Have you ever heard fighting game players talk about the good old days of arcades being packed? Back when fans would line up to play the latest Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, or Virtua Fighter? If so, you might think that the golden age of fighting games is long gone; this couldn't be further from the truth.
I'd say that the current era of fighting games rivals the excitement and enthusiasm players felt during the 90s. Many of the big players within the scene are firing on all cylinders, with new entries in long-standing franchises that have exceeded expectations. Massive dreamlike crossovers are happening left and right, topped by an online ecosystem that allows communities to thrive like they couldn't in the past.
If you need more convincing, here are my reasons why you should stop making excuses and jump into the fighting games scene right now.
There’s a Fighting Game for All Styles of Play
Fighting games are not just two players controlling a character in a 2D environment. You have chaotic tag fighters, nuanced 3D fighters, and even platform fighters that want a piece of that Smash Bros money.
Take a quick look at some trailers or gameplay from recent fighting games (or retro; don't let a release date stop you!) and see what speaks to you.
Are you into more grounded gameplay emphasizing short, easy-to-learn combos? Take a look at Street Fighter 6. Are you into anime-like aesthetics or the chaos of tag fighters? Check out the Guilty Gear series or Dragon Ball FighterZ. Do you like the flashiness of long strings in a 3D fighter? Tekken 8 is right there (although I would also encourage Soul Calibur!).
I recommend modern fighting games to dip your toes into since these have more active communities. Companies like Capcom have made sure to preserve classic titles, releasing several compilations, the latest of which is the Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection.
While you could still play these retro games online via Fightcade, nothing will beat having an official release that will spark the interest of newcomers. If you decide to go the MvC route, just beware of The Wazzler.
Accessibility Is at the Forefront
While it might be a controversial topic for some, making fighting games more accessible is only a positive move for the genre. This isn't a new concept per se, but it has picked up steam in recent entries, particularly with the release of Street Fighter 6.
The latest entry in Capcom's iconic franchise introduced modern controls, letting users pull off special moves and supers with a simple directional input and the press of a button. This removes the barrier of entry that many people fear at the cost of dealing lower damage to their opponents.
Tekken 8 added a variation of modern controls called Special Style, which gives players access to special moves during a match. Even the upcoming Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will launch with Smart Style, SNK's take on modern controls.
Accessibility goes far beyond removing the need for motion inputs. However, SF6 excelled at this by adding multiple options for the visually impaired, so much so that a blind player managed to win a set during Evo 2023 on stream using these features.
If you're annoyed by modern fighting games being more inclusive, you should know that this isn't a new trend. 2018's Dragon Ball FighterZ has autocombos, letting newcomers mash to their heart's content and see cool stuff appear on the screen.
Autocombos have existed since the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 in 2011. Similar to the removal of motion inputs, they serve as an entry-level way for new players to start understanding the nuances of the games. While using either autocombos or modern controls is perfectly fine, many players will be incentivized to start learning more technically demanding combos or gameplay mechanics.
You Already Have Everything You Need To Play Fighting Games
Do you own a console or PC that runs games? Do you have a controller to play said games? Do you have the will to play a fighting game? Then, you're all set to start grinding.
While you may be gaslit into thinking you need a fightstick to properly enjoy fighting games or be good at them, more modern entries have tailored their control schemes with regular gamepads in mind.
There's also the rise of leverless controllers. They have a similar layout to arcade or fightsticks but replace the lever with directional buttons for more precise inputs.
While you may find some of these controllers desirable, you don't actually need them to play any fighting game. Some of the best players in the world use regular controllers (commonly referred to as pads by the fighting game community), including the most recent Street Fighter 6 Evo winner, PunkDaGod, who uses a regular PS5 pad.
New Challengers and Familiar Faces Await
As I've mentioned, game developers have been firing on all cylinders lately, bringing back old franchises or revitalizing their most iconic titles to appeal to a broader audience.
In the past couple of years, Capcom launched Street Fighter 6, Bandai Namco unleashed Tekken 8, Arc System Works revived Granblue with Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising, and NetherRealm Studios brought the gore with Mortal Kombat 1.
Beyond that, fighting game fans already have their sights on Riot Games' 2XKO, a 2v2 free-to-play tag fighter featuring characters from League of Legends set to release in 2025.
With Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves coming next year, SNK is reviving a franchise that's been dormant for more than two decades. For retro enthusiasts, Capcom plans to release the Capcom Fighting Collection 2 at some point in 2025, which will include games such as Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, Capcom vs SNK 2, and even cult classics like Power Stone 1 and 2.
Even older titles are still receiving updates, such as 2021's Guilty Gear Strive, which is still going strong. New DLC is set to drop as part of the game's fourth season.
If you're into platform fighters, MultiVersus has had a rocky start but has maintained a steady flow of content to keep players engaged after releasing properly this past May. In October, Rivals of Aether 2 will also see the light of day.
The Era of Dreams Coming True
Fighting game fans are known for loving a good crossover, and there's not been a better time to jump into them if you're a fan of multiple franchises. Beyond games exclusively made with the premise of two worlds coming together, such as the Marvel vs. Capcom series, the likes of Soulcalibur and Smash Bros (in recent years, Mortal Kombat would be a big part of this equation) were undeniably the kings of guest characters.
Nowadays, crossovers come thick and fast. The biggest is Street Fighter, which got its first-ever third-party guest character when Terry Bogard power dunked his way into the game this past September 23, with fellow SNK icon Mai Shiranui slated to do the same early in 2025.
As a sign of goodwill between SNK and Capcom, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves will be getting the fiery Ken Masters and the graceful Chun-Li as their first DLC characters, both companies revealed on September 26.
Mortal Kombat 1 has a whole slew of DLC coming out for fans of gory TV shows and film buffs to enjoy, with The Boys' Homelander, Invincible's Omni-Man, DC's Peacemaker, Scream's Ghostface, and the T-1000 from Terminator 2 joining the fray.
Even Guilty Gear, a series not known for including guests, will join the new wave of welcoming outsiders when Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners arrives as the final season 4 character in 2025.
Did we mention that 2B is in Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising? It's already hard to keep track of all these guest appearances, and who knows what the future might hold.
"Fighting Game is Something So Great"
To quote legendary competitor Tokido, there's nothing like fighting games.
If you pick up and stick with a fighting game, the tangible sense of improvement will beat out any other surge of dopamine you get from playing any other genre of video games.
The grind might be tough, and you'll be filled with self-doubt and a sense of never being good enough, but don't let that deter you from celebrating those small victories along the way. That first time you land a combo in training mode, getting your first perfect, jumping online and dealing with the anxiety that comes with it, ranking up, and feeling confident enough to start learning more characters.
Before you realize it, you'll start using fighting game lingo, learning how to set up good oki situations, dealing with nasty mixups, or developing your own strategies.
If you're still on the fence about approaching the genre, check out the recent Sajam Slam events that have taken place this year for both Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6.
The work put in by some content creators who had never played either game and their efforts to improve is inspirational.
Fighting games are truly special, and you don't want to miss out on where the genre is going in the coming months and years. So stop making excuses and start playing some fighting games!