The Best Fighting Games To Throw Down With In 2024

When it comes to picking the best fighting game, there's no shortage of options--the genre has been one of the industry's most consistent since the early 1990s. Names like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken have grown into some of the biggest series in the entire industry, let alone just fighting games, and at the moment, fighters are in the midst of another renaissance era.

As such, it might be intimidating to pick out a fighting game to play. Below, we run through our picks for some of the best fighting games you can play right now, whether you're on consoles or PC. Every game listed here can purchased and downloaded right to your machine without needing to dig up any old hardware, and you'll be able to get into the fight whenever you like. From pure 1v1 fighters to chaotic platform battlers, these are the best of the best in fighting games in 2024.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: Capcom
• Release Date: June 2, 2023

Street Fighter has routinely blazed a trail of success for fighting games as a whole, starting with Street Fighter II in 1991. Street Fighter 6 is no different; the vast improvements over its predecessor, coupled with an ever-growing roster and a robust online offering, have made SF6 one of the top fighting games on the market today. SF6's trajectory continues to trend upward, as it will soon introduce Terry Bogard and Mai Shiranui--the first guest characters in franchise history--to the roster.

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: Bandai Namco
• Release Date: January 25, 2024

The latest in Bandai Namco's illustrious fighting franchise, Tekken 8 has stormed out of the gate in its first year. The Heat system offers a new level of offensive capabilities, the roster is packed with iconic characters from across the franchise, and the story mode is a wild ride following the struggle between Kazuya and his son, Jin. Plus, a full suite of customization options will let you transform your favorite character how you see fit, which adds a personal touch to the action.

• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: NetherRealm Studios
• Release Date: September 19, 2023

NetherRealm Studios's gloriously gory fighting franchise has reset the stage in Mortal Kombat 1, with a new era bringing big changes to established faces. The combat is still fast and furious, however, and the series's trademark Fatalities will both delight and disgust. Throw in guest characters like Homelander, Peacemaker, and Omni-Man, in-depth single-player modes, and more, and you have one bloody good time.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: Arc System Works
• Release Date: June 11, 2021

The anime subgenre of fighting games has built a reputation of precise, skill-based action, and the name Guilty Gear has been at the forefront of the conversation. Guilty Gear Strive has plenty of it to offer too, both through its multiple-tiered online system and a roster with three seasons (and counting) of new additions under its belt. Strive is one of the more tenured games on this list, but it's only getting better with age.

• Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC
• Developer: Arc System Works, CyGames
• Release Date: December 11, 2023

Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising is a sequel to Granblue Fantasy Versus--CyGames and Arc System Works's first attempt at bringing the world-renowned mobile RPG series to fighting games in 2020. The new entry brought major improvements, including an all-new online system featuring rollback netcode, redesigned fighting mechanics, and an expanded roster--including 2B from Nier: Automata as DLC. Pair all of this with a striking visual style, and Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising offers plenty for fighting fans to enjoy.

• Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC (coming to Xbox in 2025)
• Developer: Capcom
• Release Date: September 12, 2024 (digital); November 22, 2024 (physical)

The late '90s and early 2000s were dominated by Capcom's Vs. Series, with Marvel Vs. Capcom and its ilk leading the charge. The games were thought lost to time, but the two companies have finally rereleased them in a single collection, with rollback netcode, a music jukebox, and an art gallery to boot. Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics gives fighting fans something they've been requesting for over a decade, and it was worth the wait.

• Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: Microsoft Studios, Iron Galaxy Studios
• Release Date: November 23, 2023 (original launch November 22, 2013)

11 years ago, Killer Instinct re-emerged as an Xbox One launch title, and it became the first free-to-play fighting game on the market. Since then, it's grown to be a cult classic, with a flashy combo-based fighting system and characters from Halo, Gears Of War, and Battletoads alongside the KI originals. The recently released Anniversary Edition offers the full game, all of its DLC, and a new balance patch all in one package, and is the perfect way to experience KI right now. And if you subscribe to Game Pass, you can play it for free.

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Nintendo
• Release Date: December 7, 2018

Everyone is here! Super Smash Bros. Ultimate takes the platform-fighting format the Smash Bros. series popularized and cranks it up to 11, with a roster bursting at the seams with fighters and over 100 stages (or even more, counting the modified versions) to fight in. Nintendo stalwarts like Mario, Link, and Pikachu can do battle with the likes of Steve from Minecraft, Banjo-Kazooie, Cloud and Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, and Sora from Kingdom Hearts. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is video-game history in a box, one of the best Switch games, and a must-own for fighting fans and Switch owners alike.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: SNK
• Release Date: February 14, 2022

The King of Fighters has offered SNK fans hard-hitting three-on-three action since the first game in 1996, and KOF XV is no exception. Mixing and matching your favorite fighters, then choosing the order in which they'll fight, adds an extra layer of strategy that other fighting games simply don't have. KOF XV is a great choice for those who like that extra challenge every time they enter a match.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Developer: Capcom
• Release Date: November 15, 2011

Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is the top game in the storied history of Marvel and Capcom crossovers--sorry MvC Infinite--and it's still a blast to play despite being 12 years old. While UMvC3 is also a three-on-three team fighter like KOF XV, that's where the similarities end, as all three characters can be switched in and out at will to create absolute havoc on the screen, and it's always a delight. While the aforementioned Marvel Vs. Capcom Collection is also an option, UMvC3 is a chance to see where the series stands now.

• Platforms: PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: SNK
• Release Date: July 22, 2024 (original launch July 24, 2003)

Evo 2024 saw the return of SNK Vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, a weird-but-wonderful entry in the pantheon of Capcom and SNK crossover fighters. SVC Chaos was developed by SNK, so while the character roster is split between the two companies, the fighting mechanics and visual style are all SNK. While it hasn't resonated as much with players as the Capcom Vs. SNK games, the recent SVC Chaos re-release is a neat time capsule of a bygone era of fighting games.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
• Developer: Bandai Namco
• Release Date: October 19, 2018

While Tekken has ruled the roost in Bandai Namco's fighting division as of late, Soul Calibur has flown under the radar despite producing one of the best fighters currently available. Soul Calibur VI features crisp weapon-based 3D fighting, with an iconic cast of characters including guests like Geralt from The Witcher and 2B from Nier: Automata--her second appearance on this list. We don't know if a new Soul Calibur game will ever come, but for now Soul Calibur VI more than gets the job done.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: French-Bread, Arc System Works
• Release Date: January 25, 2024

Speaking of under the radar, Under Night In-Birth surprised a lot of people when the first game hit arcades in 2012. After a few revisions, the sequel Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes finally released earlier this year, and it's become one of the top anime fighters on the market. The precise, skill-based fighting gameplay we mentioned before is on full display here, and the Grind system's push-and-pull mechanic makes each round a nail biter to the end. If you like fighting games at all, Under Night should be on your radar.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
• Developer: Player First Games, Warner Bros.
• Release Date: May 28, 2024

At first glance, MultiVersus looks like a simple "Smash Bros. but with WB characters" situation. However, there is much more with MultiVersus than meets the eye, with additional fighting mechanics and a focus on two-on-two fighting giving players more than just "more Smash Bros." It's free to download, too, which means more characters and stages will be coming to MultiVersus in the future, so now is the time to hop in if you need a Smash alternative.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: Capcom
• Release Date: June 24, 2022

Capcom Fighting Collection is 10 fighting games in one package, which already means you're getting a big bang for your buck. However, considering how rare some of these games were before they hit this collection--Vampire Savior II and Red Earth chief among them--this collection may be the only way you can play them officially. This fighting collection acts as a terrific time capsule to the past, and each game is worth the walk down memory lane.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: Eighting, Neople, Arc System Works
• Release Date: June 28, 2022

DNF Duel and Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising have a lot in common; they both adapted long-tenured RPGs to the fighting game scene, and both were developed by Arc System Works, developers of Guilty Gear Strive. As with Granblue, DNF Duel does a great job of adapting the classes of Dungeon Fighter into individual characters via a fighting system that's easy to pick up. It also tells an original story in the DNF universe, which gives tenured Dungeon Fighter fans a reason to try this new take.

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mobile (via Netflix)
• Developer: SNK
• Release Date: June 25, 2019

SNK fell out of fighting game development for a little while in the 2010s--save for a few King of Fighters entries--and Samurai Shodown marked its full-time return in 2019. The gamble paid off, as Samurai Shodown's tense and hard-hitting battles felt right at home with the rest of the fighting game offerings at the time. The bar was set for SNK, and now with Fatal Fury set to return in 2025, the company can thank Samurai Shodown for setting the foundation.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: French-Bread, Type-Moon
• Release Date: September 30, 2021

Along with Guilty Gear, Melty Blood is one of the longest-running anime fighting franchises ever made. Type Lumina, which launched in 2021, marked a worthy entry in that lineage, with the Rapid Beat auto-combo system and New Moon System mechanic offering a new way to experience the Melty Blood style of gameplay. Make sure to give Melty Blood a try, as we're sure you'll agree it's a worthy member of the current fighting game landscape.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: Hidden Variable Studios
• Release Date: July 7, 2015

Skullgirls 2nd Encore is somehow still going strong in 2024, despite a tumultuous life cycle with multiple developers and publishers causing delays in support and extra content. Now though, the unique team-based fighter has a dedicated circle of fans, thanks to its solid fighting mechanics and fantastic character designs. Skullgirls may be on its 2nd Encore, but we wouldn't be surprised if a third is around the corner, so get in now.

• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Developer: Arc System Works
• Release Date: May 31, 2018

BlazBlue is what happens when a bunch of anime-fighting-game developers put their games into a blender and make a two-on-two team-based fighting smoothie. BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Arcana Heart, Melty Blood, and Under Night In-Birth are but a handful of the franchises on offer here--along with multiple characters from Rooster Teeth's anime RWBY making their fighting game debut. BlazBlue Cross Tag battle is a wild idea made into a wild fighting game, but every match is a ton of fun.