Sometimes considered the Chess of the video game world, fighting games are all about practice, execution, and super-fast reflexs. Memorize combos, learn your opponents move sets and beat your opponents. This genre was birthed in arcades across the Globe by franchises such as Tekken, Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Play all of these games from the comfort of your home and best your opponent whether they are sitting next to you on the couch or on another country entirely online.
The Smash Bros. series of games is a staple of Nintendo consoles alongside Mario Kart and Zelda. This fighting game pits some of the biggest properties from Nintendo and beyond into familiar arenas against each other to duke it out for the win. With an ever-expanding roster of characters to play as and arenas to fight in you can finally answer the question, who would win in a fight in a Pokemon stadium, Mario or Mega-Man?
Available for Nintendo Switch
Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary Collection
One of the most iconic fighting games of all time just turned 30 in 2018 and released a commemorative game that includes 12 games from the Street Fighter series all wrapped up into one package. Every Street Fighter game or iteration that was released between the original Street Fighter and Street Fighter 3 is included in this game. If you are a fan for classic arcade fighting games, this is the perfect time capsule for you to jump into.
This unique fighter features a roster of characters from the Shonen Jump Manga Magazine. This means that you can pit your favorite pirates from One Piece against the Sayians from Dragonball and even have them duel it out against Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh!
Available for PS4 and Xbox One
Widely praised as one of the best fighting games of this generation. This 2D fighter is stylized to make the player feel like they are in an episode of the Dragonball TV show. Decimate landscapes and level cities as you face off against your opponent in team matches where you are in control of 3 characters that you can swap out at any time. Any fans of the Dragonball anime or manga should definitely consider checking this game out.
Available for PS4 and Xbox One
Tekken has often been considered the king of fighting games and this entry makes another strong case for the crown. With some of the best matchmaking connections in fighting games right now, this title is great for if you are sick and tired of fighting games with less-than-perfect netcode. As long as you have a good internet connection, lag won't be a problem for you with this title.
The newest in this long line of ultra-violent fighters, Mortal Kombat offers a huge swathe of content for multiplayer and singleplayer focused players alike. tackle towers for an ever-updating single player challenge to tackle weekly as well as ranked multiplayer and a character progression system that means that you will always have something to do. Upgrading character armor is another level that NetherRealm has added to this franchise in recent editions meaning that you can tweak the stats and looks of your character as you play through the game. This game is definitely not for all ages but it sure is a fun time for those that remember mastering fatalities at the local arcade playing the originals.
Available for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One
If the idea of a Superhero Fighting game made by the same studio as Mortal Kombat sounds like something that would be pretty awersome to you, then look no further than the Injustice series of games. Featuring a diverse cast of characters from throughout the DC mythos, Injustice has a deep progression system and a large set of quests and story missions that leads to hours of single player content to consume. All of this tied up with a robust ranked matchmaking system for multiplayer means that you will always have a ton to do in this dark and gritty Superhero fighter.