Best Fighting Games (Updated 2021)

Mortal Kombat is known for its gory and violent gameplay, but this version takes things a notch higher. Netherrealm steps up its game in a bid to bring the quality of gameplay to MK9 and MKX standards. The result is a single and multi-player game that provides satisfying gameplay for both casual and hardcore audiences.

The highlight of the game is its ability to provide combat using two kick buttons, two punch buttons, and a block button. By comparison, other 2D fighters use a combination of light, medium, and heavy attacks with weak attacks getting linked to stronger attacks. Mortal Kombat II developer instead employed a dial-a-combo system that requires knowledge of certain button combinations. Luckily the game comes with a fighting game tutorial to help new players learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced techniques like block strings, frame traps, and jailing.

Like the first Mortal Kombat version, this second version retains all those unique mechanics that give this series its identity. The developer also introduced new fighting systems that keep things fresh. However, the action is rather slow compared to the last few games like Mortal Kombat X. This means you won’t enjoy the far-reaching and forward-moving combos and fast walk speeds. At first, the slowed action might not be appealing, but as you progress into the game you’ll appreciate the role these changes play in the game. The idea is to allow players to employ a more tactical and rewarding smart play.

The developer also changed how meter management works as it is now split into two. The defensive meter is used to amplify special moves while the defensive meter activates special wake-up options, combo-breaking moves called breakaway, and environmental interactives.

Read More

An upgrade from its predecessor, the Smash Bros. game, this new version features more gameplay modes, more fighters, more stages, and tactical elements. Simply put, it is a tactical mix of traditional fighting games and playful characters from the Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, Animal Crossing, and more. The result is a joyous, incomprehensible, and sometimes maddening gameplay.

Each fighter is equipped with varying standard attacks, grab attacks, special attacks, shields, not to mention the enormous smash attack fighters earn when they capture a Smash Ball. Also, the developer ramped up the speed of the game, creating fast-paced combat. Other mechanical changes that prevent fighters from phasing past each other, skidding, or bouncing off each other make the game even livelier.

Some players may find the number of fighters on this game’s roster (74) overkill, but they make the overall gameplay exciting. Note, they don’t all feature in the game simultaneously. It starts with eight of them featuring infamous characters like Link, Yoshi, Mario, and more, allowing you to unlock the others through single-player modes. And the good news is that the mechanics have been tweaked to provide a balance between a large number of characters in the play. What’s more, there’s a mode for each occasion. The Classic Mode, for example, has a unique series of stages and opponents for every fighter, while the dedicated challenger mode allows you to fight every other player on the roster. You can also replay battles to choose the perfect fighting angle using the camera mode or test out your opponent’s exact power, distance, and move using the new training mode.

Read More

The rule of the thumb when playing fighting games is to ensure your basics are on point. If the foundation of your gameplay isn’t rock solid, you might never be considered a viable competitor. When Street Fighter launched in 2016, it provided some relatively strong gameplay but it couldn’t compete against contemporaries. It lacked modes considered staples for any fighting game series, making it unsuitable for experienced gaming fans too.

The Arcade Edition resolves all such shortcomings providing a content-rich and well-rounded gameplay. New players put off by the paltry offerings of the original Street Fighter game will find this version an excellent entry point. Similarly, avid fans will find it a free update that introduces many ideas required to re-ignite their fighting spirit.

The most notable addition is the single-player Arcade mode that leverages nostalgia a great deal. It consists of six paths, each corresponding to different versions of the game, including the original Street Fighter, II, III, Alpha, IV, and V. The storyline is pretty straightforward as the player is required to pick up a character and battle through a series of opponents to face an ending opponent.

The characters for each path comprise of fighters available in those games when they were first launched, while the costumes reflect the game’s classic design. This means if you choose Ryu during the first Street Fighter campaign, you may select the floppy-haired version of this iconic character. The game is also equipped with new musical themes and notes that evoke nostalgia. The Street Fighter III campaign, for example, features a saxophone-infused jazzy tone that sparks memories of playing it back in 2000 on the Dreamcast.

Read More

The developer has a history of offering viciously competitive fighting games, and this new version of Tekken 7 is no exception. It introduces a range of fresh mechanics that create competitive gameplay for both casual and pro gamers and old characters such as Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama feature in the game. What’s more, since its launch, Bandai Namco has partnered with some studios to introduce third-party characters like Geeze Howard from Fatl Fury, Akuma from Street Fighter, among other renowned players.

The highlight of this game is the numerous moves each character has; even pro gamers will occasionally need to pause the game to verify the move list. Heihachi Mishima, for example, has 78 moves in addition to the vast assortment of complex combo strings.

What’s more, the developer incorporates some pretty deep combat that avid gamers will enjoy. This means players need to be very strategic in their gameplay, as one wrong move may make you lose to your opponent.

The storyline largely mimics Tekken 6, with the Mishima family saga playing the final chapter. The idea is to fill in the confusing gaps in the series’ long story while settling the conflict among the three generations of the Mishima men- Jin, Heihachi, and Kazuya. However, fans who have followed the story for the last 20 years may not find a satisfying conclusion in Tekken 7’s storyline. This is because it often recounts retreading events from past games while filling in a backstory.

Read More

This is the best title NetherRealm has produced in a while, and the fact that it offers PC gameplay mode is a bonus. Simply put, it’s a combination of DC’s finest heroes and villains with the brutal feeling of Mortal Kombat. It features up to 36 characters ranging from infamous picks like the Justice League crew to the lesser-known Captain Cold and Blue Beetle. What’s more, each character features a blend of normal and special moves befitting their depiction in the source material and allowing you to play with friends locally and online. The super moves are powered by a meter, and the unique gimmicks vary from Wonder Woman calling upon random buffs from the gods to Batman having a collection of little robot bats.

The game supports a range of devices pretty well. Whether you are using a controller or stick, the game plays without much fuss. The keyboard support is pretty great, too, providing seamless gameplay. Apart from its impressive roster, the depth of content is far-reaching, beating the likes of Street Fighter 5. The developer included a lavish story mode that narrates a Batman vs Superman story and a Multi-verse mode that uses DC’s Infinite Crisis lore story as the benchmark for arcade mode challenges.

The gist of this game is its ability to reward players for every move creating a sense of gratification and urge to keep on playing. First-time players can get by using the game’s three main attack buttons. However, as they learn how to play the game, they can proceed to use the throw and interact buttons that enable them to use pieces of scenery to smash an opponent’s face.

Read More

This title stands out of all the nine games NetherRealm Studios has released. Not only does it introduce eight new characters, but also it is more exciting and thrilling than previous titles. Each new character features distinct variations with a few dated mannerisms highlighting how the franchise is still stuck in the past.

The highlight of the game is an interesting mix of players. The game sports a reasonable 24 fighters, a third of whom comprise new characters. Takeda and Kung Jin bring a breath of fresh air to the game. Takeda is particularly eye-catching, exemplifying how Mortal Kombat X does with new characters. He fights like a 21st-century ninja introducing an interesting mix of high-tech and traditional weaponry.

The other players also convey their fighting styles pretty well, thanks to the improved animations. This feature also makes the overall gameplay feel smooth, snappier and provides more to exploit than ever before. What’s more, the characters’ long list of combo chains and attacks serving different purposes from high/low mixups make the game equally enthralling. Liu Kang, for example, has a variation that allows you to switch to healing or damaging stances, while Torr has an assistant character that doubles his team’s opponents.

The developer also returns X-Rays, the game’s equivalent of super moves. This means you can make better resource management decisions when choosing between the three versions of each character.

Read More

We’ve been used to an angry and vengeful Kratos for a long time. In fact, that’s what we often expect in many God of War storylines. This time, however, the developer introduced a calmer and more thoughtful side of Kratos, who is in search of the truth. The introduction is rather gut-punching as the three demonic sisters, the Furies, are in hot pursuit of Kratos. The opening fight against one of the sisters, Megaera, displays a string of small-scale scraps intertwined with occasional QTE battles against bigger beasts. However, without Kratos’ constant fury permeating into every kick and punch, the game doesn’t deliver the same breathtaking gratification as its predecessors.

The developer introduced a range of weapon upgrades that provide the much-needed variety and depth without becoming overkill. In addition, a few tweaks to the combat mean that Kratos uses the Blade of Chaos only instead of looking for new weapons along the way. The Fire of Ares, for example, burns enemies alive, while the Lightning of Zeus delivers a vicious electric attack.

As such, you need to learn to use each power effectively. For example, you can destroy an enemy using lightning to get magic-restoring blue orbs. You can also use secondary weapons too though they are a bit limited in their use. The javelin, for example, is ideal for making ranged attacks.

The developer has tweaked the magic system, too, as the powerful magic attacks are now locked away further down the weapon upgrade tree. This means you need to allocate experience points wisely instead of playing villain from the onset.

Read More

When the first edition of Killer Instinct was first released, gamers were skeptical about the game in general. Three editions later, it is one of the most coveted games in the fighting game arena. This Definitive Edition brings you everything Double Helix Games developers have ever released since it was first launched and is undoubtedly worth all the hype. In the first two editions, the game managed to wow fans with just a six-fighter cast, and now, season 3 is about to blow your mind away as it has 22 good characters. This makes the game more approachable and allows you to enjoy different personalities.

This definitive edition brings you all 26 characters and all 20 stages from the first to the third season so you can enjoy gameplay like no other. Season three sneaks in Battletoads’ iconic character Rash, and Halo’s one and only Arbiter. If you’ve ever had your hands on the mentioned games, then you know these two characters are a pretty pleasant addition.

We also like that it features Dojo, a 32-lesson tutorial that is detailed enough to make you a better Killer Instinct gamer and improve your overall fighting games skills. Thanks to the tutorials, we would recommend Killer Instinct to beginners who just dipped their toes in the world of fighting games. But the marquee feature with this edition is the addition of new characters. With this definitive edition from Amazon, you also get exclusive BTS videos, artwork, and even the game’s original soundtrack.

Read More

We can all agree on one thing, UFC 3 was a total fail, and even EA Sports knows it. But looking at UFC 4, the publisher is making up for what UFC 3 lacked. Compared to UFC3, UFC4 has a more streamlined approach and packs a good selection of modern-day modes. The new control scheme features stand-up fighting, clinching, and grappling fighting combinations, which are incredibly easy to use. For instance, if you want to unleash the pin-down and punch consistently strategy to beat your opponent, all you need to do is press the new grapple system to the right, and you will seamlessly achieve this feat.

The career mode gives you a chance to train under the wing of Coach Davis, a former MMA fighter and a renowned NPC coach. You also get to make your debut in the fighting ring even more exciting thanks to characters like Dana White. This mode revolves around you growing your character to become one of the greatest UFC fighters, which explains the presence of Coach Davis. But if you fancy Mortal Kombat, then you will love UFC 4’s Knockout mode. It features a Kumite arena, fantastic Mortal Kombat fighter costumes, and old-school sound effects that make every punch worth your while.

What we, however, like most about the new edition is its presentation. EA Sports went all out with this one because all aspects of the game mirror the real-life UFC elements almost if not perfectly. Although the publisher did away with Joe Rogan as the commentator, everything else, from pre-fight to break-in scenes, reminds you of real-life UFC.

Read More

Loved Netflix’s Witcher series? If so, you will love Soulcalibur VI because you get the chance to make Geralt of Rivia your main character. He is one of the best characters in the game, not just because he is from the series, but also because he is super-fast — a trait you want in a high-speed fighting game like this one.

His Witcher sign means you get diverse options to counter and take down your enemies, yet his move set is among the easiest to master. But he is not the only character that makes Soulcalibur interesting. The game features a flurry of other fascinating characters such as Ivy, Groh, Kilik, Nightmare, and Sophitia, all who will have you stuck on your play station for hours on end.

The game was recently released, and it features all we loved about its previous edition and a bunch of new features that make it even more exciting. For instance, the Reversal Edge is a new feature that lets you put your character in a stance where they take a few hits from the opponent before they strike. This feature gives you an upper hand as you get to surprise your enemy when they least expect it and take the lead once again.

Also, every character now gets a soul charge. You build your character’s soul charge by landing attacks, and then you can use every bar to redeem yourself when necessary. Add in a string of fighting styles, and gaming has never been this much fun. Although it has been nearly six years since the publisher released a new edition, Soulcalibur VI is definitely worth the wait and a fighting game worth adding to your PS4 list.

Read More