A lot of gaming genres lend themselves to competitive play, but few do it as well as fighting games. The one-on-one nature of the titles has captivated a thrilling competitive scene since the early ’90s and it continues 30 years later. As the decade comes to a close, Mandatory took a look at the 10 best fighting video games of the decade. All of these games are worth checking out and battling it out with a friend.
Cover Photo: Capcom
‘Dragon Ball Fighterz’
While the Budokai titles were a lot of fun, Dragon Ball Z fans never had a truly great fighting game until Dragon Ball Fighterz was released. The Arc System Works-developed title featured the same jaw-dropping graphics that they used in Guilty Gear, and it delivers a visual spectacle that looks straight out of the popular anime. It’s backed up by a really solid fighting game that is easy enough for newcomers to get into but deep enough for dedicated players to put hundreds of hours into it. It remains a competitive favorite to close out the decade, and has received a lot of great DLC since release.
Photo credit: Bandai Namco
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‘Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2’
As mentioned above, Guilty Gear Xrd was the first title by Arc System Works to use a unique art style that looks like it is 2D, but is actually comprised of 3D models. This allows for special attacks to shift perspective and creates a gorgeous looking title. REV 2 was the game’s sizable revision which added some fantastic new characters, additional story content, and a great tutorial that made sure that everyone could compete in the stylish fighter.
Photo credit: Arc System Works
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‘Injustice 2’
While NetherRealm will always be best known for their work on the Mortal Kombat series, they’ve also managed to put out some fantastic DC superhero-based games as well under the Injustice brand. Featuring an awesome cinematic story mode that has a villainous Superman, the Injustice games have provided some interesting twists on beloved comic book characters. Beyond that, both entries are excellent fighting games. The second stands out due to its unique gear system, which allows players to modify their fighters in hundreds of different ways.
Photo credit: NetherRealm Studios
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‘Mortal Kombat 11’
While it’s no longer a source of controversy, the Mortal Kombat series is still fantastic. The latest entry has the best story mode out of any of the entries, and has a top-notch cast full of returning favorites and interesting new characters. Featuring traditional gameplay on a 2D-plane, it blends the best of ’90s-style fighting games with the graphical flair that defines current gaming.
Photo credit: NetherRealm Studios
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‘Samurai Shodown’
A reboot of the beloved SNK series launched earlier this year, and it truly was a return to form for the former powerhouse. The blade-based fighting game has a ton of awesome swordsmen that players can choose from. While it is a bit bare-bones in terms of content, the core fighting is so rewarding that players will keep playing despite being able to finish its sparse single-player content in a few hours.
Photo credit: SNK
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‘Soulcalibur VI’
Bandai Namco’s Soulcalibur series has been a fan-favorite since the Dreamcast, and its most recent entry is yet another winner. Featuring some awesome crossover characters like NieR: Automata‘s 2B and The Witcher‘s Geralt of Rivia, it has a great roster filled with diverse characters. The gameplay is as polished as ever and has some new tweaks with additions like the Soul Charge and Reversal Edge. It’s the best entry yet in the stellar series.
Photo credit: Bandai Namco
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‘Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition’
The original release of Street Fighter V was rough as it was a great fighting game but one without an acceptable amount of content and a broken online infrastructure. Thankfully, it has been completely revamped since it has been out and the Arcade Edition of the game shows just how stellar it is. It now features over 50 characters and does the legendary fighting game series proud as its pure gameplay is just as rewarding as Street Fighter II was back in the day.
Photo credit: Capcom
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‘Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’
While not a traditional fighting game, Super Smash Bros. has been able to create its own lane (and copycats). The latest entry in the platform fighting series features a huge roster with every character from past titles and plenty of new ones. Dream additions like Ridley, Banjo-Kazooie, and Persona 5‘s Joker make it a joy to play on Nintendo Switch. The team really outdid themselves and have crafted a party game that will be enjoyed for years to come.
Photo credit: Nintendo
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‘Tekken 7’
Tekken has always had a wild side to it, but Tekken 7 really embraced it. Not only does Street Fighter‘s Akuma feature prominently in the story, but Geese Howard, Negan from The Walking Dead, and Final Fantasy‘s Noctis have all been added as DLC. Beyond all this wackiness, it’s also a great-playing fighting game due to some new gameplay additions. Namely, the new Rage Drive allows for some exciting special attacks that help make fights even more dramatic.
Photo credit: Bandai Namco
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‘Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3’
While the more recent Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite was a disappointment, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 did the crossover series right. Not only does it feature dozens of great characters including some obscure favorites like Phoenix Wright, but the tag fighting title is a joy to play. It still has a decent competitive scene despite coming out in 2011, and that is a real testament to how much Capcom knocked it out of the park.
Photo credit: Capcom
