Top 10 Fighting Games in 2025 » Best Fighting Games you Need to Follow

Fighting Games are some of the oldest esports titles, and had the first competitive ecosystems for video games as a whole! Decades on, we are still getting new releases that rise to the top, and old titles that are staying maintained. The best fighting games in 2025 make it easy to see why. The top 10 fighting games are an evolution of this classic genre, mixing the cutting-edge with traditional gameplay.

The fighting game genre has changed quite a bit in recent years. In-person events are back, and there are tons of new releases. Nearly all of the biggest names in fighters have had new titles in recent years, and major backing that like with the huge Capcom Pro Tour prize pool. The entire season is shaping up to be the biggest one ever.

The last couple of years have been big ones for fighting games. We’ve seen major releases for the big franchises, but also some innovative and new stuff with smaller games. Fresher titles like Rivals of Aether getting a sequel. It’s been one of the most interesting times to be into fighting games. Heading into 2025, there are quite a few games that are still receiving heavy support. How have things changed recently? What are the best fighting games in 2025?

Here are the top 10 Fighting Games in 2025.

Best Fighting Games

Many of the top series have origins stretching all the way back to the olden arcade days when gaming genres were just emerging. The best fighting games of all time have grown from those early days, but the high skill level and tense action of a match have remained.

Let’s get our countdown going…

10. Skullgirls 2nd Encore

Skullgirls is a 2D fighter still making this list, that was a bit of an underdog when it hit the market. Positive reviews and a quickly growing fanbase helped this game along to success. It was featured in several different fighting game tournaments around the globe last year.

Skullgirls 2nd Encore is an enhanced version of the original game, coming to wider platforms this time around. The game has all DLC and additions to the original Skullgirls release for a much more expansive experience.

It is currently featured at most of the major fighting game events. In recent years we had tournaments at CEOtaku 2022, Combo Breaker, and even EVO. It’s still receiving updates too, so it’s one of the top 10 fighting games that is still going despite being quite a bit older.

9. Dragon Ball FighterZ

Source: Arc System Works

This 2D fighter is one of quite a few popular fighting games from Arc System Works. It’s one of the biggest anime-fighting games for esports. Far beyond just being a tie-in game, this Dragon Ball title has become an esports mainstay.

The game takes Dragon Ball’s huge roster of characters with unique powers and moves, then it puts them into a 2D fighter. The mechanics of this game are tight. You could strip away all of the Dragon Ball content and this would probably still be one of the best fighting games.

The game is available on the PC and all consoles. It has drawn in fans of the manga/anime franchise as well as the general fighting gaming community. The game’s roster of DBFZ characters brings in recognizable faces from the original Dragon Ball manga, but it’s received additions over time too to keep up with the ever-expanding Dragon Ball Super canon. The game’s popularity has even been acknowledged in the source material itself, with a cameo for its original character Android 21 in the latest Dragon Ball movie.

Dragon Ball FighterZ might not be the newest fighter tying into Dragon Ball in 2025. However, it’s still the best to play seriously. Sparking Zero is an interesting game with a lot to offer. However, it’s not exactly balanced for head-to-head play, it’s more of a classic tie-in game, covering the series as a whole. It hasn’t come close to edging out FighterZ for competitive play. While its support might be over, it’s one of the best fighting games in 2025.

8. Mortal Kombat 1

Source: NetherRealm Studios

This is one of the most famous fighting game sagas, and the first to really embrace the gore. Mortal Kombat is a great franchise to look at for fans of competitive fighting games. It’s another game that’s come up from arcade machines, starting in 1992. Local competitive Mortal Kombat events have been running since its very start. In 2025, it’s one of the best fighting games for esports, although there’s been issues with the latest installment.

Mortal Kombat 1 hasn’t had the strongest start compared to other new fighters from 2025. The game has suffered a bit. It’s not had the same depth of support and features as Street Fighter 6. The title can still be a lot of fun, even if it’s a bit lacking compared to the series’ heyday. Mortal Kombat 1 is still receiving support too, and could definitely bounce back in the future.

7. Melty Blood: Type Lumina

Source: Delightworks

Melty Blood: Type Lumina isn’t quite as well known as the other entries in our best fighting games list. Although, it’s still a popular fighting game with its own dedicated community though. It has a dedicated following and some of the best fighting game players play in this title.

It’s another 2D anime fighting game. Although, there’s plenty to differentiate it from the competition. It has a unique combo system, Rapid Beat. There are also Moon Skills and Moon Drive which can alter a character’s options in gameplay.

Melty Blood features rollback netcode, an innovation that helps to make online games a lot smoother. Most of the best fighting games in 2025 have this newer feature that makes them much more playable online. In a list of fighting games, Melty Blood is one that’s really stood up to the test of time. It plays fantastically for in-person esports events, but also for jumping in at home online.

6. GranBlue Fantasy Versus Rising

Source: Arc System Works

GranBlue Fantasy is a renowned RPG game that even got an anime in recent years (you can watch it on Netflix). This particular fighting game spin-off series has gotten a new release at the tail end of 2023.

GranBlue Fantasy Versus Rising is a step above what we got with the first game. It adds more features a more stable online, better variety of characters. It even has a free-to-play version so you can check out a rotating cast of characters before you buy.

The fighting game itself features amazing cinematics, plus a great combo system. Currently available on PS4, PS5 and PC. It’s a more recent release from Arc. However, we’re already seeing some fighting game esports events for the title. it looks like this will be a game that has staying power competitively.

5. Tekken 8

Image Credits: Bandai Namco

The latest release in the Tekken series came out pretty recently and it has proven a hit. The highly rated Namco title is part of several big-name tournaments, including being an EVO mainstay. Tekken is a long-running series that first debuted in 1994 as an arcade game.

Tekken 8 introduces new more polished mechanics, and it’s had a growing list of DLC ighters. It’s up there as one of the top fighting games right now. It has shown Tekken has a staying power that most series don’t manage While the graphics are nicer, the core gameplay is still recognizable from that original installment of the series.

4. Brawlhalla

Source: Blue Mammoth Games

Brawlhalla is a particularly special addition to the best fighting games in 2025 list, because it’s free.

This title launched a few years ago from Blue Mammoth Games. It’s a title that originates as a Smash Bros style fighter, but it’s changed quite a bit. It’s grown to have a completely unique dynamic and design. There are loads of characters each with unique abilities and movesets. Brawlhalla is entirely free, and constantly receiving new updates. It’s one of the top 10 fighting games to play if you want new content drops frequently.

In terms of esports, Brawlhalla has one of the best scenes to get involved with. Thanks to developer-sponsored prize pools, the title frequently has the biggest prizes in esports. At events like DreamHack San Diego, it’s become the biggest fighting game present.

Brawlhalla is a bit different. It’s a free title, but one with loads of content. It won’t scratch that same itch as Street Fighter. However, it definitely has a lot to offer. Thanks to its dedicated fanbase it’s higher on the best fighting game list than even some of the classic franchises like MK.

3. Guilty Gear -Strive-

Guilty Gear -Strive- is one of a few titles from Arc System Works to make the most popular fighting games list! This is a title that’s been around since 2021, with decent sales pushing it to the top of most people’s minds for competitive fighters.

The game follows on with the overall Guilty Gear story, but even if you’re new to the franchise there’s a lot to like. The fighting mechanics are just as well developed as other Arc Systems games. Instant Kill is gone from the series, but new stage transition combos have been introduced. It’s not the only Guilty Gear featured at esports events, but -Strive- is one of the best fighting games. It’s even reached completely new ground for the series recently, finally making Asuka playable with DLC.

Guilty Gear makes appearances at most of the major tournaments, like East Coast Throwdown, Ultimate Fighting Arena, and EVO.

2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Source: Nintendo

Despite most of Nintendo’s games being famously cute and non-violent, Super Smash Bros Ultimate is one of the most popular fighting games out there. This is the latest installment in the Smash series which usually has two different games occupying the top fighting game tournaments. Ultimate is special though, it has by far the widest-reaching roster of any Smash games.

Its impact has been huge. It’s won loads of awards for best fighting games. In esports, it has developed a pretty lively scene. While difficulties in organization caused some problems in 2022, the game bounced back in 2023 and looks strong this year.

The top Smash Bros players are some of the best fighting game players as a whole. Events with talent like MKLeo and Sparg0 competing are regularly some of the most watched fighting game esports events, and for good reason. For esports, it’s one of the top 10 fighting games with the most devoted communities.

Watching a professional Kirby cornering Cloud Strife is a delight. Ultimate is more open than ever too, with Majors being won by characters like Steve from Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, and more. Melee might be one of the best fighting games of all time, but Ultimate is coming up on its heels. You can enjoy the best Super Smash Bros Ultimate matches during Genesis, and more. Just last year, Smash had two different huge year-spanning circuits running at once. While this year we’re back to individual cups, there are tournaments every week. It has one of the most dedicated fan bases across fighting games.

1. Street Fighter 6

Source: Capcom

Synonymous with fighting games everywhere, this Capcom title is one of the oldest series here. First released in 1987, you still can’t have a list of fighting games without Street Fighter. The series had a new release last year, Street Fighter 6. It’s shaping up to be one of the biggest in the series and one of the best fighting games ever.

Street Fighter 6 includes more modes and a better online, but core gameplay is still building on the traditional Street Fighter formula.

Its first year alone has already been huge for esports. The top SF 6 players have elevated the game to impressive heights. Its early tournaments have made more people interested in competitive fighters than ever.

Without a doubt, Street Fighter is one of the most popular fighting game series out there. Just about every major tournament carries something for Street Fighter. It also has the Capcom Cup, a dedicated tournament series running year-round for the best Street Fighter players. This time running with a $2 million prize pool. It’s one of the top 10 fighting games with the biggest prizes.

Alongside that, it’s one of the main stages at EVO too! Street Fighter betting has also turned out to be increasingly popular; as it offers a wide catalog of tournaments and a highly professional competitive scene.

Those are some of the best fighting games of all time and particularly those still played heavily in 2025! This is one of the widest communities in esports though, with loads of titles sitting side by side at major events.

Honorable Mentions for the Best Fighting Games in 2025

There are many more fighting games worthy of praise. Here are some other titles that just missed out on being one of the top 10 fighting games listed above.

BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle

Finally, the latest in a series of popular fighting 2D games is Blazblue. Featuring particularly imaginative and colorful characters, this Arc Systems game has incredibly good reviews and an ever-growing fan base in the West. In fact, it’s so popular that an arcade version of it was released last year, as a throwback to the 80 arcade games that pioneered the genre.

Those are some of the best fighting games of all time and particularly those still played heavily in 2025! This is one of the widest communities in esports though, with loads of titles sitting side by side at major events.

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