6 Best PS1 Fighting Games That Still Hold Up Today

The original PlayStation was a great place to be for fighting game fans. The arcades were in full production, and PlayStation often enjoyed incredible ports of those quarter-munching masterpieces. That said, some of those fighters don’t quite hold up to modern sensibilities. It’s not the entire genre, though, as many PlayStation fighters are still worth diving into today. They won’t be as polished as a modern fighter, but if you want a good idea of what great fighters were like in the ’90s, these are the games to pick up.

Here are six PlayStation 1 fighters that still hold up.

6) Soul Edge/Soul Blade

The first game in the long-running Soulcalibur series had a slightly different name, so you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know this was an SC game. Regardless, Soul Edge (Soul Blade outside of Japan) was an exceptional arcade fighter that quickly flew up the charts.

Then, Namco decided to bring it to PlayStation, and it was again a smash hit. It is an almost perfect arcade port, bringing over all of the characters and stages. Plus, that full-motion video intro is one of the best players had seen to that point. Toss in a great story mode, and you have a fighting game for the ages.

5) Bloody Roar 2

The first Bloody Roar was a solid fighter that introduced the idea of characters who can turn into foxes and tigers in the middle of a fight. The shapeshifting fighting was fast-paced and hard-hitting, but the sequel is where Bloody Roar got really good.

It looks better, feels tighter, and features even more wacky characters. Plus, it added a solid story mode and let players use super-powered moves to unleash massive damage on their opponents. The series fell off after the second game, but we’ll always have this one to fall back on.

4) Bushido Blade

There isn’t much like Bushido Blade. Each match is fought between two characters wielding different weapons. There’s no health bar, and combat can end with one well-timed swing of the blade.

It’s a thrilling change of pace from most other fighting games of the era. Every move is important, and defeat is just around the corner. Oh, and I can’t forget about Kumite mode, where you have to take out 100 opponents in a row. Beating that back in the day earned you a ton of street cred on the playground.

3) Rival Schools: United by Fate

Rival Schools was a great package deal for PlayStation players in 1998. It came on two discs. One of them had a relatively faithful arcade adaptation, while the other tossed in several new modes. That includes a new training mode that helped you learn how Rival Schools‘ controls worked.

Capcom also gave players a large, 25-character roster, and every single one of them felt unique. There weren’t any clone fighters in the mix at this school. Throw in tag team moves, great launchers, and Tardy Counters, and you have a fighter that takes time to master, but is a blast once you wrap your head around its systems.

2) Street Fighter Alpha 3

Like many games on this list, Street Fighter Alpha 3 was a massive hit in arcades, so it wasn’t a huge surprise when it did huge numbers on consoles. It got ports to the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Saturn. Fans have quibbled about which is better between the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions, but both are solid arcade ports.

There are, of course, a few limitations compared to the arcade. For example, some of the AI is a little wonky in the Dramatic Battle and Survival modes, seemingly because of a lack of RAM. Still, if you want classic Street Fighter action, this is a phenomenal game. Plus, unlike some of its 3D counterparts, Street Fighter Alpha 3‘s pixel art still looks incredible.

1) Tekken 3

There are definitely a few fans who would put Tekken 2 in this list, but I think most PlayStation fans agree that Tekken 3 was the peak of fighting on the system. In fact, I know quite a few who would tell you Tekken 3 is the apex of that entire series. After all, it sold 8 million copies, making it the fifth best-selling PlayStation game of all time. All those people can’t be wrong.

Namco’s fighter looks great and has some of the smoothest combat in the genre. Don’t forget that banging soundtrack either. If you need to get the blood flowing during a battle, this will do the trick. Throw in a robust campaign filled with great characters and fun offshoots with Tekken Ball and Tekken Force, and you easily have the best fighter on the system.

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6 Best PS1 Beat ‘Em Ups That Still Hold Up Today