Best Fighting Games 2023

Whether you’re a fan of Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Tekken, or any other fighting game franchise, there are no shortage of options to play in 2023.

Today’s fighters make it easier than ever to jump and join a community of competitive players looking to hone their skills and step into the arena.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best fighting games on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch to grow your fighter library.

For more gaming recommendations, make sure to check out our growing library of curated lists, and comment below with your top fighting games of all time!

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Rumbleverse has managed to quickly solidify itself as a premiere free-to-play battle royale with a fighting game twist.

Developed by Iron Galaxy and published by Epic, the game sees up to 40 players dropping into Grapital City and fighting to be the last player standing.

To do so, players must explore the city collecting hidden magazines in boxes that can be used to unlock special moves and takedowns.

As the circle shrinks, players will have to defend themselves using melee-based combat and stay alive by consuming potions.

Next on our list is MultiVersus, a new free-to-play platform fighter in the same vein as Smash Ultimate that’s already showing promise as a competitive game.

It’s also one of the most ambitious crossover games, pitting characters like Batman, Shaggy Rogers, Buggs Bunny, and even LeBron James against each other.

In it, players must jump, run, and punch their way to victory using their character’s unique playstyle across 2D stages inspired by different WB properties.

While it’s still unclear just how many characters will make their way to MultiVersus’ roster, based on WB’s deep catalog, the sky is the limit.

Like many Arc System Works titles, Guilty Gear Strive wasted no time setting a new standard for 2D anime fighters.

The game’s main draw is its vibrant cel-shaded art style along with the flashy and technical combat Arc System is known to inject into each title.

If you’ve been following the studio for a while, you’ll be familiar with fighters such as Sol Badguy, May, and Ky Kiske, along with new additions Happy Chaos and Jack-O’.

Gameplay-wise, Guilty Gear Strive controls and plays just as smoothly as one would hope while introducing new combos and dynamic stage transitions.

KoF is one of the oldest fighting game franchises and has managed to hold its own while competing with heavy hitters like Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom.

The most recent The King of Fighters XV sees players facing off in 3v3 matchups with a wide roster of SNK legacy characters along with some fresh faces.

The game stands out for its single-button inputs which allow you to pull off flashy combos with minimal memorization.

As a result, it’s particularly forgiving for newcomers to the series as well as fighting games in general and can be played online against other players.

GigaBash is a new arena fighter from Malaysian indie studio Passion Republic Games where 1-4 players can settle scores as different kaiju fighters.

It features a top-down POV reminiscent of games like Battlerite with combat akin to classic kaiju brawlers like Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters!

Instead of controlling slow-moving monsters, GigaBash’s fighters are surprisingly nimble, making for fast and chaotic brawls with overpowered attacks.

In terms of multiplayer, the game supports local and online matchmaking with several configurations and modes that keep things feeling fresh.

Whether you don’t own a Switch or you’ve simply grown tired of Nintendo’s iconic platform-fighter, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a worthy alternative.

This is because unlike many Smash-clones, All-Star Brawls carries a roster of already-established characters from beloved properties like Spongebob, Avatar, TMNT, etc.

Each fighter comes equipped with a distinct moveset, voice acting, animations, and costumes based on their appearances in their respective shows.

All-Star Brawl also supports online multiplayer with rollback netcode as well as standard local multiplayer battles.

If you want a fighting game you can play with friends, look no further than Samurai Gunn 2, the follow-up to Beau Blyth’s chaotic samurai brawler.

In it, up to four players battle to the death across tiny platform arenas where each character is given a sword and gun with only three bullets.

While combat is easy to pick up, it offers enough complexity to devise new strategies on the fly by climbing walls, dashing, playing dead, and turning invisible.

The sequel introduces a new Adventure mode where players can carve out their own path in challenging levels designed for both solo and cooperative play.

The Capcom Fighting Collection is a great way to revisit 10 of the company’s best arcade fighters from previous generations.

This compilation includes remasted versions of all 5 Darkstalker games as well as 2 Pocket Fighter entries, Red Earth, Cyberbots, and Hyper Street Fighter II.

For some of these games, the collection is the first time they’ve been made available to American audiences.

So if you’ve been in the mood for some classic 1990s-2000s arcade fighter action, this bundle is a must-buy that adds online play and a host of new features.

If you’re a wrestling fan, you’ve likely already exhausted most of your options for good wrestling video games seeing as the market is rather limited.

However, one of the mainstay franchises is WWE 2K, which receives a new entry every year, for better or worse.

After several letdowns, the most recent WWE 2K22 is a return to form that addresses its predecessors’ issues while offering solid gameplay and network performance.

In it, players compete in both online and local matches using a host of iconic superstars along with custom wrestlers created and shared by the community.

Next up, we have Battle for the Grid, an officially-licensed title that delivers on fans’ collective dream to see Power Rangers duke it out in a fighting game.

The 3v3 tag battle fighter pulls from the franchise’s 25 year-long history of color-coordinated teens kicking butt to offer a diverse roster with unique combatants.

Players can explore a pool of heroes and villains from the franchise’s multiple iterations like Mighty Morphin, S.P.D., Mystic Force, and many more.

We suggest picking up the Super Edition, which features all previously released DLC like the Street Fighter Pack and some cool exclusive items.

Stick Fight: The Game is another 2D platform fighter that supports multiplayer across PC, console, and mobile.

Drawing inspiration from the golden age of internet stick figure fights, the game sees 2-4 players duking it out in deadly environments littered with traps and weapons.

You can blast enemies away with a laser gun, shoot a paralyzing snake at their neck, or simply hold out long enough to be the last stick figure standing.

It offers over 100 unique levels that can be expanded even further by browsing through an endless supply of community-made stages via Steam Workshop.

Carrying on, Lethal League Blaze is a visually-striking title that combines the best parts of sports and arena fighters for a unique gameplay experience.

In it, you and an opponent go back and forth hitting a baseball that travels more quickly each time it’s struck until eventually reaching Mach speeds.

If you can maintain your composure long enough, you’ll start to see the ball freeze mid-air as mind-bending visuals play out on screen.

This is further complemented by Blaze’s simple controls and straightforward objectives that can be easy to learn but hard to master at the pro level. 

Despite its reputation as a glorified party game, Smash Ultimate continues to solidify its presence in the competitive fighting world.

Although a large portion of its playerbase was inherited from previous iterations, Ultimate has drawn in crowds from other less-popular fighters.

With a roster of 89 characters and a medley of stages and music based on various video game properties, Smash Ultimate has something to offer for everyone.

Furthermore, the game supports competitive local and online multiplayer with up to eight players.

If you want a more traditional fighting game with over-the-top martial arts combat, the Tekken series delivers that in spades.

Here, we’re highlighting the most recent installment, Tekken 7, as it offers some of the most streamlined combat in the franchise and is still enjoyed by many today.

Along with updated graphics running on Unreal Engine 4, the game introduces new Rage Arts and Power Crush mechanics that greatly shake up combat.

The story mode is just as dramatic and sees you facing off against a deep catalog of legendary fighters that have appeared throughout the Tekken series.

Skullgirls is a fast-paced 2D fighting game that draws inspiration from classics like Marvel vs. Capcom.

The game implements a tag battle system that allows you to create different sized teams for 3v3 battles with a six-button layout.

Style is Skullgirls’ main appeal, with each member of its roster having a unique theme, playstyle, and movepool completely their own.

The best way to play the game in 2023 is via the 2nd Encore edition, which adds new characters, skins, story, survival, and challenge game modes.

Mordhau is a sword fighting game set during medieval times that features a free-form combat system with total control over your character’s movement during battle.

Focusing on your opponent’s most vulnerable spots will let you dismember them and possibly score yourself a decapitation if you’re lucky.

There are also extensive options for customizing your weapon’s appearance, which includes both one and two-handed blades in addition to axes, bows, and hammers.

The game boasts a variety of modes ranging from small squad skirmishes to massive medieval battles with upwards of 60 players.

Although Injustice 2 gets most of its ideas from its predecessor, it also adds many improvements that make the fighting game sequel worth checking out.

The story focuses on Batman and a team of both heroes and villains as they attempt to put an end to Superman’s evil regime.

Things get even more complicated when a supervillain group led by Brainiac intervenes and war is waged on all fronts.

Injustice 2 introduces a new armor customization system that allows players to modify each fighter using unique stat-based gear.

Developed by Arc System Works, Dragon Ball FighterZ adapts the iconic anime franchise into a frenetic 2D fighter worthy of the series’ namesake.

As you would expect, this includes all of the visual hallmarks of the DBZ universe along with the distinct Arc Systems visual flair the studio is known for.

Characters are rendered in 3D with overlaid 2D sprite textures, giving them a unique hand-drawn look that looks stunning in motion.

Combat is just as impressive and sees players assembling teams of three fighters before heading into battle against the CPU and other players.

Mortal Kombat 11 is arguably the best installment in the series and continues to function as a fun and challenging competitive fighter.

The game features a roster of over 25 fighters as well as returning Fatalities and Brutalities alongside new Fatal/Krushing Blows.

What’s more, you would be hard-pressed to find another competitive fighter that features combat as crunchy and meaty.

While there are a plethora of other fighters we could recommend, MK 11 remains a top pick that’s well supported by developer NetherRealm.