As a long time fan of the genre I’ve decided to make a list of the top 50 best 2D fighting games today. I was introduced to the genre with Street Fighter II on the Super Nintendo. The intricacies of the combo systems as well as memorization of frames and attack range are what hooked me. Few other types of video games offered this much complexity, and in such a simple to pick up package. Many developers released their copycats to the formula and with great success. Even with the implementation of new fighting styles and gimmicks few were able to re-create the first rush many of us had with Capcom’s storied fighting game. With the release of Sega’s Virtua Fighter the genre moved to 3D but many developers stuck to 2D graphics. Today I’m going to focus on these because I feel like they’ve been somewhat forgotten.
Before we begin our list of the best 2D fighting games I’m going to outline a few rules I established for myself when it came to the ranks.
- While many 3D fighters featured only 2D gameplay I’m going to try and avoid including them. This is for the simple fact that if you’re looking for a two dimensional fighting game odds are you want it to be sprite based.
- I’m not purposely excluding modern titles. The fact of the matter is I haven’t played a lot of them because I’m not a fan of most of them. I prefer a more simple approach rather than hundreds of different gimmicks. That’s not to say that they’re all gimmicky, rather, I’ve avoided them for the most part.
- I’ve also left out the Marvel Vs. Capcom titles. It’s not for any reason other than I haven’t had a lot of time with them. I much preferred basic Street Fighter at the time of their release. It’s nothing personal, and I’ll likely add them to the list as I get more experience.
Without further adieu these are the top 50 best 2D fighting games of all time! In my opinion, of course
#50. – Mortal Kombat
Mortal Kombat isn’t a bad game per se, but compared to all others on this list it’s pretty basic. It was made popular with the buckets of blood that poured out of the characters upon being hit. Also, let’s not forget the gruesome fatalities which at the time were unlike anything we had ever seen in video games before. The first Mortal Kombat is just a bit basic in my opinion. It uses digitized actors and because the mechanic was pretty new you have issues with controls and hit detection. Mortal Kombat is still very playable however, and is just good enough to be considered one of the best 2D fighting games of all time. The character roster however is laughably small unfortunately. The combo system is also lacking (thanks to the technical issues I mentioned) but it’s still just as rewarding as always to perform fatalities. Flawless victory, Midway.
#49. – Eternal Champions: Challenge From the Dark Side
And this brings us to our first Mortal Kombat clone. This is a little known sequel of sorts to the first Eternal Champions which only gained notoriety for being packed in with the Sega Genesis. The game was well known for having the cheapest AI characters, and this Sega CD sequel suffers the same problem. The character roster includes a variety of characters from different time periods, some bordering on fantastical, who are all competing to be brought back to life in the real world. Challenge From the Dark Side increases the roster, offers more special moves and finishers, and even implements full motion video into some of them. It’s a neat idea, and just barely good enough to be considered one of the best 2D fighting games of all time.
#48. – Rakuga Kids
I’m not going to lie to you. This is the only exclusive Nintendo 64 title that has made it onto this list. The platform just didn’t have a lot of great fighters for it, and even less of the 2D persuasion. Konami stepped in to do what Konami does best; create something crazy but lots of fun. Rakuga Kids is a fighting game based off of hand drawn sketch characters. At first it’s off putting, but once you dive in you’ll find the style is very charming. It’s a basic 2D fighting game where you punch/kick your enemy and perform special moves to drain their life bar. There isn’t an intricate combo system here and instead the game focuses more on range of your attacks. Unfortunately Rakuga Kids was never released in North America but can be imported. It’s weird, but one of the best 2D fighting games.
#47. – Golden Axe: The Duel
When gamers were clamoring for 3D versions of Sega’s classic arcade titles they clearly didn’t listen. That’s why we got Golden Axe: The Duel. It’s not even a traditional Golden Axe game for crying out loud! Here Sega created a basic fighting game and slapped in characters from their famous franchise. The end result was not only my favorite Golden Axe title, but also one of the best 2D fighting games. Character sprites are huge, and they have a variety of moves at their disposal that can be chained together with combos. It runs marvelously well on the Saturn hardware, but looks like something that could have been pulled off on a 16-bit console to be honest. The problem here is that Golden Axe: The Duel lacks it’s own identity. It’s a Street Fighter II clone with no bells and whistles. That’s okay because it’s actually pretty enjoyable.
#46. – Battle Arena Toshinden
Wait, isn’t Battle Arena Toshinden a 3D fighting game for the PS1 and Saturn? This is true, but I’m not talking about those versions today. We are instead focusing on the Game Boy edition which was entirely sprite based and simplistic visually. The move to the second dimension does the game a ton of favors that cements it in as one of the best 2D fighting games of all time. Some will be immediately turned off because the developers shrunk the roster, and changed the characters to chibi design versions of their former selves. Personally I like this because it suits the small screen of the handheld well and they’re still all instantly recognizable. Despite the limited controls the fighting engine is solid. Characters move and animate really well in spite of the hardware. If I’m being honest this is the best installment of Battle Arena Toshinden on any system.
#45. – Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer
Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer represents many of the best facets of the Neo Geo. You have bright colorful sprites, huge characters, and fast gameplay with a lot of crazy action on-screen. It also features some of the best backgrounds visually in any fighter of this era. It’s somewhat of a flashier version of Street Fighter II or Fatal Fury. You play as heavily stylized anime characters in colorful gear who brawl it out over the course of a tournament. The big gimmick here is the fact that you can steal a special move from an opponent upon defeating them. Think Mega Man, but in a fighting game. The thing is you can only have one of these special moves at at time. When you opt for a new one it replaces what you’ve already attained. Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer is easily one of the best 2D fighting games ever.
#44. – Super Chinese Fighter
Culture Brain is one of the best developers no one ever heard of. Their Super Chinese franchise was one of their heavy hitters in Japan. We actually got many of these games in the West under a variety of different names that focus on the ninja aspect of the setting. In 1995 they decided to create a spin-off fighting game, but it was released in Japan only. This was called Super Chinese Fighter, and it’s easily one of the best 2D fighting games ever released. That’s a big surprise considering the developer didn’t have much experience with the genre at the time. Super Chinese Fighter includes many of the most well known characters from the franchise and throws them into one-on-one fights. The gameplay is highly reminiscent of Street Fighter II, but it’s solid. I absolutely love the aesthetic of this franchise which is why this one placed this high.
#43. – Primal Rage
When I was a kid Primal Rage was a huge deal. Everyone at school was talking about it. It takes the violence and play style of Mortal Kombat but instead of human characters you duke it out as dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts. It’s also just as bloody, and perhaps more raunchy than it’s source material. The character Chaos for example uses gas, vomit, and even urine to attack foes. Then there’s also the fact that you can literally eat humans running around at ground level for extra life. It’s not in good taste, but it’s all good fun. The combo system is kinda barebones. To make matters worse the hit detection is off. Still, if you want a worthwhile Mortal Kombat clone you could do worse. Perhaps it’s nostalgia speaking, but Primal Rage is easily one of the best 2D fighting games in my book.
#42. – Dragoon Might
Konami isn’t exactly well known for their fighters. It’s interesting then that they released a 2D fighting game in the form of Dragoon Might at a time when polygons were taking over the genre. It’s unfortunate that they left this one in the arcades because in my opinion it’s one of the best 2D fighting games of all time. There are a few reasons for this. First of all it’s a Street Fighter II clone, but has it’s own gimmicks. You can cancel out enemy attacks much easier than in most fighting games, and even use elements of the environment to swing around. I also really like the super move system implemented here. There’s no bar to charge and you can use them freely. The thing is they drain some of your character’s life bar so you really have to be careful in using them. It’s neat, and fairly unique.
#41. – Asuka 120% Burning Fest
Despite being released on multiple consoles Asuka 120% has never been localized for North America. It’s a real shame considering how interesting it is. The basic gameplay is similar to Street Fighter II but faster and with more versatile characters. Some of the fighters feel like gymnasts. That’s because some of them are. The game’s story and setting is based around a school with the fighters being students that belong to various clubs. This determines their fighting styles and gimmicks. It’s similar to Rival Schools in this aspect, but before that was even a thing. You have characters like cheerleaders, volleyball players, science nerds, and more. This was pretty unique for it’s time, and the all female cast was not typical of the genre. The combo system is excellent and you really feel like you have a lot of options at your disposal with it.
