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Fighting games are characterized by close combat between two fighters or groups of fighters of comparable strength, often broken into rounds or stocks. If multiple players are involved, players generally fight against each other.
Note: Games are listed in a "common English title/alternate title – developer" format, where applicable.
General
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
2.5D
2.5D fighting games are displayed in full 3D graphics, but the movement and gameplay is based on traditional 2D style games.
3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
Weapon-based
Adding melee weapons to a fighting game often makes attack range more of a factor, as opponents may wield swords,knife,katana or other kind of weapons of drastically different sizes.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
2.5D
2.5D fighting games are displayed in full 3D graphics, but the movement and gameplay is based on traditional 2D style games.
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3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
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Tag team-based
Fighting games that feature tag teams as the core gameplay element. Teams of players may each control a different character, or a single player may control multiple characters but play one at a time. Other fighters feature tag-teaming as an alternate game mode.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
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2.5D
2.5D fighting games are displayed in full 3D graphics, but the movement and gameplay is based on traditional 2D style games.
- Capcom Versus series
- Dragon Ball FighterZ – Arc System Works
- Mortal Kombat – NetherRealm Studios
- Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid – Animoca Brands
- SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy – SNK / Abstraction Games
- Street Fighter X Tekken – Capcom
3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
- Dead or Alive series – Team Ninja
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R – Bandai Namco/CyberConnect2
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven – Bandai Namco/CyberConnect2
- Jump Force – Spike Chunsoft
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth – Ubisoft
- Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 3 – Eighting / Takara Tomy
- Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4 – Eighting / Takara Tomy
- Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 – Eighting / D3 Publisher / Takara Tomy
- Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 – Eighting / D3 Publisher / Takara Tomy
- Naruto Shippūden: Gekitō Ninja Taisen! Special – Eighting / Takara Tomy
- One Piece: Burning Blood
- One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows – Spike Chunsoft/Bandai Namco
- Street Fighter EX3 – Arika/Capcom
- Tekken Tag Tournament series – Namco
Platform fighters
While traditional 2D/3D fighting game mechanics are more or less descendants of Street Fighter II, platform fighters tend to blend fighting with elements taken from platform games. A typical match is arranged as a battle royal. Compared to traditional fighting games, attack inputs are simpler and emphasis is put on dynamic maneuvering in the arena, using the level design to get an advantage. Another major gameplay element involves using items, which may randomly spawn anywhere in the arena. Other terms which were used to refer to this sub-genre included "Smash Clones", "Party Brawler", "Party Fighter", and "Arena Fighter" (that is also being used to define another style of 3D fighting game).
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
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2.5D
2.5D fighting games are displayed in full 3D graphics, but the movement and gameplay is based on traditional 2D style games.
3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
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Arena fighters
Arena Fighters usually focuses on more free-controlling 3D movement and camera that follows the character, unlike other traditional 3D fighting games like the Tekken series that still maintain the side view and side-scrolling orientation to the attacks, also usually put emphasis on offense over defense. Games are often based on popular anime series or other IPs.
3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
- ARMS – Nintendo
- Castlevania Judgment – Konami
- Custom Robo series – Nintendo
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Hinokami Chronicles – CyberConnect2
- Destrega – Koei
- Dissidia: Final Fantasy
- Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (series) – Spike
- Dragon Ball: Raging Blast – Spike
- Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 – Spike
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse – Bandai Namco
- Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 – Bandai Namco
- GigaBash – Passion Republic Games
- Gotcha Force – Capcom
- The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (video game) – Midway Games
- Groove Adventure Rave: Fighting Live – Konami
- Godzilla video games – Toho / Atari
- Kill la Kill the Game: IF – A+ Games/Arc System Works
- King of the Monsters series – SNK
- Kung Fu Chaos – Just Add Monsters / Microsoft Game Studios
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven – Bandai Namco / CyberConnect2
- J-Stars Victory VS – Spike Chunsoft
- Jump Force – Spike Chunsoft / Bandai Namco
- Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth – Ubisoft
- Mighty Fight Federation – Komi Games Inc
- My Hero One’s Justice – Byking
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (series) – CyberConnect2 / Bandai Namco
- Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution
- Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
- Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections
- One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows – Spike Chunsoft / Bandai Namco
- Override 2: Super Mech League
- Power Stone series – Capcom
- Pokkén Tournament – Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers – Dimps
- Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul – Dimps
- Shijō Saikyō no Deshi Kenichi: Gekitō! Ragnarok Hachikengō – Capcom
- Shrek SuperSlam – Activision
- Sonic Battle – Sega/Sonic Team
- Spawn: In the Demon's Hand
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels – Lucasfilm Games
- Super Dragon Ball Z – Bandai
- Super Drink Bros. – nekogameteacher
- Urban Reign – Namco
- Virtual On series – Sega AM3
- War of the Monsters Guerra de los monstruos – Incognito Entertainment / Sony
- Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament – Digital Fiction
- Zatch Bell! Mamodo Battles / Konjiki no Gash Bell! Yuujou no Tag Battle 2 – Eighting
- Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury / Konjiki no Gash Bell! Gekitou! Saikyou no Mamonotachi – Mechanic Arms
4-way simultaneous fighting
Games in which four players face off at once. Other games may feature 4-way fighting as alternate game modes, but here it's more central to the way the game is usually played.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
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2.5D
2.5D fighting games are displayed in full 3D graphics, but the movement and gameplay is based on traditional 2D style games.
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3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
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Sports (combat) subgenres
Sports-based combat (also known as sport-fighters or combat sports games) are games that fall firmly within both the Combat and Sports game genres. Such games are usually based on boxing, mixed martial arts, and wrestling, and each sport seen as their own separate subgenres. Often the combat is far more realistic than combat in fighting games (though the amount of realism can vary greatly), and many feature real-world athletes and franchises.
Boxing
Boxing games go back farther than any other kind of fighting game, starting with Sega's Heavyweight Champ in 1976, the game often called the first video game to feature hand-to-hand fighting. Fighters wear boxing gloves and fight in rings, and fighters can range from actual professional boxers to aliens to Michael Jackson.
Boxing management
Boxing games where combat is not directly human-controlled in the ring. Instead, a boxer is trained via a resource management game scheme, and bouts are directed via instructions given prior to each round.
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Mixed martial arts
While most versus fighting games could be considered mixed martial arts games, listed here are games that are based on actual MMA franchises or tournaments.
- Astral Bout / Sougou Kakutougi Astral Bout – King Records
- Astral Bout 2 / Sougou Kakutougi Astral Bout 2 The Total Fighters – King Records
- Astral Bout 3 / Fighting Network Rings: Astral Bout 3 / Sougou Kakutougi Astral Bout 3 – King Records
- Buriki One – SNK
- Def Jam: Fight for NY – Aki / EA Canada
- EA Sports MMA – EA Sports
- EA Sports UFC – EA Sports
- EA Sports UFC 2 – EA Sports
- EA Sports UFC 3 – EA Sports
- EA Sports UFC 4 – EA Sports
- EA Sports UFC 5 – EA Sports
- Fighting Network RINGS: PS one 1997
- Grappler Baki Baki Sadai no Tournament / Fighting Fury PS2 2000
- Garouden Breakblow PS2 2005
- Garouden Breakblow Fist or Twist PS2 2007
- K-1 PREMIUM 2004 Dynamite PS2 2004
- K-1 PREMIUM 2005 Dynamite PS2 2005
- MMA Tycoon – Browser 2009
- PRIDE FC: Fighting Championships PS2 2003
- PrideGP Grand Prix 2003
- TDT-Online – TDT
- TheFlyingKnee – Browser/Animated 2011
- The Ishu Kakutougi/World Fighting PS2 2003
- The Wild Rings Xbox 2003
- Ultimate Fighting Championship – Anchor Inc.
- UFC: Sudden Impact – Opus
- UFC: Tapout – DreamFactory
- UFC: Throwdown – Opus
- UFC 2009 Undisputed – Yuke's
- UFC Undisputed 2010 – Yuke's
- UFC Undisputed 3 – Yuke's
- UFC Personal Trainer (video game) – Yuke's
- Saikyō: Takada Nobuhiko Super Famicom 1995
- Supremacy MMA – Kung Fu Factory
Kickboxing
- K-1 World GP
- K-1 World GP 2006
- K-1 Premium 2005 Dynamite!!
- K-1 World GP 2005
- K-1 World Max 2005
- K-1 Premium 2004 Dynamite!!
- K-1 World Grand Prix 2003
- K-1 World Grand Prix: The Beast Attack!
- K-1 World Grand Prix
- K-1 Pocket Grand Prix 2
- K-1 Pocket Grand Prix
- K-1 World Grand Prix 2001
- K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 Kaimakuden
- K-1 Oujya ni Narou!
- K-1 Grand Prix
- K-1 Revenge
- Legend of K-1 Grand Prix '96
- K-1 The Arena Fighters
- Fighting Illusion K-1 Grand Prix Sho
- Legend of K-1 The Best Collection
Wrestling
Wrestling games are either based on or have elements of wrestling, such as professional wrestling, grappling, or the wrestling ring itself.
Wrestling video games based on WWE/WWF properties.
Ball/Disc sports
Games involving flying objects that can include balls and discs, where the players can only interact with each other through the object, and may or may not include goalposts.
- 1on1 (1998) - Jorudan CO.LTD/I.T.Planning.INC
- Lethal League series – Team Reptile
- Lethal League
- Lethal League Blaze
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By theme
Anime-based fighting games
Games based on popular anime series and 3D variants often feature cell shading. "Anime fighters" also usually have very fast-paced action and put emphasis on offense over defense. Another common feature is that they typically have fighting systems built around doing long combos of dozens of attacks. But overall they appear in a variety of fighting game sub-genres.
2D
2.5D
3D
Crossover
Fighting games featuring characters from more than one franchise. Typically, these consist of characters across multiple game and/or comic franchises. Others are initially singular franchises featuring guest characters, often via DLC.
Eroge
Fighting eroge (erotic games). Fighting games with pornographic elements.
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Mech
Fighters with a mecha or robot theme.
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Monster/Kaiju
These games feature monsters as playable characters, usually set in destructible city environments.
RPG
Fighting games with RPG elements, like character building or variable storylines.
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Super deformed
Super deformed refers to a popular type of Japanese caricature where the subject is made to have exaggerated toddler-like features, such as an oversized head and short chubby limbs. Their movements and expressions while super deformed also tend to be exaggerated.
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Music
Fighting Games with Music elements.
- Bust a Groove series - Metro
- God of Rock - Modus Studios Brazil/Modus Games