Guides & Editorial

The best fighting games on PS4 and PS5

Whether you’re searching for casual multiplayer clashes, or training up to be an EVO-worthy contender, there’s a huge range of PS4 and PS5 fighting games that will sate your inner warrior.

What is a fighting game?

Tracing their legacy all the way back to the arcade cabinets of the 1980s, fighting games are one of gaming's foundational genres. From the early days of Karate Champ (1984) and Mat Mania (1985) to the latest iteration of modern titans like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, the basic setup has remained the same.

Focusing on a roster of unique competitors, players are tasked with competing in a series of one-on-one matches, aiming to reduce the opponent's hit points to zero before the time runs out. Typically played side-on, focusing on a 2D arena of combat, play involves trading direct blows with your opponent, with an emphasis on positioning, combos, blocks and special attacks.

Over the decades, the complexity of fighting games has massively increased, with the genre developing into a gaming subculture complete with complex jargon, in-person competitions and high-profile championship players.

Popular fighting games

Long-running legends

Get acquainted with the true titans of the genre who've been a mainstay of the fighting game scene for decades.

Street Fighter 6

The next evolution of the Street Fighter series, this features-packed pugilistic heavyweight includes innovative new gameplay, enhanced visuals, three distinct game modes and is accessible for fighting game beginners.

Choose from three control types – Classic, Modern and Dynamic – to suit your skill level, and use the new Drive System to open up multiple combat options using a single Drive Gauge.
Immerse yourself in the single-player story mode of World Tour, seek out online rivals in Battle Hub, or throw down in traditional bouts in Fighting Ground mode.

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The King of Fighters XV

SNK’s legendary fighting series returns for its most expansive entry yet, offering veterans and newcomers alike a deep and rewarding experience with a wide range of battle options and overhauled online play.

Pick your three-character team from a roster of series icons and all-new contenders to face off against friends locally, go up against online rivals or take on the explosive story mode.
Rollback netcode makes online play more reliable and reduces lag, while a variety of gameplay options mean you can tailor your matches exactly how you want them.

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Tekken 8

Familiar faces and all-new fighters clash in Tekken 8, the most explosive entry in the long-running series. Father faces son in this visually stunning experience as Jin Kazama stands in defiance against Tekken mainstay Kazuya Mishima.

Select your fighter from an iconic roster including the likes of King, Nina Williams and Marshall Law, and battle across dramatic environments that react to your gameplay.
Use Special Style to learn new combos and charge up your character’s Heat System by going on the offensive and fighting aggressively, unleashing its power to trigger special moves and ability boosts.

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Mortal Kombat 1

Let fists fly in this new beginning for the Mortal Kombat franchise, featuring the series’ most cinematic story yet and a host of offline and online game modes supported by a revitalized fighting system.

Your favorite Kombatants are back with bone-crunching Fatal Blows, defensive Breakers and the most creatively gruesome Fatalities Mortal Kombat has ever seen – slice and dice those opponents for a truly emphatic victory.
The new Kameo Fighter system lets you summon a wealth of fearsome fighters from over 30 years of MK history to assist you, including Sonya Blade, Goro and the legendary Scorpion.

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Anime-style fighting games

Stylish smackdowns

Japan's passion for arcade competition, hand-drawn animation and larger-than-life characters come together.

DNF Duel

One of the most popular role-playing games in the world, Dungeon and Fighter, is reimagined as a 2.5D fighting game in DNF Duel. Years of lore has been integrated into the game’s storytelling and character development, supported by stunning graphics across fighters and stages.

Pick from 16 charming characters, each with distinct skills and personalities based on RPG classes, and use stats-boosting Awakening effects to even the odds when you’re under pressure.
Play against friends locally, take on a range of solo options including an extensive story mode, and hop online to face challengers from around the world on exclusive servers to ensure a low-lag multiplayer experience.

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Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising

Rise to glory in the latest instalment in this celebrated fighting game series, designed for both beginners and veterans alike to enjoy and offering a range of gameplay modes.

Simple inputs can be selected for newcomers to perform skills with the press of just a single button, while the epic, RPG-inspired story mode takes players through the fundamentals of gameplay.
Take a break from matches and explore an island lobby filled with fun attractions like obstacle courses and a newly introduced party mode, Grand Bruise Legends, or spend time personalizing your favorite Granblue characters.

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Guilty Gear -Strive-

The latest entry in the critically acclaimed Guilty Gear fighting game franchise upholds the series’ reputation for groundbreaking hybrid 2D/3D cell-shaded visuals and intense, rewarding gameplay.

New and innovative gameplay mechanics allow beginners to quickly learn the fundamentals while maintaining the deep and creative fighting action that Guilty Gear is known for.
Rollback netcode vastly improves online play, while a fully voiced story mode introduces new characters alongside many fan favorites.

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Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Take part in gravity-defying battles that showcase the amazing powers of each Dragon Ball character in this 3D fighter where the arenas react to your actions.

Pick from an incredible number of playable characters, each with signature abilities, transformations and techniques. Authentic combat moves are realized in breathtaking style, staying true to the anime series.
Step into combat arenas where the environment is destroyed around you, responding to your attacks with stunning realism. Watch your surroundings crumble as the battles rage on.

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Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is released for PlayStation 5 on October 11, 2024.

Fighting games FAQs

What is the biggest fighting game right now?

While the fighting game scene has its major players (such as Street Fighter and Tekken), there's no singular titan that dwarfs all others in terms of player base and popularity. Most enthusiasts enjoy a variety of games and will move between them as new events or content appear.

Which fighting game is best for beginners?

It's hard to say. Fighting games tend to be highly scalable. Complete novices can have a great time trading punches in local multiplayer, but the skill ceiling for online matches can be sky-high. Best to pick a game that really appeals to you and spend time getting to know the characters offline with friends, or in arcade mode.

Are there any free-to-play fighting games?

There are! Brawlhalla, featured below, is free to play, though it's more of a brawler than a traditional fighter. Dead or Alive 6: Core Fighters, the latest installment in the long-running fighter series, features multiple game modes and characters, as well as local and online multiplayer, and is free to play.

Who's the most famous fighting game character?

Truly impossible to say, but there are plenty of contenders: Street Fighter's Ryu and Chun-Li are both hugely iconic characters; Mortal Kombat's Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Sub-Zero are also titans of the scene; meanwhile, Tekken's Kazuya and Heihachi Mishima have been been the series' focal characters since the mid-1990s.

Brawler-style fighting games

Wild-card warriors

Outside the core fighting genre, there are other games that share the same DNA but with a slightly different take.

Undisputed

Rule the ring in the most authentic boxing game to date, featuring true-to-life visuals, bone-jarring action and a wide range of licensed boxers. Revolutionary controls give you a wealth of attack options as well as footwork mechanics, dodges, weaves and blocks.

Pick your fighter from legends like Muhammad Ali through to modern champions like Tyson Fury and use an arsenal of over 60 individual punches to triumph over your opponents.
Play through an epic journey from amateur matches to title fights in Career Mode, and create your own fighter by selecting build type, tattoos, shorts, gloves and more.

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Undisputed is released for PlayStation 5 on October 11, 2024.

MultiVersus

Iconic characters and legendary settings from pop culture history collide in this free-to-play platform fighter. Ever wanted to take Batman and Steven Universe into battle against Arya Stark and Bugs Bunny? You’re in the right place.

Choose your fighters from a roster including Wonder Woman, Superman, Finn the Human, Shaggy, Garnet and many more. Each character’s loadout can be customized to suit how you play and how teammates work together.
Play a 2v2 co-op experience, intense 1v1 battles or a 4-player free for all, across local modes and online. Refine your skills using training mode and play ranked when you’re up to the challenge.

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WWE 2K24

A celebration of 40 years of WrestleMania, WWE 2K24 features a wealth of iconic superstars past and present, playable across a vast array of game modes. Take part in unforgettable matches from WWE history or direct things your way using Universe mode.

Choose your superstar from a roster including Cody Rhodes, Undertaker, Andre the Giant and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and take them into battle in Casket, Gauntlet and Ambulance matches, or dive into a Backstage Brawl.
Become a champion in MyRISE mode, with two career arcs and original storylines, or oversee the action in MyGM, making contract decisions, trading superstars and building the drama.

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Brawlhalla

Up to eight players can brawl in this free-to-play platform fighter where history’s greatest warriors scrap for supremacy. Famous faces from pop culture fight side by side with original characters in ranked or casual play.

Enjoy a wide range of game modes, from 1v1 and 2v2 online play to local free-for-alls supporting up to eight players and alternate options like Brawlball and Bombsketball.
Crossplay is supported across a wide range of platforms with low-latency competitive play achieved with server-based rollback netcode.

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Retro fighting games

Old-school showdowns

Classic titles that helped to shape the fighting game genre make the leap to the modern age with masses of new features.

Capcom Fighting Collection

Revisit 10 classic arcade titles from a golden era of fighting games, including entries in the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers series alongside Cyberbots and the first home console port of Red Earth.

Training modes and one-button special moves make these games friendly for beginners, while quick saves allow for the undoing of mistakes. Go online to rise up the leaderboards or simply for casual contests.
Hundreds of illustrations, behind-the-scenes material and music tracks are included in the Museum, offering insights into the development of these classics.

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The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match

A massive 66 characters, the largest roster in the series’ history, duke it out in the second ‘Ultimate Match’ entry in the legendary KoF franchise, drawn from every previous version of the game.

Combat is improved and rebalanced, and robust online play with rollback netcode means competing against friends over the internet is effortless.
Your last 10 matches are saved for viewing, so that you can check over what tactics worked and which didn’t – so study close, learn from your mistakes and unleash your true potential!

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Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown

The timeless technical fighting mechanics of Virtua Fighter are paired with the Yakuza series’ Dragon Engine to have Sega’s pioneering series looking and feeling the best it’s ever been. Challenge the greatest fighters in the world in the ultimate remaster of an arcade classic.

Enter the ring with one of 19 playable characters. Master their styles and customize them with distinctive costumes and items and learn moves and combos in the spectator mode.
Compete in a range of offline and online modes including ranked bouts, training throwdowns and the classic arcade and versus options. You can also create your own leagues supporting up to 16 players.

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Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics

Dive into an action-packed lineup of seven unique titles including the acclaimed arcade fighters Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, X-Men: Children of the Atom and X-Men vs. Street Fighter.

Rollback netcode is included for smooth online play, while difficulty modifiers mean newcomers can get stuck into the action straight away. Check each game’s original arcade marquee card for a guide to special moves.
Go beyond the one-on-one genre with The Punisher, the first game in the Capcom and Marvel partnership. This side-scrolling brawler includes Nick Fury as a playable co-op partner.

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Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics is released for PlayStation 4 in 2024.