2. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

You knew this game was going to make this list.

Capcom’s Street Fighter II, which was launched in arcades in 1991, was single-handedly responsible for transforming the fighting genre into the industry giant that it is now. Back then, eight playable characters, each with their own unique storylines and special moves that were simple to pull off, was unheard of. Also new to the genre was a complex fighting system that involved concepts such as blocking, baiting, poking, combos, cancels, and more. All these worked together fluidly to make Street Fighter II the premier fighting game of the early 90s.

Other game companies were quick to ride on Street Fighter II’s coattails. The fighting game explosion that followed saw numerous clones being made one after another. By the end of the 90s, when the fighting game craze had died down, only a few franchises remained, including, of course, the one that started it all: Street Fighter.

Street Fighter II can be played on your browser for free thanks to sites such as Internet Arcade and Kongregate.