Back in 1987, Capcom released the first Street Fighter, and it … didn’t blow everyone away. While it was an important title in the evolution of the fighting game genre, Street Fighter wasn’t nearly as popular as later entries. The game introduced special attacks and other norms found throughout the franchise, but it was the game’s 1991 sequel, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, that completely changed the game. After Street Fighter II hit arcades, fighting games changed completely, taking something that was still fairly rudimentary and turning it into a solid foundation for the genre.
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To call Street Fighter II a game-changer doesn’t really go far enough because it completely altered the landscape of fighting games. Every fighting game that followed, from the Soulcalibur and Mortal Kombat to the Marvel vs. Capcom and Injustice franchises, owes its existence to a single arcade game Capcom released in arcades in the early 1990s. Of course, the story of Street Fighter II isn’t just about that first arcade cabinet, as Capcom tweaked the formula repeatedly over the years, refining it into one of the most important and popular video games ever made.
Street Fighter II Is the Archetype of All Modern Fighting Games
Looking back at the many fighting games released across console generations, Street Fighter II stands out above all others for as immense influence. It is the best-selling fighting game of the Golden Age of Arcade Video Games, having sold more than 200,000 cabinets worldwide across all versions. The revenue from this one game is estimated at around $12+ billion, and it was ported to pretty much every platform capable of running it. Street Fighter II quickly became Capcom’s cash cow — the Fortnite of the 1990s, though the money continued rolling in for decades.
The game is a pop culture phenomenon that launched a wider multimedia franchise, including a live-action movie that’s set to be released in October 2026 (not to mention the cheesy one from 1994). It innovated over the competition in several ways, including adding complex combinations, featuring a six-button layout that offered a larger array of moves, and introducing special command-based moves. Players who excelled at driving these home could dominate the local arcades, and before long, there were tournaments all about Street Fighter II. That leads me to talk about Street Fighter II’s many alternate versions, which Capcom continued to improve for years.
This started with the highly successful Street Fighter II: Champion Edition in 1992, which was followed by Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting, The New Challengers, Turbo, and more as the games were remade in HD for various home consoles and other devices. Street Fighter II Turbo was particularly popular in tournaments. Every player has their favorite version of Street Fighter II, and there are many, including plenty of clones and counterfeit options. Of course, the legit game is always the best, thanks to Capcom’s dedication to keeping its killer franchise going for decades. In 2026, Street Fighter II celebrated its 35th anniversary.
It’s Unlikely Any Franchise Will Dethrone Street Fighter II’s Legacy
Because of its immediate success in the West, Street Fighter II dominated the fighting game genre for years. Even after games like Tekken and Mortal Kombat hit arcades, excellent fighting game franchises in their own right, they had to contend with the beast that was Street Fighter II. The game proved that multiplayer fighting games could innovate and draw in players by the millions, doing so in exciting ways while maintaining a challenging atmosphere that instantly drew people in. The game’s influence continues to this day, and the franchise remains strong with players, new and old.
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
