Fighting games are often characterized as the most brutal games you can play and it isn’t far from the truth. Although some games are cartoonish and accessible for all ages, some are just too brutal, for example, Mortal Kombat. Those games are usually 2D and graphics aren’t exactly their strongest point, instead, they focus more on fast-paced, smooth and streamlined gameplay. In our 20 best fighting games for PC list, we are going to take a look at some of them and give some basic info about every game on the list.
1. Mortal Kombat X
Let’s start with the most brutal game on this list. Mortal Kombat X is everything you want from a good fighting game. Excellent gameplay and graphics, pretty good optimization, numerous characters from Mortal Kombat franchise, and brutal and satisfying fatalities! Every character in this game is good in its own way. Scorpion, Raiden, and Ermac are more of attack characters while Sub-Zero, for example, is a little slower, but his defense is one of the best in the game. While the single-player campaign is great in this game, multiplayer is something you’ll surely want to try and we recommend doing so. This game costs like a full AAA title, but in our opinion, it’s worth every penny.
2. Super Street Fighter IV
Back in 2010, Capcom released one of the best fighting games to date- Super Street Fighter IV. This game isn’t brutal and explicit like the Mortal Kombat series, but this doesn’t make this game less good. Super Street Fighter IV boasts some of the most interesting and cool characters in a fighting game. There is a total of 35 characters from the past games plus two new characters, Hakan and Juri. Multiplayer in this game is also available and is a very pleasant feature and surely one of the best in fighting games genre.
3. Injustice – Gods Among Us
Injustice: Gods Among Us is a fighting game based on the universe of DC Comics. This game combines 2D and 3D rendering of the environment thus being 2.5D game. There isn’t much to say about this game except for being one of the best fighting games of 2013. If you are a fan of DC Universe, Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, etc this surely is a game for you. Multiplayer is also great and seeing those superheroes fighting against each other is a satisfying experience. On top of the solid multiplayer, the game has a singleplayer mode which boasts a very solid story and character voice acting.
4. Mortal Kombat 9
Mortal Kombat 9 is a predecessor to Mortal Kombat X. It represents a more simple version of Mortal Kombat X but still a very satisfying and enjoyable experience. It’s fast-paced gameplay, interesting singleplayer campaign and character details make this game great for having a lot of fun. Multiplayer is also great but had some bugs initially which were fixed later with patches. You won’t go wrong either with this game, plus it’s cheap now. Don’t wait, “Get over here!”
5. WWE 2K17
WWE 2K17 is the newest installment in the WWE series and it is a professional wrestling game. It’s true that WWE isn’t that popular like it used to be, but games from this series are one of the best fighting games you can buy. Nothing special to say about this game- pure, hardcore fighting, solid graphics, game mechanics, and various game modes. You can play a single match with the setting that you choose, you can create your own superstar and start a career and even play online versus other players.
6. Deadpool
Deadpool is much more than a fighting game. Not only you’ll see some of the best fighting moves in this game, but also be able to laugh at Deadpool’s jokes which are in our opinion funny enough. Reviewers gave this game generally positive reviews, praising its humor and story and we totally agree on that! In this game, Deadpool is equipped with swords and guns, plus there is access to other weapons like plasma guns. Overall, a very good experience and even better if you liked the movie.
7. Street Fighter X Tekken
Back in 2012, Capcom decided to combine influences from two great fighting games- Street Fighter and Tekken, and this attempt was very successful. As the title says, this game represents a crossover between these two games so you can choose fighters from both games. The single-player story mode is available and it’s stellar, but the game usually plays in a tag team; you select two characters and fight versus two opponents. Multiplayer is also available here, offering a couple of different game modes.
8. For Honor
For Honor is a brand new hack and slash fighting game coming from Ubisoft. Recently, Ubisoft disappointed their fans with few games, but this one is pretty good. It’s a more multiplayer-focused game where you can choose various types of soldiers like Samurai, Vikings, or Knights and engage in an epic battle versus the other players online or in the singleplayer campaign. Although it’s considered a hack and slash game, combat is pretty hard to master as every type of soldier has its own fighting style. This is one of the rare fighting games with AAA status, so it’s worth checking out.
9. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Dragon Ball is a classic fighting anime that almost every (male) kid liked. This time, we are talking about anime’s influence on this game. Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 combines RPG elements with elements of fighting and does a pretty decent job at that. The story, however, doesn’t follow the classic Dragon Ball story, instead, it’s a completely new story with a character that player needs to create in order to play the game. Regardless of that, this game is excellent in what we want it to be; a hardcore fighting game.
10. Street Fighter V
Street Fighter franchise is one of those franchises with no bad game in it. Street Fighter V made it’s way to the shelves back in February 2016 and it’s one of the rare games that feature cross-platform play. This means that you can play this game on PC versus your friends on PS4. In the beginning, there are a total of 16 characters in the game, and the rest of them plus story mode can be downloaded through available DLCs. In our opinion, it isn’t a better title than it’s predecessor but nonetheless a great game.
11. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
Deadpool or Wolverine? Venom or Vergil? Well, you’ll be giving answers to these questions if you decide to play this game. This game represents another example of a crossover fighting game done great. Aside from singleplayer where you choose 3 characters and fight versus other 3, there is a great multiplayer that we suggest you try.
12. WWE 2K16
WWE 2K16 is a wrestling game, the predecessor to WWE 2K17 which we talked about earlier. Another great game in the series providing players a lot of fun. Graphically, it isn’t much different than it’s successor and gameplay didn’t change that much. On top of that, great multiplayer, split-screen and full controller support are something to praise. If you are a fan of wrestling in general, you can try this game or WWE 2K17 as they are surely the best wrestling games out there, at least for now.
13. Blazblue – Calamity Trigger
Blazblue: Calamity Trigger isn’t that famous game, but it looks and plays great. Graphics are in anime style, which looks fabulous and the gameplay is streamlined, with responsive controls. What makes this game different is that while there are usually two or three rounds in every fighting game, here these fights can be longer- even up to 5 rounds! However, the game has just 12 characters which isn’t much, but they make the game interesting enough. You can buy this game for a very cheap price, making it a very accessible title.
14. Naruto Shippuden – Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
Naruto is one of the most recognizable anime series of all time and when it comes to Naruto games, are they worth a try? Definitely. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 is everything you want from a ninja fighting game based on the Naruto series. Fighting mechanics in this game is good and graphics are top-notch for this kind of game. This game continues where it’s predecessor Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution left off in terms of game quality and story, so it’s not a bad idea to check out that title first.
15. X-Men Origins – Wolverine
Wolverine is one of those badass and brutal characters that we all appreciate. X-Men Origins: Wolverine follows the story behind this guy (or monster, call him as you wish) who is desperately trying to run from the agency that is searching for him, in order to perform experiments. While this game surely isn’t a classic fighting game, it combines action-adventure elements with hack and slash type of fighting. This is an older and the last title in X-Men Origins series so the price of this game is cheap, and believe me- this game is catchy and fun as hell!
16. Killer Instinct
Killer Instinct is a series of games made by Double Helix Games, but we are talking especially about Killer Instinct 2013, which is the best one in the franchise. Back in 2013 when it launched, it was a free-to-play game and it’s free-to-play right now. This may trick you into thinking that it’s a low budget, indie game but in reality, it isn’t! Free-to-play games can also be great and this is one fine example of that. Killer Instinct 2013 focuses mainly on combos and it’s a very important aspect of the game. The player can also perform Super Combos or Combo Breakers in order to defend himself. In-depth tutorials are available at the start of the game, telling the player how to fight properly and multiplayer is based on the ranked league. All in all, a fine piece of a free-to-play game.
17. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
I know we mentioned two new Mortal Kombat titles, but how to forget these retro titles? It’s impossible to forget a game like Mortal Kombat 3. Mortal Kombat 3 was at that time one of the best games, both graphically and technically. Gameplay was great, offering player simple controls over selected characters, along with some stellar sound design. However, there aren’t many characters to choose from, so you’ll maybe want Mortal Kombat X or Mortal Kombat 9 if this bothers you.
18. Primal Rage
Primal Rage is another retro title that resembles similar gameplay mechanics and graphics like Mortal Kombat, except there are no humans allowed here. Did you ever imagine two big dinosaurs fighting against each other? Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore, because Primal Rage can offer you something like that. On top of that, there are fatalities, making it look like a Mortal Kombat mod, but that can only be a good thing, right?
19. The King of Fighters XIII
The King of Fighters XIII is the latest installment in the King of Fighters series and it surely brings something refreshing to the table. It’s also available on PS3, XBOX 360, iOS, Android so you can play it on any platform you like. If you are reading this, you have Android/iOS or PC for sure. Although it’s released back in 2011, this game still looks and plays great. There are numerous characters to choose from and fighting mechanics are similar to Tekken or Street Fighter series. It was even nominated for the best fighting game of 2011 but eventually lost to Mortal Kombat 9.
20. Furi
Furi is an indie, action game with strong fighting elements. We choose to put an indie game on this list simply because we think that this one is quite interesting. In Furi, it’s all about dodging bullets, fighting against bosses, quick-time events, and even shooting. This game perfectly combines those elements and blends them into an interesting title, although it has some bugs that will, we hope, be fixed soon. Oh, and by the way it’s free, so grab it while you still can!