#10 - Virtua Fighter 5 (2006)
Sega AM2’s Virtua Fighter 5 is like the martial arts sensei of fighting games, strict, technical, and totally badass.
#9 - Soulcalibur II (2002)
Soulcalibur II is what happens when you give a fighting game a sword and tell it to go wild.
#8 - Mortal Kombat (2011)
NetherRealm’s Mortal Kombat (2011), aka MK9, is a bloody glow-up that brought the series back with a vengeance. Hitting PS3, Xbox 360, and later PC, it packs a 27-character roster, plus DLC like Freddy freakin’ Krueger.
#7 - Guilty Gear Strive (2021)
Guilty Gear Strive (2021) is Arc System Works’ love letter to anime and metalheads. Dropped on PS4, PS5, and PC, its 15-character launch roster, now beefed up with DLC, stars Sol Badguy’s fiery chaos and Ky Kiske’s slick swordplay.
#6 - Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001)
Super Smash Bros. Melee is the wildest party you’ll ever crash. HAL Laboratory’s 2001 GameCube classic throws 26 Nintendo icons, Mario, Link, Fox, into platform brawls where you yeet foes off the stage.
#5 - Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (2000)
Launched in arcades before hitting Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox, it throws 56 characters, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Capcom’s Ryu, Jill Valentine, into 3v3 tag-team chaos.
#4 - Tekken 3 (1997)
Namco’s Tekken 3 (1997) is 3D fighting perfection. Hitting arcades and PlayStation, it brings 23 characters, including Jin Kazama’s brooding karate and Eddy Gordo’s capoeira flair.
#3 - Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998)
Capcom’s Street Fighter Alpha 3 (1998) is 2D arcade swagger in its purest form. Launched in arcades and later PlayStation, its 34-character roster, Ryu, Chun-Li, Cody, has something for everyone.
#2 - Street Fighter III (1999)
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (1999) is the fighter for galaxy-brain gamers. Capcom’s arcade gem, later on Dreamcast and beyond, rocks 20 characters tuned to perfection, Chun-Li, Yun, Makoto, all legends.
#1 - Street Fighter II (1991)
Street Fighter II (1991) is the godfather, the big daddy, the reason fighting games exist. Capcom’s arcade legend gave us eight icons, Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and a combo system that changed the game.