strike. Combos come from repeated presses of a single button, while the depth lies in breathing techniques, dodges and choosing the right pair of characters. The roster grew substantially compared to the first game, mostly thanks to the Hashira. The game is out on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch — a great pick for fans of the series who want to play with friends.

The finale of BlazBlue's main story arc and one of Arc System Works' densest games. BlazBlue: Central Fiction pairs blistering 2D fights with a massive visual-novel story mode that runs for dozens of hours, finally bringing Ragna's story and his fight against the Library that rules the world to a close.

The battle system is rich. Overdrive temporarily boosts each fighter's unique ability, Exceed Accel delivers a big finishing blow, and every character has a personal Drive mechanic that defines their playstyle. It can look impenetrable at first, but the built-in tutorial is extremely thorough. The roster has more than thirty fighters who differ from one another far more than in most fighting games. It is available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Switch, and it runs well on modest hardware.

A fighting game sequel to the cult RPG Persona 4, made by Arc System Works together with Atlus. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is that rare fighter where the story matters as much as the fights: the casts of Persona 4 and Persona 3 are dragged into a tournament inside the mysterious TV world, and the plot picks up from the RPGs through lengthy dialogue scenes.

During matches, each character can summon their Persona, a spirit that attacks independently of its user. That creates fun setups where you are effectively controlling two figures on screen. Beginners get an auto combo on a single button. The 2022 re-release came to PC, PS4 and Switch with rollback netcode, so playing online is easier now than it has ever been.

3D fighting games differ from 2D ones in one key way: freedom of movement. Fighters can sidestep out of an attack, circle around opponents and use the whole arena. That means fewer fireballs and jumps, and more positioning, reading your opponent and short, sharp exchanges. Many 3D fighters stay closer to real martial arts, with karate masters, kung fu experts and sword fighters. The style is loved for its honesty and depth, and matches often become duels of patience and reflexes. Tekken 8 belongs here too and is covered with the competitive heavyweights above; below are the other best 3D fighting games on PC and consoles.

Virtua Fighter is the series that essentially invented the 3D fighting game in the early nineties. Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. is the definitive version of the fifth game, rebuilt for modern platforms. The World Stage release brought it to PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 with rollback netcode and crossplay.

If fireballs and superpowers are not your thing, this is your game. The fighters practice real-world styles: karate, aikido, judo, Muay Thai and drunken fist. The controls use just three buttons — punch, kick and guard — yet behind that simplicity lies one of the deepest combat systems in the genre, where every sidestep, every frame and every throw escape counts. It is not as chaotic as most games on this list, but it is methodical and remarkably fair.

The definitive 3D weapon-based fighter. In SoulCalibur VI, combatants fight with swords, spears, nunchaku and even a bladed ring, and free movement around the arena lets you flank opponents and punish from the side. The story goes back to the series' roots and retells the tale of the cursed sword Soul Edge.

The Reversal Edge mechanic triggers a brief slow-motion standoff where both players pick a response, and the right guess wins the exchange. Guest fighters include Geralt from The Witcher and 2B from NieR: Automata. The character creator deserves its own mention: you can build a fighter from scratch and take them through the RPG-style Libra of Souls mode. The game is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

The previous Tekken is still one of the best 3D fighting games, and some players even prefer it to the eighth entry. Tekken 7 is calmer and more methodical: less forced aggression, more classic Tekken built on spacing, sidesteps and punishing mistakes. Rage Arts give a losing player a shot at a big comeback, and Power Crush moves let you armor through an opponent's attack.

The story wraps up the long feud between Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima and introduces Akuma from Street Fighter, one of the most memorable guests in the series' history. Negan from The Walking Dead and Noctis from Final Fantasy XV joined later. The game is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One and runs well on older hardware, so if your PC cannot handle Tekken 8, this is a worthy alternative.

Team Ninja's 3D fighter, reissued for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Dead or Alive 6 Last Round gives the sixth game a second life on current platforms. The series has always been about speed and spectacle: fights take place on interactive stages where you can knock opponents off ledges or slam them into barriers, and every such Danger Zone comes with a flashy sequence.

The combat is built around a simple triangle: strikes beat throws, throws beat holds, and holds beat strikes. You understand it after one match, and the depth arrives later, once you start reading your opponent's habits. Beginners can rely on Fatal Rush, a combo string performed by repeatedly pressing one button. If you just want to try it out, there is a free version with a core set of fighters.

Classic fighting games never really go out of style. Many have been re-released in collections with rollback netcode, training modes, save states and art galleries, which makes this the best time ever to explore the genre's history and see where today's standard mechanics came from — or to relive afternoons at the arcade. This section gathers the Capcom and Mortal Kombat collections, remasters of old favourites and cult classics that still have active online players. Most of them have modest system requirements, so they are also great picks for low-end PCs and laptops.

Winner of Fighting Game of the Year at the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards. Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection was put together by Digital Eclipse, a studio known for treating classic games with real care, and it covers the series' nineties era: the original arcade Mortal Kombat, MK II, MK3, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, Trilogy and the 3D Mortal Kombat 4, plus home console and handheld versions.

What makes it special is the presentation. Rollback online lets you play the old games with a friend across the country, and an interactive history of the series, packed with archival material, tells how a small Midway team made the game that scared parents worldwide. The collection is out on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. It is the best way to experience where Fatalities began.

A must-have for any fighting game fan. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics includes seven games that raised a generation: X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom, the legendary Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and, as a bonus, the beat 'em up The Punisher.

The star is Marvel vs. Capcom 2, still one of the most chaotic fighters ever made: three-character teams, assists, tag-ins and a roster of more than fifty fighters. Capcom updated the netcode and added a training mode, save states, leaderboards and a big art gallery. The collection is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.

Capcom's second fighting collection is arguably more exciting than the first, because it rescues games that were hard to play legally for decades. Capcom Fighting Collection 2 bundles eight titles: Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro and the legendary Capcom vs. SNK 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, the 3D Project Justice and Plasma Sword, Capcom Fighting Evolution and both Power Stone games.

Power Stone deserves a special mention. It is not a traditional fighter but a 3D brawler where you grab items from the stage, climb the scenery and collect power stones to transform, and it plays as well in a group as any modern platform fighter. The rest of the package showcases the variety of classic Capcom and SNK design. As with other collections, you get rollback online, training and save states. It is out on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.

The history of the most important fighting game series in a single package. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection contains twelve arcade versions: the original Street Fighter, five variations of the legendary Street Fighter II, the Alpha trilogy and three Street Fighter III games, including 3rd Strike, which many top players still consider the series' peak.

Released for the franchise's 30th birthday, it remains the best way to see how the genre evolved. Street Fighter II established special moves and combos, Alpha added supers and alpha counters, and Street Fighter III introduced parrying, immortalized by the famous Evo Moment 37. There is a museum with art and development history, online play for several games and a training mode. The collection is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, and it will run on almost anything.

The crossover that turned fighting games into fireworks. In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, three-person teams clash: Iron Man, Wolverine and Deadpool against Dante, Chris Redfield and Resident Evil's Nemesis. There are around fifty fighters, and you can mix them however you like.

The matches are wild: air combos dozens of hits long, assists, screen-filling hyper combos and instant tag-ins. The X-Factor mechanic is the stuff of legend — it briefly supercharges your team and lets a lone surviving character steal a match that looked lost. The remaster is available on PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and the game still shows up at tournaments. If you love spectacle and are not afraid of chaos, it is essential.

The 2013 revival of Rare's arcade classic grew into one of the best fighters of its generation. Killer Instinct is famous for its combo system: long strings can be interrupted with a Combo Breaker if you correctly guess the strength of your opponent's attacks, turning every combo into a mind game instead of a one-sided beating.

Characters differ more than in almost any other fighter — many have their own resource systems, and the cast ranges from ninjas and a werewolf to a skeleton pirate. Guests include the Arbiter from Halo, Rash from Battletoads and General RAAM from Gears of War. The game is available on Xbox and PC. The free version gives you one fighter that rotates weekly, and the Anniversary Edition unlocks the whole roster.

SNK's 2019 reboot of one of its oldest series, a weapon fighter about samurai. Samurai Shodown breaks the usual genre logic: there are no long combos, but every hit is terrifyingly dangerous. One heavy slash can take off half a health bar, so matches feel like duels from a samurai movie — fighters circle, wait, and then a single move decides everything.

Each character has a Lightning Blade that can be used once per match, and you can disarm opponents and force them to fight bare-handed. The game also has a Ghost system that studies how you play and builds an AI opponent from your habits for others to fight. It is out on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. If you want a fighting game where patience beats combo memorization, give it a try. The samurai theme continues in our 30 Best Samurai Games on PC and Consoles.

An indie fighter that looks like an art deco noir cartoon. Every frame of animation in Skullgirls 2nd Encore was drawn by hand, and each move consists of dozens of frames. Its heroines fight across the Canopy Kingdom in pursuit of an artifact that grants wishes.

Mechanically it is one of the most thoughtfully designed fighters around. A team can have one, two or three characters — the fewer you pick, the stronger each one becomes — and built-in infinite protection stops anyone from locking you in a single endless combo. Assists can be customized to any move in a character's kit. Active development ended in 2025, but the game is complete as it stands and still has a devoted following. It runs on very modest hardware, even older laptops.

Answers to the questions people ask most about fighting games: what the best fighting game is right now, which ones work for 2 players, and where to start as a beginner.

Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 are the best fighting games right now, with the biggest online communities and tournament scenes. Among 2026 releases, Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game stand out. Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves won Best Fighting Game at The Game Awards 2025, and Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection took Fighting Game of the Year at the 2026 D.I.C.E. Awards.

The "big 3" usually means the three most popular series: Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat. Their current entries are Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 1, all available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

For two players on one screen, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the top pick on Switch. On PC, PS5 and Xbox, go for Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, Injustice 2, Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8. For bigger groups, platform fighters work best: Brawlhalla supports up to eight local players.

Street Fighter 6 is the best starting point thanks to Modern controls and the World Tour mode, which teaches the basics. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game and Dragon Ball FighterZ are also great for beginners. If you just want to have fun without studying, try Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Brawlhalla.

Brawlhalla is completely free and has crossplay on every platform. Killer Instinct offers a free version with one weekly rotating fighter, and Dead or Alive 6 Last Round has a free version with a core roster. Both let you buy the full game later if you enjoy it.

Yes. Every PC fighting game supports keyboard, and some top 2D players even prefer it to a controller. Most beginners find a gamepad more comfortable. An arcade stick is optional — people usually buy one once fighting games become a serious hobby.

The Mortal Kombat series, with its signature Fatalities, is the most brutal. On this list that means Mortal Kombat 1, Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate and Legacy Kollection. Invincible VS comes close, with supers that turn fighters into a bloody mess just like the comic.

Which fighting game is your main right now? Tell us in the comments who you play and which game you think we missed.

Fighting games are a huge genre, and plenty of great titles did not make the main list. Here are four more for players who have already tried the big hits: an indie gem, an anime cult favourite and two party brawlers that are not technically fighting games but fill the same role at any get-together. If you want more games for the couch, check out our Top 31 Best Cooperative Games for PS4 and PS5, and Switch 2 owners will find more hits in our 43 Best Nintendo Switch 2 Games.

A Brazilian indie fighter styled after Neo Geo Pocket games. Pocket Bravery looks like a postcard from the nineties but plays like a modern fighter, with rollback netcode, a detailed tutorial and a few clever mechanics of its own. A great pick for fans of pixel art and classic SNK.

An anime fighter from French-Bread set in the universe of the Tsukihime visual novel. Melty Blood: Type Lumina offers lightning-fast air combos, a dark gothic atmosphere and characters like Shiki Tohno and Arcueid. The natural follow-up to Under Night In-Birth.

Gang Beasts is not a true fighting game but a physics brawl between wobbly jelly people trying to throw each other off rooftops, trucks and Ferris wheels. The controls are deliberately clumsy, and that is the whole point: with up to eight players, you will laugh more than in any tournament fighter.

A sword duel where two players try to break through the screen toward the opponent's side. Nidhogg 2 delivers short, brutal and hilarious bouts: stab, throw your sword, roll, stab again. The perfect 2-player game for five minutes that easily turn into two hours.