Which PC fighting games are the best? When the fighting game craze began in the 1990s, arcades were largely responsible for the genre’s popularity. Since then, fighting games have largely been played on consoles, but today we can finally play most of the top fighting games on our PCs.
Fighting games have a reputation for being difficult to pick up. Still, with the proliferation of video tutorials and guides covering all of the fundamentals, there’s never been a better time to jump into this highly competitive genre. Even if you can’t compete at Evo, there are many ways to enjoy these games, from online Street Fighter bouts to the extensive single-player content of games like Injustice and Soulcalibur.
Here, we’ve concentrated on many of the most competitive games with the most active communities, but a few oldies and curveballs are thrown in for good measure. So grab your combat stick, practise your fireballs, and prepare yourself for the best PC fighting games yet.
ON THE COMPUTER, THE BEST FIGHTING GAMES
STRIVE FOR GUILTY GEAR
Arc Systemworks is best known for Dragonball FighterZ and a slew of other anime-style fighters, but Guilty Gear has long been the company’s flagship game. The Xrd generation exposed us to stunning 3D models on a two-dimensional plane. Guilty Gear Strive improved in combat, presentation, and fully voiced stage music for each character — some of them are quite good on their own, but all of which work well as stage music.
It contains two comprehensive tutorials and training modes, an arcade mode that culminates in a two-on-one boss battle with a friendly AI (or a one-on-one ultra-hard boss battle if you’re good enough), and a decent storey mode for series fans. Unfortunately, it’s merely a film with no actual gameplay. New characters have also been added, providing players with even more fighting techniques to master.
MORTAL KOMBAT 11 is the eleventh instalment in the MORTAL KOMBAT series
In its long-running Mortal Kombat franchise, NetherRealm sets a high bar for gore and brutal fighting. It’s satisfying to report that Mortal Kombat 11 more than lives up to those expectations, as Scorpion piledrives Sub-Zero with one of the game’s numerous fatalities.
Moment-to-moment combat is brutal but methodical, making fighting feel deliberate and striking a blow satisfying. The practice of hurling objects at opponents in the name of zoning is as common as ever. Even so, it only adds to the enjoyment of those moments when you get up close and personal.
FIGHTERS OF THE DRAGON BALL
Dragon Ball FighterZ isn’t the first good Dragon Ball game, but it is truly great. Arc System Works has taken its expertise in some of the most technically challenging fighting games on the market to create a great product that retains the depth of the best brawlers while remaining approachable. And the studio achieved it with one of anime’s most beloved series, Dragon Ball FighterZ, by lavishing love and care on each of the roster’s characters.
CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION OF STREET FIGHTER V
The introduction of Street Fighter V was not particularly successful. The basics were there from the start, with a fantastic core fighting system, but a lack of substance and characters made it feel unfinished – a critique that creator Yoshinori Ono admitted. While it took much too long to get there, the game’s full promise was realised with the release of the Arcade Edition in 2018.
However, this is still Street Fighter, and Street Fighter remains the benchmark against which all other fighting games are compared. So, if you want to learn about fireballs, combos, and specials – forget about footsies and frame data – start with Street Fighter V, which maintains the legacy that began when World Warrior first reached arcades all those years ago.