The 2020s have been one of the best stretches in fighting game history. Every major publisher overhauled their flagship series for a new console generation, and the results have been spectacular: smarter tutorials, denser rollback netcode, and roster updates that keep these games alive years after launch. Here are the five fighting games that have defined the decade so far, ranked from great to absolutely essential.
5. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising (2023)
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising took everything that made the original Granblue Fantasy Versus charming and turned it into a full-blown platform fighter package. Cygames and Arc System Works added a free roguelite story mode called RPG Mode, a much deeper online infrastructure, and a roster that eventually grew to include crossover characters from outside the Granblue universe.
What keeps it at number five rather than higher is accessibility. The game’s auto-combo system makes it easy to pick up, but the high-level execution ceiling and dense mechanical interactions can be intimidating for newcomers compared to the other games on this list. Still, for fans of Granblue Fantasy or anyone looking for a fighter with genuinely generous single-player content, Rising is one of the most replayable releases of the decade.
Best for: Players who want a fighting game that respects their time outside of ranked matches, with a story mode that’s actually worth playing.
4. Mortal Kombat 1 (2023)
NetherRealm Studios used Mortal Kombat 1 to hit the reset button on the franchise’s continuity, and the result is the most mechanically refined Mortal Kombat yet. The new Kameo Fighter system lets players call in a second character for assists, combo extensions, and breaker escapes, adding a genuine layer of team-building strategy that previous entries lacked.
The game’s cinematic story mode remains the gold standard for the genre, and Invasions mode gives single-player fans a sprawling overworld full of optional fights and unlockables. Post-launch support has been a bit rocky compared to NetherRealm’s earlier games, with balance patches taking longer to land, but the core fighting system is some of the tightest the studio has ever shipped.
Best for: Fans of brutal, cinematic fighting games who want deep single-player content alongside a competitive scene.
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3. Guilty Gear Strive (2021)
Guilty Gear Strive proved that a fighting game could be both visually stunning and genuinely beginner-friendly without sacrificing depth for veterans. Arc System Works slowed the pace down compared to previous Guilty Gear entries, added a Wall Break mechanic that turns every round into a two-stage battle, and shipped some of the best rollback netcode the genre had seen at the time.
Strive’s presentation is still jaw-dropping years later — the cel-shaded 3D character models look like hand-drawn animation in motion, and the soundtrack is one of the best the series has produced. With years of free and paid content updates adding new characters and stages, Strive has aged from a promising launch into one of the most complete fighting game packages available.
Best for: Anyone who wants the best-looking fighting game on the market with netcode that actually works.
2. Street Fighter 6 (2023)
Capcom’s return to form with Street Fighter 6 is one of the biggest fighting game success stories of the decade. The new Drive system gives every character access to parries, dash cancels, and a powerful comeback mechanic, all built on a single shared resource that rewards smart, aggressive play without making matches feel random.
World Tour mode turned the traditional arcade mode into a full RPG-lite campaign with a custom avatar, while Battle Hub recreated the social atmosphere of an arcade inside the game itself. Add in a roster that blends classic favorites with genuinely interesting newcomers, and Street Fighter 6 has become the reference point every other fighting game in the genre is now compared against.
Best for: Players who want the most balanced, content-rich fighting game package currently available, whether they’re brand new or returning veterans.
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1. Tekken 8 (2024)
Tekken 8 takes the top spot because it does something incredibly difficult: it makes one of the most complex fighting game systems in existence feel approachable without dumbing it down. The new Heat system gives every character a window of enhanced offense once per round, encouraging aggressive play and creating constant momentum swings even at the highest level of competition.
Visually, Tekken 8 is a generational leap — destructible stages, dynamic weather, and some of the best character animation in any fighting game make every match feel like an event. The Arcade Quest mode does a genuinely excellent job teaching new players the fundamentals of the Tekken system through a lighthearted story about climbing the ranked ladder, something the series has historically struggled with.
Combined with a massive roster spanning the entire history of the franchise, frequent balance updates, and a thriving esports scene, Tekken 8 isn’t just the best fighting game of the 2020s so far — it’s a strong contender for best fighting game ever made.
Best for: Everyone. Whether you’re a Tekken veteran or have never thrown a punch in a fighting game before, Tekken 8 is the best entry point the genre has ever offered.
Honorable Mentions
A few other releases deserve a shoutout even though they didn’t crack the top five. Street Fighter 6‘s Modern controls deserve special mention on their own — they single-handedly lowered the entry barrier for new players more than any control scheme change in genre history, letting newcomers pull off special moves with a single button while keeping the option to switch to Classic controls as they improve.
Outside of the traditional one-on-one space, games like Multiversus and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 showed that the platform fighter genre is still evolving, even if neither matched the polish of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising. And while it released right at the start of the decade, Skullgirls 2nd Encore continued to receive new characters throughout the 2020s, proving that a small indie team can keep a fighting game’s competitive scene alive for over a decade with the right post-launch support.
What ties all of these games together — both the top five and the honorable mentions — is a renewed focus on rollback netcode as a baseline expectation rather than a bonus feature. A decade ago, online play was often an afterthought bolted onto a game built for arcades and local tournaments. Now, every major release treats a smooth online experience as a core pillar, and the genre is healthier for it.
Final Verdict
What makes this stretch of fighting games so special is that there isn’t really a bad pick on this list. Each of these five games approaches the genre differently — Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 are built for mass appeal, Guilty Gear Strive prioritizes presentation and accessibility, Mortal Kombat 1 leans into spectacle and story, and Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising rewards players who want to dig deep into single-player content. If you’ve been on the fence about getting into fighting games, there has never been a better time to jump in.
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