5 Best Modern Fighting Games

Discover the top 5 modern fighting games, featuring titles like Street Fighter 6, Tekken 8, and Mortal Kombat 1.

Best Modern Fighting Games
Best modern fighting games (Images via Bandai Namco, Warner Bros. Games, and Arc System Works)

Fighting games have always been really popular in the video game industry. So much so that these games led to the formation of the strongest communities surrounding them. It all began inside arcades, but the modern era of fighting games mostly consists of online PvP.

That does not take away from the fun of these games, and the competition remains fierce. If you’re looking to get into some of the recently released fighting games, then we have prepared a list for you.

1) Street Fighter 6

Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter 6 main cover (Image via Capcom)

The Street Fighter franchise has always dominated the 2D fighting game space, but things weren’t looking good with SF5. However, Capcom revived the franchise with the release of Street Fighter 6. It not only appeals to the legacy players but is welcoming toward newcomers as well. This game offers modern controls for players who couldn’t get into the franchise due to its hard inputs.

The art style and music choice are both brilliant, and the roster is amazing, featuring both old and new characters. There are a variety of stages to battle it out on as well. The online servers are also great, and you will rarely get disconnected. This game even features rollback netcode, which minimizes latency in online battles. If you’re new to fighting games, then you should definitely give Street Fighter 6 a try with its modern controls.

2) Guilty Gear Strive

Guilty Gear Strive
Guilty Gear Strive main cover (Image via Arc System Works)

Guilty Gear Strive is another 2D fighting game, but it demands more skill than Street Fighter 6. It is mechanically very deep, and the inputs are really hard to master. But once you get past the skill barrier, Guilty Gear Strive becomes a really fun fighting game to play. The roster is huge, too—one of the biggest in modern fighting games.

There are now over three seasons’ worth of DLC characters in addition to the base roster. You can experiment with many different playstyles and find the character that suits your gameplay. Guilty Gear Strive also features some of the best, if not the best, OSTs out of all the fighting games currently available.

3) Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero

Dragon Ball Sparking Zero
Dragon Ball Sparking Zero main visual (Image via Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is a spiritual successor to Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. It is probably the least complex fighting game to learn on this list, and that makes it the most fun. If you’re not looking for that competitive experience in fighting games, then Sparking Zero is the game for you.

The character roster is enormous, featuring characters from the original anime as well as the new Dragon Ball Super. This game also features standard new controls for new players, and it is recommended to switch to them since the old controls rely on rotating your joysticks rigorously for some combat inputs.

4) Tekken 8

Tekken 8
Tekken 8 main cover with Jin and Kazuya (Image via Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Tekken 8 is the latest addition to the 3D Tekken franchise, and it completely changes things up from Tekken 7. With the addition of the Heat system, the game has become more offensive as opposed to Tekken 7’s defensive gameplay. That is a good thing since Tekken 7 was more of a slow-paced fighting game.

On the other hand, Tekken 8 is more fast-paced, and every single second decision can turn the tide in battle. The customization options are probably the best out of any fighting game on this list. You can change the entire look of your main character, from hairstyles to clothes. The online servers are also great, with minimal disconnects and a mostly latency-free experience.

5) Mortal Kombat 1

Mortal Kombat 1
Mortal Kombat 1 cover featuring Liu Kang (Image via Warner Bros. Games)

The Mortal Kombat franchise has always been famous for being the most gory fighting game out there. Thankfully, Mortal Kombat 1 still conserves that quality for gamers who love tearing their opponents to shreds by performing fatalities.

Combo inputs are also not that hard to learn, and the character roster is not bad, either. This game also contains some of the best guest characters, like Homelander and Omni-Man.


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