The 50 Best Fighting Games of All Time

Image via Complex Original

Styles P said, “Pay homage to any MC who paved our road"—so we have to give all due respect to the coin-op game that started it all. This game had us wasting quarters and hours of their lives just to have the small feeling of kicking another dude's virtual ass, and we will love it forever for that very reason.

Okay, we’ll admit: This game isn't exactly GOTY material. But the <em>Star Wars</em> saga is the Holy Grail for dudes like us, and when you take Bobba Fett’s blaster and mix it with ultimate combos from Darth Vader and his lightsaber, you might be able to forget for a brief shining moment how Lucas utterly debased the original trilogy with those...other three movies.

This one's not that great either, but when Capcom failed to get us Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in anything resembling a decent amount of time after MvC2, gamers needed something to keep them going. And boom: the good folks at Midway teamed up with DC and delivered Sub-Zero freeze-fist vs. the Joker shooting people in the face.

Don’t let anyone know you like a children’s anime cartoon that plays after Pokemon on Saturday, but Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 totally kicks ass. It’s an actual fighting game for the Wii, which is rare—no shots, TMNT: Smash Up—but also…dude, you’re a fucking NINJA. 

No one, not even the game's creator, knows what M.U.G.E.N. stands for, but the ultimate mash-up game made for the PC is literally the craziest thing ever. Of course, there are enough malware-riddled copies floating around out there to give your computer AIDS—so if you can get a good copy, then have fun! There is literally almost no combination of team you can’t make. Trust us: the epic battle of Peter Griffin, Superman, and Wolverine vs. Homer Simpson, Batman, and Ryu still haunts us.

Fighting Vipers was one of the few decent games to come out for the tragically short-lived Saturn. It wasn’t really anything special in terms of story and plot, but it was one of the first disc-based games to celebrate asskickery. 3D graphics and high-speed ring fighting? Sounds good to us.

Bushido Blade is a great fighting game, but not for the typical reason—in fact, it’s nothing like any other fighting game ever made. Instead of just a 2D background and limited fighting space, <em>Bushido Blade</em> allows players to move about a huge level with different areas as they use swords, daggers, hammers, etc. to fight each other. And then there's its story mode; not only will losing prevent your progression in the story, but if you fight dishonorably (a.k.a. killing people while their backs are turned or they’re on the ground) you'll have to fight over and over again. Oh, and the game doesn’t tell you what you did wrong. So, y'know, you’re welcome for those hours of frustration we just saved you.

Mutant Academy 2 was an overlooked game in the genre, and we still can’t figure out why. It may have to do with the fact that the first one was so forgettable that not a lot of people bothered to check out the second, but if you did, you’re winning. <em>MA2</em> gave players a range of X-Men and villains to fight with, provided an interesting story mode, and had awesome level design. Oh, and just when you’re finished with the game, you discover you can play as Spider-Man. What’s not to love?

The Muppet Babies of fighting games, Pocket Fighter took all your favorite Capcom fighters and shrank ’em down to bite-sized brawlers. Is there really anything else to say?

Darkstalkers kind of creeps us out, which may have something to do with the fact that its most famous characters are a demoness succubus and a furry who have become the unwitting stars of many hentai programs. How do we know that? We, uh, don’t. We...read it somewhere. *clears browser history* *wipes hard drive* Anyway, great game.

After the first SFIV turned out a wee bit lame, the good folks at Capcom stepped their game up. Increasing the speed of the game and adding some familiar faces (as well as new ones), gamers got the game they finally deserved; all was forgiven and we lived happily ever after. Oh, except for Seth—he still creeps us out.

This wasn’t your father’s fighting game. Maybe your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's, though. Primal Rage was a fast-paced prehistoric frenzy that had gamers kicking ass in the form of a Yeti, T-Rex, Giant Gorilla, and many other violent cliches—and it was worth losing every brain cell over. It was also the first fighter to show damage percentage left after a combo and allow for button-only combos. Respect the architect!

Melty Blood scores points for two reasons. First, it’s a great PC-only fighting game—there aren’t a lot of those, and the gameplay runs smoothly for a 2002 title. Secondly, the concept was really cool. Most fighting games didn’t have a strong story—and to be honest, no one really cared if they did—but <em>Melty Blood</em> was a graphic novel that was read in between the fights to provide an awesome story. A comic book that you can PLAY, MAN. If video games didn't go with illicit substances before this one, they sure did after it.

Imagine you went to high school with sexy Japanese schoolgirls and douchey Japanese dudes and they all knew martial arts. That’s essentially a racist fantasy Rival Schools in a nutshell. Oh, sure, there’s a story, and if anyone ever cares enough to figure it out we’d be glad to listen to them, but this game will always be the “dude, let’s play this crazy Japanese game I just bought” jumpoff to us.

Every great Street Fighter Alpha game up to that point (Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, Super Gem Fighter: Mini-Mix—and two hidden games, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper and the Versus-only Hyper Street Fighter Alpha) rolled up into one disc for your nerdy convenience. Not much else to say. Except "thanks, Capcom!"

Some people will remember this game as the poor man’s Street Fighter, but we’re here to say—ah, fuck it. It kind of is the same thing. Still, the characters are different and the gameplay was much faster. That’s really about it. It was awesome to see Capcom get a console rival, but we can’t really speak on much else. Oh, except it's the first game that Mai Shiranui ever appeared in. Toast to that!

The SC series was always great, but what we especially like about the third installment of the series was how little everything changed. It wasn’t like they added a crazy roster or tried to change the gameplay (which, by the third installment of any series, almost any dev will do). Nope, we got what we paid for—and it was dope.

Same concept here: Ain’t shit changed but…well, everything changed. Though maybe the better word would be "upgraded." From the graphics to level backdrops, the Virtua Fighter team showed the world they still had it in ’em five games in. And no one had to put on a bikini and play beach volleyball to succeed!

There was nothing really special about this title, we just remember the gameplay being awesome. Though not as awesome as the fact that you got to fight as a car, a bear, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Yeah, you read that right—a car. 

Fire Pro Wrestling was hyped up for years (what up, Detox?), first conceptualized in Japan in 1989 and then developed many years later. It didn’t hit Stateside until 2001, but with mindless violent pugilism and deceptively intricate combo timing across disciplines from classic wrestling to MMA, Americans picked up the game with little hesitation, and the rest is history.

We know what you’re thinking: how is this game not ranked higher? We get that, but for us SSBB fizzled out, andultimately was unable to live up its pre-release hype. Sure, we had a great time with the new levels and smash ball—and don’t get us started on playing as Solid Snake and Sonic—but after about a month of playing, we realized it wasn’t as epic as Melee. And hey, that’s OK; we’ve accepted it. You may want to consider doing the same.

When we first heard about DBZ getting its own video game, we were excited...and more than a little nervous. It would be awesome, but so easy to mess up. The first two games were great and all, but the third installment managed to embody the series perfectly. You can’t go wrong with this game. Plus, real talk, a Kamehamehameha blast makes the Hadouken look like a queef. Sorry, was that inappropriate?

We've taken plenty of shots at this franchise before, but clap for ’em: After years in the business, the <em>DOA</em> series stands strong in the fighting franchise. So what if they create questionable brand extensions in which their female characters are half-naked and bouncing on the beach? Look, if exploiting 3D jiggle physics to a culture of dudes who marry video games and pillows is wrong, then we don't want to be right.

Boxing had its golden age with Ali, but Fight Night Round 2 is not only the best of the series (though some may disagree), but dare we say the best boxing game of all time. It had amazing graphics, music, gameplay, and a great career mode, but the one thing we remember most are knocking the blood and sweat off the face of our opponent as they fell to the canvas. Extra points if the mouthguard falls out!

It's not like we really need to discuss this game. If you've never heard of it and can't figure it out from the freaking name, it’s a spoof of the Street Fighter series that swaps diesel dudes for half-dressed woman fighting in the street. And yes, it is AWESOME.

A Complex classic. As you may know, we dabble in rap every now and then, but kicking in Fat Joe’s face as DMX? It’s more than we could ever ask for. Sure we didn’t get to play as Dipset, Eminem, or other non-Def Jam rap superstars from the era, but it was a great game regardless. If only they'd put some power-ups in the game—a DMX crack boost, say, or a pound of weed for Meth & Red—we’d have a Hall of Fame title on our hands.

Another overlooked game, thanks to series innovations like leap attacks and dashes. Even with Shaun, a stereotypical black character fully equipped with a flashy gi and basketball, the game couldn’t take off. Just goes to show you how hard it can be to follow up a legend. It’s all love, Capcom—we still like the game.

BEAST MODE BEAST MODE BEAST MODE. If you slept on this game, kill yourself. It’s a fighting game that has ordinary street fighters evolve into wild bloodthirsty beasts with combos that will cover the screen in dark red. You don’t need more from life than that. Other than water, shelter, clothing, food, and love, we mean.

We always liked the Power Stone series because not only do you get to move around levels that change as you fight, but you get to pick up things in the environment—chairs, tables, vases, etc.—and hit your enemies over the head with them! Who needs honor? Dirty fighting is where it’s at. #gofortheeyes

There’s not really much explaining when it comes to this title. We love <em>WWF: No Mercy</em> for the same reason we love invading privacy, eating apple pie with cheese on top, and shooting trespassers—because it’s American.

Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection for the portable set. There aren’t many great games out there for the PSP—and certainly not fighting games—so this one was a huge success with consumers. Whether you were a fan of the series or just one of those creepy dudes on the subway with their PSP, having this game was a good look.

Soul Blade was heavy on the weapons, but what really made it special was the range of motion it allowed gamers to play with. Atypical for your average fighting game at the time, Soul Blade didn’t just let characters move back and forth, but dodge diagonally and block in different ways. What you know about trendsetting, fool?

Pretty much your average fighting game...as directed by Kurosawa. Set in the 18th century, Samurai Shodown let you fight with an archaic weapon-dependent style—a smart move, considering every other game at the time was glomming on to the whole “dude with a headband and fireball” shtick.

Don’t let the fancy title fool you—this is a Fatal Fury game, and probably the best of the series. Its fast tempo lets it get out from under Street Fighter’s shadow, and if you’re into authenticity then love the untranslated character dialogue. It’s like we’re in Japan, minus the Harajuku girls and, uh, immense heartbreaking tragedy.

Sure, it may be the weakest of Capcom's mash-up titles, but X-Men vs. Street Fighter was also one of the first. Pioneers get extra points, and quite frankly, the game is fucking ill. So what if there aren’t a lot of characters to choose from? They gave us the best ones anyway.

DOA 3 was great, but with so many other games coming out in 2001 it didn't show up on too many people's radars, despite being a highly sought-after sequel. You know what the deal is here: one-twos and...twos. Yezzir!

Never mind the fact that Soulcalibur had already rocked the fighting scene. Gamers got to play as Link! While they were familiar with his work in Super Smash Bros., this was on a whole other level of violence and graphics. You couldn’t pick a better player for the series—and believe us, Namco has tried (we see you, Yoda). You can say what you like about sequels, but you can only salute Soulcalibur II.

If you’re a fan of the Guilty Gear series, you’ll love this title. We like to think of it as the unofficial sequel to GG—a super-fast, button-mashing, combo-heavy game. Rapid cancels and instant blocks = guilt-free addiction.

FINISH HIM. The first installment of the legendary series gave gamers what they had been missing out on in fighting games: blood. With bad-ass fighters, a dark theme, fatalities, and—like we said before—blood, arcade goers had a new reason to dent their pockets. 

If you’re a fan of the SNK series and you were mad because the characters weren't featured in Marvel vs. Capcom 2, then this was the game for you. Better than the first Capcom vs. SNK in nearly every way, the sequel saw upgrades in graphics, gameplay, and more. The only flaw is that it just couldn’t live up to MvC2.

A.k.a., Guilty Gear X-2. The Guilty Gear series may be the most underrated fighting game series of all time. Sure, the characters are weird as fuck and the story line doesn’t make much sense, narrative matters to fighting games about as much as it does to porn. GGX-2 is a fast-paced, creative 2D fighting game that would make Blanka—get up on it if you haven’t.

The original was innovative, but SSBM blew it out of the fucking water. We can’t decide where to start, because this game had it all: beautifully designed intricate levels, an amazing soundtrack, characters galore, items, bold gameplay that blended perfectly with the nostalgia of the brand—and to top it all off, you never got tired of playing the damn thing. So much so that obtaining Mewtwo by keeping the game on for 20 hours was too easy a feat. Bravo, Nintendo.

Some people think KoF is a Street Fighter knock-off, but back then what fighting game wasn’t? With the mechanics—and some of the characters—of the Fatal Fury series (four-button layout with specialized button-press combos), the game relies more on timing then special attacks; not a lot of fireballs to be found over here. It’s got a fighting style that’s different enough to make it stand out on its own when you talk about the genre's classics, just don't get mad if people refer to it as Street Fighter’s bitch.  Oh, and fun fact: the game was originally intended to be a side-scroller with the crew from Fatal Fury, but SNK scrapped those plans as soon as Capcom dropped Final Fight. Their loss = our gain.

Ah, the game that started it all. Say what you will about DOA showing up late to the party, but when gamers were willing to pump in the quarters whether or not they'd already played predecessors like Virtua Fighter and Street Fighter. While many speculate the game's success was due solely to its novelty factor, we’d like to credit the innovative and finely tuned graphics, as well as the quick realistic gameplay that finally made countering an artform. None of that air-blocking shit over here, shun!

Once the fighting genre blew up, SEGA needed to get a taste; they didn’t know what exactly to come up with, but they knew it had to be different. At the time, all fighting games were 2D and weren’t exactly realistic in terms of fighting (what up, hurricane kick?). Finally the light bulb went off in someone’s head, and the 3D concept took off. Gamers would have to take a whole new approach to succeeding in Virtua Fighter, since that duck-in-the-corner-and-button-mash shit wasn’t going to cut it anymore.

The reason Soulcalibur is so great is that it wasn’t known strictly as a huge arcade game. In fact, gamers loved to play it on the Dreamcast (R.I.P.) for hours and hours. It showed the world that you could not only have a fun 3D fighting game, but you could do it from the privacy of your own home and not look like a nerd at the arcade. Groundbreaking on so many levels, and we didn't even mention the full 8-way 3D movement or new buffering times that made chaining moves together a ton easier. Oh. Guess we just did!

We already know the Tekken series is amazing, but if we’re going to pick one we’ll always go with the third installment. Why? Maybe it was because the PlayStation was about to hit its prime and the title would become the best fighting game out for years. Maybe it was the badass characters fucking each other up with ease. Whatever it was, it was amazing, and goddammit do we love us some Eddie Gordo. We even love the beat-’em-up minigame!

MKII delivered everything we ever wanted but thought was missing from the first game. It was like Midway went up to the fans and personally granted wishes. "You want more blood? Fine. You want more fighters? Sure. Crouching punches? All yours. You want bizarre jokey finishing moves? You got it, weirdo. You want more violent fatalities? We’ll do it and we’ll throw in the ability to send the loser to a spiked pit five stories down via uppercut." God bless America and God bless Midway.

Yes, before it got updated and ported umpteen times with slightly different names (Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, etc.), the original Street Fighter II changed the fighting genre in every way. We could talk about how the graphics were amazing for the time or how no one else was providing that type of gameplay, but really all you need to know is this: gamers camped out for days to participate in tournaments around the world, they would wait hours waiting in line to play it at the local arcades, and it basically formed the blueprint that all fighting games from that point on followed. If it was a rapper, it would be Rakim. Or Biggie. Or ’Pac. Or whoever. WE'RE NOT GETTING DRAGGED INTO THIS ONE AGAIN.

If Street Fighter II is Biggie or ’Pac, then Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is Jay-Z. Seriously, the game was a step up in every way. 50+ characters, three-man teams, crazy super moves, crazy combos, speedy gameplay, epic levels, and you can’t find a new copy of the game for less than $100. It was so successful that fans begged for eleven years for a sequel to be made. Forget what you know about other fighting games, MvC2 is the sublime apotheosis of the genre.