Street Fighter 6 has plenty of content to offer, between the main fighting modes and the similarly-robust World Tour mode. But other games in the fighting genre are also worth the attention, at least to break up any monotony that could arise. Some games play similarly enough to Street Fighter that the skills players have built up over several months and years can be applied to other games that feel similarly. They also offer the thrills and, let’s be honest here, salt-driven frustration that can sometimes come with losing and trying to get the hang of learning characters and fighting opponents. You probably won’t have time to dive too deeply into all ten of these, but they’re at LEAST worth a look.
10. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a key game that any fan of Street Fighter can find a home in. It is, after all, also co-developed (in cooperation with Eighting) and published by Capcom themselves, a game with a roster that also features nearly a handful of Street Fighter characters alongside a dizzying array of other Capcom and Marvel characters for a roster that’s more than 50 faces strong. Anyone familiar with Street Fighter or other Capcom games can tag right in.
Speaking of that: They can tag themselves in this game too. UMvC3 is a three-on-three fighting game where each opponent can make a team of three. It’s one matter to merely tag a character in whenever another one is suffering from an HP crisis or merely needs assistance; it’s another to bring fellow teammates in for massive combos. This game is Street Fighter’s more hyperactive cousin, and while it’s easy enough for anyone who knows how to play that Capcom franchise to jump right in, mastering the game is another matter.
UMvC3 is as large of a delight to play as it is to watch. The game nailed the tag-battle formula with its 3D comic book-style character models so hard that its direct successor, Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, couldn’t live up to it. Anyone experienced in fighting games who gives it a shot will have plenty of fun with friends and while battling other opponents, with the comic book aesthetic and colorful characters like Wolverine, Iron Man, Captain America, Strider Hiryu, Rad Spencer, Dante (from the Devil May Cry™ Series) and so many more adding to the experience. Those are in addition to Street Fighter characters Ryu, Chun-Li, C. Viper, and Akuma. There’s also Final Fight’s Mike Haggar thrown in for good measure.
Vergil’s Yamato is so sharp that it can cut a Hulk in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
9. Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Skullgirls represents an amalgam of several 2D fighting styles. It contains a few gameplay fundamentals from Street Fighter, and fuses them with those from the fighting styles of Capcom vs. titles like the Marvel vs. Capcom games and Capcom vs. SNK titles. It does this with its own unique art style that takes inspiration from new and old animated cartoon art with an almost entirely female cast, all features that easily distinguish the game from any other fighter out there.
Skullgirls shines because of the many ways that players can approach its gameplay. It borrows a variation of the Ratio system from the first Capcom vs. SNK title, where players can use a solo character or a team of three, each with their own benefits and hindrances. It makes for a wealth of options for combos and gameplay potential. There’s also an involving story in which the game’s characters can be played.
It speaks to how solid of a game Skullgirls is fundamentally when it’s been around for so long, after first releasing during the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 days in 2012. The development team has provided balance updates and has continued to add new characters for over 11 years now. All these gameplay features, alongside the solid online play, make it worth trying for Street Fighter fans.
An armed Beowulf charges into Filia in Skullgirls 2nd Encore.
8. Dragon Ball FighterZ
Dragon Ball FighterZ was a dream game for Dragon Ball and fighting game fans when it was revealed and released. The fanbase had been clamoring for a new tag-team fighter with Capcom taking ages between releasing one, a more high-octane title than a Street Fighter game. This title fulfilled that task, one with several Dragon Ball legacy characters in a roster that’s only become more robust over time.
FighterZ involves teams of three battling against each other, with the roster stacked with characters capable of performing big combos and large energy blasts. Sure, several of them consist of Goku and Vegeta variations, and their fusions, but that still allows for plenty of variety when they all play differently. The game is also easier to learn how to play than Capcom’s vs. fighting games, and several others that rely on tag-team battles.
It's also one of the more well-balanced tag-team fighters around. Some characters are better than others, yes, but every character is formidable in the right hands. The game has a stacked roster after years of support, and with rollback netplay coming for smoother online connections, it’s set to live on in the tournament and online scenes for several more years.
Ultra Instinct Goku skillfully (and canonically) runs through Jiren in Dragon Ball FighterZ.
7. Samurai Shodown (2019)
Samurai Shodown was the first mainline installment in the series after several years when SNK released the title in 2019, a game made for both older fans and those new to the franchise alike. The game features a good crop of returning characters from the franchise like Haohmaru and Nakoruru, alongside new characters like Darli Dagger and Yashamaru. All of them, combined with DLC characters and guest characters, have led to the game having a robust roster full of variety.
More importantly, the new Samurai Shodown maintains the fundamentals of the older games by focusing less on combos and more on strong individual attacks. If the opponent doesn’t have a good defense, they’ll find themselves KO’d in seconds, a much faster time compared to other fighting games. This is how it distinguishes itself from any other title in the genre around, and will continue to do so.
The game was and remains attractive for Street Fighter fans thanks to its art direction being similar to those from Capcom, particularly Street Fighter IV. SNK knew how to keep that rivalry with Capcom going in a subtle way. Anyone who plays the game will find one that feels familiar and different from those experienced before, thanks to the technique execution required and its unique gameplay style. The game will live on for several more years when its rollback netplay update finally arrives.
Haohmaru crescent cuts right through Genjuro in Samurai Shodown.
6. DNF Duel
DNF Duel is a special fighting game adaptation of long-running online side-scrolling brawler Dungeon & Fighter. The game takes several of the fighter classes from the game and places them in a one-on-one fighter where players can use each character to battle it out against each other. Each fighter is named after the class, a way of quickly identifying their move sets and an easy way to remember precisely who the fighters are.
The game was developed by Arc System Works (of the Guilty Gear and Blazblue franchises) in cooperation with Eighting (of the Marvel vs. Capcom 3 games – including the one above), and published by Neople with the purpose of making a fighting game easy for fans to jump into and play online and offline. Move inputs are far simpler compared to other fighting games, but don’t mistake that for a lack of depth. It will still require some practice to pull off the biggest combos several characters are capable of, as several players demonstrate after they KO their opponents with ostensibly minimal effort.
It’s a very fun and flashy game, and its ease compared to other fighters makes it easy to keep up with on the side. Now that Neople and the developers are increasing the speed at which they’re releasing downloadable content characters, there will soon be a wider variety of them for online and offline matches. This, and the continued popularity of the Dungeon & Fighter series (especially in Asian territories), should help to maintain its player base for several more years.
The Inquisitor summons a flame wheel to literally roll over the Crusader in DNF Duel.
5. The King of Fighters XV
Street Fighter-developer Capcom has long been in competition with SNK, in a fun rivalry that started back in the early 1990s and continues to this day. Capcom found its biggest fighting game success with a one-on-one fighter, but SNK found that with The King of Fighters. This series involves characters from many of SNK’s older fighting game franchise, in games with three-on-three fights with larger rosters. The King of Fighters XV is the newest and prettiest installment in the series.
The King of Fighters XV involves a healthy crop of returning and new faces for the franchise, all in rearranged teams compared to the preceding The King of Fighters XIV. The character movements and techniques are a little faster than those in Capcom’s Street Fighter series, though the fighting itself isn’t quite as high octane as those from Capcom’s hyperactive Vs. fighting titles. It splits the difference between the two in terms of speed, combo potential, and the learning curve.
It's a little difficult and intimidating to learn how to play three characters on each team, to fight opponents who also have three characters. But anyone experienced with Street Fighter will find familiar movement implementation methods in The King of Fighters. Heck, some characters even have moves themselves that are similar to Street Fighter characters, like Art of Fighting’s Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia. It helps that some of them originate from franchises totally NOT inspired by Street Fighter.
Kyo Kusanagi uses a flame-suffused punch on Iori Yagami (his teammate in this game) in The King of Fighters XV.
4. Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes
Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes is one of the lower-budgeted titles on this list, but it’s still a solid game. It’s an anime fighting game that serves as a follow-up to the prior installment and its enhanced versions, the EXE:Late[st] version taking off in the tournament scene, including during Evo. The series pits a bunch of colorful characters against each other in one-on-one fighting, all capable of racking up big combos and juggles.
The “II” in the title implies that this is a brand-new installment and a break from prior titles, but this logic doesn’t apply with anime fighting game sequels. The game uses the same sprites and gameplay fundamentals as its predecessor. But this version also brings back all the characters from prior iterations of the first installment like Hyde, Walstein, Orie, and Linne, all with new moves and combo potential. The returning faces join new characters Kuon, Kaguya, and Tsurugi.
UNIBII is just as fun to play as it is to watch. It’s more complex than the average fighting game thanks to the timing required for button presses and motion during the longer combo strings, about as complex as getting these damned game names down pat. This installment is notably easier to get into compared to the prior installments thanks to having easier combos.This is a recent release, meaning this is the best time to join the online fighting crew and learn with them.
Gordeau steps out of the range of Orie’s phantom heel in Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes.
3. Guilty Gear Strive
Guilty Gear Strive is the newest installment in Arc System Works’ most well-known fighting game franchise. The game brings back popular faces like Sol Badguy, Ky Kiske, May, and Zato-1 and pits them against new faces like Nagoryuki, Giovanna, and Goldlewis Dickinson. They all fight in one of the prettiest and most stylish-looking anime fighters around, with a rocking soundtrack accompanying it.
Strive is nearly as combo-heavy as previous installments, depending on the character being played. But it helps that it’s far easier to play than its predecessors. Attacks also do massive damage (even after they were nerfed through patches), ensuring that rounds don’t last very long when some of the best characters get their combos and corner-breaking attacks going at a good pace. Strive is also very well balanced compared to previous titles (though the Xrd games were no slouch here), meaning even lower-tier characters like poor Goldlewis are competitive.
You’ll find some complaints about Strive’s ease compared to prior installments out there, but even the most critical among them agree that it’s still a great game to play. The game was made to welcome players of other fighting games for one of the easiest Arc System Works titles to approach. Strive just entered its third season, so it remains a great time to join the community and demonstrate your fighting game prowess. Or you can just play the story mode, itself entertaining and beautiful-looking.
Ky Kiske uses an electric cut on Sol Badguy in Guilty Gear Strive.
2. Tekken 8
Tekken 8 is the newest game in Bandai Namco’s (and formerly just Namco’s before the 2006 merger with Bandai) long-running Tekken series, one turning 30 this year. This new-gen series installment will include a bunch of returning characters like Paul Phoenix, Marshall Law, Nina Williams, and the long-MIA (canonically, anyway) Jun Kazama. They’ll join new characters Azucena Ortiz, Victor Chevalier, and Reina Kazama. All of these characters will fight in a game that boasts the prettiest graphics yet in the Tekken series, one that looks better than most fighting games on the market.
It wouldn’t be a new Tekken installment if it didn’t include new gameplay features. The key one is the “Heat System,” which creates new rush-down possibilities for all 32 current characters as they lunge at the opponent. It will also do chip damage. These changes alone will make the gameplay tempo faster-paced and more aggressive than previous installments, in a franchise already known for its aggressive gameplay.
Tekken 8 is bound to be a hot fighting game on the market and in the tournament scene, alongside Street Fighter 6. Tekken 7 had a habit of improving in popularity over recent years in tournaments, especially at the Evolution Championship Series (aka Evo), and Tekken 8 could follow that trend. Now is a good time to learn how to play the game and a favorite character with the rest of the audience.
Paul Phoenix gives Marshall Law a wallop of a Power Punch in Tekken 8.
1. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
Cygames realized they had a light pile of gold on their hands by turning the popular Granblue Fantasy free-to-play mobile game into a fighting game through Granblue Fantasy: Versus, with the ever-present Arc System Works handling the development duties. It was indeed successful, with popular characters like Gran, Katalina, Narmaya, and Vira, all having move sets that work well within the confines of a 2D fighting game. Versus itself has remained popular in the tournament fighting scene since its first launch in early 2020.
Granted, Versus hasn’t always had the best luck. The game had the misfortune of releasing just before the Covid-19 pandemic began, which hampered its chances of taking off in the tournament scene early on. The online play was also terrible for online tournaments to be held. But its popularity has remained solid enough that Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising has been made, a version that includes all the DLC characters released thus far and more extra content. It also, most importantly, includes rollback netplay for the strongest and actually-good online connections.
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising isn’t solely at the top of this list because of its popularity and newness. It’s the game on this list that also FEELS most like Street Fighter, especially Street Fighter V. Anyone familiar with the feel of the newer Street Fighter games, specifically its combos, counters, and emphasis on zoning and spacing, will have little issue picking up and playing Rising.
Katalina uses a large Frozen Blade on Gran in Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising.
Street Fighter 6 remains a big-enough time sink that you may not have time to play other fighting games simultaneously. If you do, though, here’s a good list to take a good look over for other games to consider. These games will have active communities online and in tournaments for years to come, so there’s plenty of time for them.
