As one of gaming’s oldest genres, Fighting Games have had iconic, innovative titles almost every year, with the best ones over the last decade helping create competitive combat experiences. From continuations of 1v1 classics to fresh 3v3 titles, the past 10 years have seen many fighting games that still have ongoing communities in 2025.
Much like the best RPGs of the decade, the greatest Fighting Games are complete packages, offering both competitive and casual avenues for players to explore. Titles of this genre are instantly amazing when their addictive gameplay creates a series of unforgettable fights between friends. Some of the listed games have even stood the test of time, still receiving updates or new DLC characters to their roster.
2015 – Mortal Kombat X
Embracing A New Generation Of Hyper-Violence
Mortal Kombat X was a continuation of the series’ reinvention in 2011 with Mortal Kombat (9). This game is still, by far, the most fast-paced of any title in the franchise, with players able to sprint at each other and chain together incredibly long, complex combos using a fighter’s unique tools.
One of the most interesting features of Mortal Kombat X was the variation system, which gave each fighter three different movesets for players to pick between. This created complicated match-ups that kept things fresh for almost every fight.
This game saw the series’ favorite characters return, like Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Jax, and Sonya Blade. However, it was the new characters that made this game stand out from others in 2015, giving players incredible new fighters like Kotal Khan, D’vorah, and the gunslinger Erron Black.
As this game developed, it only got better, including some of the greatest guest characters in all fighting games. Figures from horror like Jason Vorhees and Leatherface were present in MKX, as well as The Alien Xenomorph and The Predator in a movie rivalry translated into the game post launch.
2016 – Guilty Gear Xrd – Revelator
Sleek Anime Fighting Brought To Console
Until 2016, Guilty Gear Xrd – Revelator was only playable in Japanese arcades, but this year saw it move to an official home console launch. This game is a masterwork of anime visuals, featuring incredibly unique characters with extraordinary amounts of detail. Every move or attack from the fighters in this title is sleek, stylish, and led to fluid gameplay that took fighting game fans by storm.
This Guilty Gear entry is known for the refinement of series mechanics that had come before, including series staples, but also introducing new systems. Fans of the arcade games of the past praised Revelator for its fast-paced controls that emphasize player creativity, while new players got to enjoy a fighting game with arguably some of the most rewarding character expression.
2017 – Tekken 7
Martial Arts Mastery With An Unexpected Guest
After spending some years exclusively in arcades, Tekken 7 released in 2017 as a definitive, reimagined 3D fighting game for long-time fans. This title took everything players already enjoyed about the series and dialed it to 11, including cinematic Rage Art attacks, slow motion to end close rounds, and fantastic graphics that showcased martial arts mastery from iconic characters.
While new fighters like Shaheen, Gigas, and Lucky Chloe spiced up the new entry, one character stood out to attract more players. Street Fighter’s Akuma was made into a main roster fighter for Tekken 7, creating a previously thought impossible union of a 2D character into a 3D space.
This only added to Tekken 7‘s explosive changes, which marked a new direction for the series. This title added more to existing characters, adding new dynamics to the already complex 3D fighting, making a game with almost endless depth for players to keep innovating upon.
2018 — Dragon Ball FighterZ
The Ultimate Tribute To The Most Revered Anime/Manga Series
Dragon Ball FighterZ wasn’t just a popular fighting game, it was a landmark inclusion in the genre that lit communities on fire with unimaginable hype. This game was almost a spiritual successor to Marvel vs Capcom 3 following Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite‘s disappointing launch.
This title featured iconic characters from the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super series, even featuring those from Dragon Ball GT later on. Dragon Ball FighterZ is a celebration of all things Dragon Ball, with 2D HD graphics that look like they are almost ripped straight from the anime or manga from which they originate.
The tag-team nature of this fighting game means that battles are larger affairs, with characters able to assist others during battle. The chaos this brought to matches still makes Dragon Ball FighterZ one of the most action-packed games in the genre to play.
Every character’s energy blasts, superdash flight, instant transmission, or super attacks make you feel like you are in an explosive episode of the anime. With its hyper-stylized artstyle and plenty of moments representing Dragon Ball‘s history, it’s no wonder why this is still considered a must-play game for fighting game fans.
2019 — Samurai Shodown
Intense Duels Decided In A Single Strike
Most fighting games are defined by lengthy combos and multiple interactions, but Samurai Shodown breaks the mold. In this game, every attack deals massive damage, possibly deciding the course of a round in one strike. This SNK series has been like that since its appearance in arcades, but this 2019 title brings it into 3D, updating its graphics to make this patient combat even more fascinating.
New features in the 2019 game added more cinematic moments to already movie-quality fights. Much like a Kurosawa film, bursts of blood from a character’s well-timed blow create unforgettable moments, especially when you factor in the unique abilities of different fighters.
2020 — Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
Redemption Of The Classic Fighting Game’s Most Overlooked Entry
Street Fighter V release was very lackluster, only featuring a handful of characters with mechanics greatly restricted from Street Fighter IV. Given how celebrated the last game was, many fans stopped playing Street Fighter entirely with this game. That is, until the Champion Edition culminated several years’ worth of effort to bring the game back to player expectations.
For starters, the Champion Edition includes all the innovative mechanics added to Street Fighter V over four years. The game’s V-Trigger system gained multiple variants, with additional V-Skill abilities for all characters adding more and more depth to the game as time went on.
Furthermore, the roster of the game exploded, starting from a tiny 15 characters to ending with 45 with Champion Edition. This came with hundreds of free costumes for every character released with the Champion Edition package, as well as a robust Arcade mode and refined online networking for better matchmaking.
2021 – Guilty Gear -STRIVE-
Stylistic Anime Animation Returns With Modern Innovations
After multiple instances of the Xrd series, Guilty Gear Strive marked the next step for the series, refining its stylized anime artstyle even further. Characters had complete redesigns, both in gameplay and visuals, to appeal to new players, attracting a much wider audience than the niche series had ever experienced.
Each character was made more streamlined in Guilty Gear Strive, toning down some of the series’ complexities in exchange for accessibility to those who’d never picked up a fighting game before. In a year full of expansions, this game’s signature style made it incredibly appealing, and still cultivates a loyal fanbase in 2025 with ongoing DLC Seasons.
2022 — The King Of Fighters XV
The Largest Roster Of SNK Characters Ever Assembled
The King of Fighters XV is an entry that shatters expectations by including almost every system the series has ever seen into one title. This game had an incredible 39 character roster that expanded to 61 quickly, making it the SNK fighting game with the largest selection of characters ever.
An interesting feature of KoF 15 was the inclusion of free “boss” characters, such as Omega Rugal and Goenitz. You could fight these characters in challenging boss battles for free alternate outfits as well.
Fans of SNK games can play as tons of new and returning characters from the company’s history, from the iconic Kyo Kusanagi and Terry Bogard to newcomers like Isla. This sheer roster size featured an almost endless library of SNK music too, which players can mix and match into stages for custom playlists.
King of Fighters XV, much like Guilty Gear Strive the year before, also featured refined rollback netcode matchmaking to give players a smoother online experience. While seemingly a staple in fighting games now, this was a huge blessing at the time that made both games far more enjoyable.
2023 – Street Fighter 6
Return And Revival Of The Foundational Series
Street Fighter 6 is considered the first “next-gen” fighting game, trailblazing the way for others with ultra-realistic characters with some of the most impressive animations in gaming as a whole. Each fighter is oozing with personality, from classic characters like Ryu and Chun-Li to brand-new faces, like Kimberly, Manon, and Marisa.
This Street Fighter title may have the best balance of returning and new characters, with figures like Lily and J.P. fitting right in with Blanka, E. Honda, and Dhalsim.
What makes this game far better than others of 2023, though, is its impressive single-player World Tour mode. This RPG-esque adventure mode sees you create a custom fighter who learns from different Street Fighter masters in a search for their own strength.
World Tour has you traveling all over, challenging fighters on different maps and overcoming unique challenges to grow stronger and unlock rewards. This innovative mode is one-of-a-kind in fighting games, giving those who don’t enjoy the genre’s competitive elements a way to enjoy an amazing single-player experience.
2024 — Tekken 8
Heated Elevation Of Bombastic Battles
Tekken 8 kept a lot of what made Tekken 7 so popular, but refined its edges for an even more visually impressive experience. Characters have the same incredible realism as Street Fighter 6, using the same classic moves that fans know and love.
What made Tekken 8 stand out in 2024 was its new Heat system, which created more explosive, aggressive moments within the game. With an excellent roster of newcomers and old favorites, this anticipated entry in the series combined with a much more expansive story mode, making it a stand-out game that all fighting game fans rushed to try.
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
