Fighting games make up one of the largest niches in the industry, and it’s been that way for a long time. There are numerous top-tier franchises, including Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, and Street Fighter, among others. Additionally, other excellent, smaller-scale games have their devoted fans. Each home video game console generation delved into the genre, although it took a few to catch up. We’ve gone back and looked at all nine console generations and came up with the best fighting game from each one. They’re ranked on their impact on gaming in general, how well they were received, and how representative they are of the genre.
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1) Heavyweight Champ
1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey
The first console generation didn’t feature any games that could be considered part of the fighting genre. Still, an excellent fighting game was released during the period: Heavyweight Champ (1976). The arcade cabinet featured an impressive control system for the period, as it utilized boxing glove controls. Moving them up and down resulted in high and low punches, while moving them forward advanced toward the opponent. The game used monochrome sprites, showing two boxers from a side-view perspective. As the first game to feature hand-to-hand fighting, Heavyweight Champ looks very different from the games that followed, but it was nonetheless a pioneer of the genre.
2) Combat
2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2
If a fighting game involves two or more players battling it out, the second console generation is pretty limited. The top contender is easily Combat, though few today would ever describe it as a fighting game. That’s mainly due to the hardware limitations of the era, as it wasn’t possible to program fighting games as we know them today. Still, Combat brought competitive fighting to home consoles, and everyone who owned an Atari 2600 had it. The game came bundled with the system, and it included 27 variations, all of which involved vehicle shooters (Tank, Biplane, or Jet).
3) Karate Champ
3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System
As the third console generation rolled around, graphical and technical improvements made fighting games, of a sort, more fun and engaging. While there are several contenders from this generation, there’s no doubt that Karate Champ is at the top. It’s a game that pioneered the fighting game genre, pitting players against one another in one-on-one combat. An updated version, Karate Champ – Player vs. Player, embraced the concept, introducing a multiplayer mode and a more advanced style of gameplay. While dated by today’s standards, Karate Champ was a significant pioneer of the fighting genre.
4) Street Fighter II Turbo
4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | NeoGeo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Finally, after three prior generations, proper fighting games made it to home consoles. There were later releases on earlier consoles, but they pale in comparison to what Gen 4 had to offer. While there are many to choose from during this era, there’s little doubt that most would land on Street Fighter II Turbo for the SNES. The game was a massive improvement over the original Street Fighter, and it introduced several norms of the genre that remain today. It also featured a significantly faster playing speed, along with new special moves that balanced nicely across the extensive roster of fighters. There’s a reason this game remains popular today, as it’s easily one of the best fighting games ever made.
5) The King of Fighters ’98
5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64 | Neo Geo
While there were several impressive fighting games released during the 5th Generation, there’s a clear contender for top dog: The King of Fighters ‘98. That said, while this game was superior to the competition, it was initially available only on the SNK Neo Geo, an exceptionally expensive home console. It was capable of playing the same games found on NeoGeo arcade cabinets because it used the same hardware, so the cost was high. This limited many from playing The King of Fighters ‘98 at home, but when they got the chance, it opened up the genre in new and exciting ways. Fortunately, it found its way to other systems, including the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, after about a year of exclusivity on the NeoGeo.
6) SoulCalibur II
6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox
The SoulCalibur franchise gained widespread fame with the release of SoulCalibur II in 2002. It was released on several systems, including the GameCube, PlayStation 2 & 3, the Xbox, and Xbox 360. It was also a popular arcade cabinet when arcades were waning in popularity, and the quality of the home console versions was as good, if not better than, the one found in arcades. The game features a well-written plot, detailed characters with a variety of impressive moves, excellent hit detection, and button combos. Despite being released more than 20 years ago, a new port of the game was released on the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2025.
7) Ultra Street Fighter IV
7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360
Some gamers might think that the Street Fighter franchise peaked at Street Fighter II and its many editions, but they couldn’t be more wrong! In 2008, Capcom released Street Fighter IV, and it proved to be just as popular as its predecessors. In 2014, Capcom utilized gamer feedback during the development of Ultra Street Fighter IV, incorporating it into the final design, resulting in a fantastic edition. The game was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as in arcades. It was also made available on Steam on the day of its release, becoming the first game in the franchise to do so.
8) Mortal Kombat 11
8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | WiiU | Xbox One
If you were mad not to see any of the Mortal Kombat games in earlier console generations, we’ve saved the best for last … well, almost last. While the first Mortal Kombat game was legendary, its console ports fell short in comparison to the arcade version. Fortunately, the franchise continued, and Mortal Kombat 11 is easily the best fighting game from the 8th generation of consoles. The game is a significant improvement over its predecessors, and it was released on every major console of the era (not the Wii U). While the series reboot, Mortal Kombat 1, is an excellent title, for most fans, Mortal Kombat 11 reigns supreme.
9) Tekken 8
9th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S
It was painful to leave Tekken off until now, but as of 2025, Tekken 8 is arguably the best fighting game of the 9th Generation. There’s certainly plenty of competition now that Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is on the Switch 2, but there’s no denying that Tekken 8 is the best in the franchise and one of the best of the current generation. It features an immersive story mode as well as fantastic player-vs-player fighting, extending the franchise in innovative ways. It was developed using Unreal Engine 5 and features some spectacular graphics. While some may disagree, Tekken 8 takes the lead as the best fighting game of the 9th Generation.
Honorable Mentions
Ranking the best of a console generation is no easy task, and we had to leave many notable titles on the cutting room floor. To compensate, there are a few that deserve an honorable mention, as many of these games came close to taking top spots. It was difficult leaving any version of Super Smash Bros. off the list, but the competition was fiercer than we initially imagined. Similarly, it would be criminal not to mention Killer Instinct, as it’s one of the best fighting games ever made. Mortal Kombat II for the Genesis is another fan-favorite, and there are so many more: Marvel vs. Capcom, Injustice, Dragon Ball Fighter Z, Pokkén Tournament, and Virtua Fighter are just a few we wish we could delve into.
Which console generation featured your #1 fighting game? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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