Best Fighting Games Tier List

Street Fighter 6 is our best fighting game and the easiest serious one to pick up: Modern controls put each special move on a single button, and the classic six-button layout is there when you want it. If fighting games have never clicked for you, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is the A pick built for you, since it also lets special moves go on one button and still holds up in high-level play.

#1 on our boardSStreet Fighter 62023 · PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, PC

Modern controls put special moves on a single button while the classic six-button layout stays available, so this is the easiest serious fighter to start and keep playing.

1. 2Tekken 82024The Heat system is built to punish waiting around, so rounds stay aggressive from the opening second. The move lists are huge, though, so new players should expect a long climb.
2. 33rd Strike1999The parry behind Evo Moment #37 still turns every exchange into a reading test, and the sprite work holds up beautifully. The simplest official way to play it now is the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, which also includes Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
3. 4Melee2001Players dug hidden techniques out of its engine and turned a party brawler into a long-running esport. It was only ever released on the GameCube, so playing it today means original hardware.
4. 5MvC22000Three-fighter teams drawn from a cast of more than 50 make this the wildest tag game ever released, broken bits and all. After years off sale it came back in 2024 inside Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection.
5. 6Street Fighter II1991The arcade hit that set off the 1990s fighting game boom still plays cleanly, and its Super Turbo version added super combos and the hidden boss Akuma. Every edition worth playing is in the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection.
6. 7Strive2021Strive looks like a playable anime, and Roman Cancels let you stop a move mid-swing to extend combos or escape trouble. Start here if you want the flashiest fighter with a busy online scene.

Street Fighter 6 heads the 2D games and Tekken 8 leads 3D, where the Heat system keeps rounds aggressive, though its huge move lists make for a long climb. Melee is the top platform fighter but only ever came out on GameCube, so most players will reach for Smash Ultimate on Switch instead. For tag teams, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 holds S and has been back on sale since its 2024 Fighting Collection, with Dragon Ball FighterZ as the modern team game with simpler inputs.

Street Fighter puts three games in S, and one purchase covers most of its classics: the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection includes Street Fighter II, 3rd Strike and Alpha 3. Mortal Kombat places its 1993 sequel, the 2011 reboot and Mortal Kombat 1 together in A, and Mortal Kombat 1 is the one to start with for spectacle and story. Fatal Fury fans should play Garou: Mark of the Wolves before City of the Wolves, the sequel released 26 years later that continues its story.

Each platform family misses exactly one S game: PlayStation, Xbox and PC lack Melee, while Nintendo lacks Tekken 8 and, in fact, every Tekken on the board. Tekken 3 never left PlayStation, and the 2013 Killer Instinct reboot plays only on Xbox and PC. Soulcalibur is the hardest to find: away from the Dreamcast, its official releases are an Xbox 360 port and a phone version.

Which of the 18 fighting games graded S or A play on each platform

Game	PlayStationPS	Xbox	Nintendo	PC
Street Fighter 6S	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
Tekken 8S	Plays	Plays	Not on it	Plays
3rd StrikeS	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
MeleeS	Not on it	Not on it	Plays	Not on it
MvC2S	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
Street Fighter IIS	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
StriveS	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
Mortal Kombat 1A	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
City of the WolvesA	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
Smash UltimateA	Not on it	Not on it	Plays	Not on it
KOF XVA	Plays	Plays	Not on it	Plays
GBVS RisingA	Plays	Not on it	Plays	Plays
Tekken 7A	Plays	Plays	Not on it	Plays
Mortal Kombat (2011)A	Plays	Plays	Not on it	Plays
SoulcaliburA	Not on it	Plays	Not on it	Not on it
Mortal Kombat IIA	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
FighterZA	Plays	Plays	Plays	Plays
Tekken 3A	Plays	Not on it	Not on it	Not on it
Plays	15/18 of 18	14/18 of 18	12/18 of 18	14/18 of 18