Despite being a very niche genre, fighting games haven't been in a better position, but looking at the number of games released this year, this wouldn't seem to be the case. With the latest entries in iconic series like Street Fighter, Tekken, and Guilty Gear continuing to receive support with new content and balance changes, there's obviously no reason for CAPCOM, Bandai Namco, and Arc System Works to launch new games.
Still, the few fighting games that launched in 2025 are all quality games. Whether you are looking to experience a brand new game or return to a beloved classic, these games have something good to offer you. You can also vote to establish the favorite title of Wccftech's community in the poll embedded right after the list.
Other Best Games of 2025 per Category: Action, Sports & Racing
In our Best Games of 2025 and Most Anticipated of 2026 Awards story, you can learn which games our staff and the community won in the polls!
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Despite being absent from the spotlight for a very long time, SNK's Fatal Fury series continued to be extremely popular among fighting game fans. After a long wait, the series returned this year with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, and it couldn't have done so in a better way.
Besides featuring the unique two-plane combat mechanics of past entries, City of the Wolves ups the heat with the new mechanics, such as the Rev mechanics that can enhance special attacks, open up combo possibilities, and more.
With a wealth of single-player modes, including the RPG-like mode Episodes of South Town, a character roster featuring both beloved returning characters and newcomers (including some familiar faces from Street Fighter), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is rightly considered by many to be the best fighting game released in 2025. And with Season 2 starting off strong with some fan favorite characters, the game will continue to be a competitive staple in 2026 as well.
2XKO
Riot's Project L has been a known entity for a long time, but it's only this year that the fighting game community has been able to go hands-on with the project, now known as 2XKO.
Having only launched on PC in an early access version late this year, it's still too early to know if Riot's immense expertise in multiplayer games will be able to make a dent in the popularity of games like Street Fighter 6. Still, it's undeniable that, leveraging the iconic League of Legends cast, the developer is creating a compelling tag-fighter that is easy to get into thanks to simplified execution of special moves, and harder to master with its deep assist system and interwoven offensive and defensive mechanics.
With 2XKO launching next year on consoles, 2026 could definitely be the year for Riot's fighting game. However, even in its current state, the game is more than worthy of anyone's time.
Absolum
Although traditional competitive games are the face of the fighting game genre nowadays, the resurgence of the side-scrolling beat 'em up subgenre continues at full speed, providing some excellent games, such as Absolum.
Developed by Supamonks and Guard Crush Game, the studio behind Streets of Rage 4, Absolum blends the same combo-oriented gameplay of the SEGA series revival with roguelike mechanics and procedurally generated levels, creating a remarkably satisfying experience with tons of replayability and an immense amount of depth thanks to the masterful crafting of each character's moveset.
While the game may be a little lacking in content right now (though more is coming next year), Absolum brings a new spin on a classic formula that works exceptionally well, making it one of the best fighting games released this year.
Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage
With fighting games being in a better place than in past console generations, it was baffling to see how SEGA was neglecting the Virtua Fighter series, one of the first franchises to guide the genre's transition from 2D to 3D. Thankfully, the Japanese publisher eventually came to its senses, and a new entry in the series is in the works by the Like a Dragon series developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
To bring back the franchise to a new generation of players ahead of the launch of the new game, SEGA launched Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage, an updated version of the latest entry in the series, complete with a single-player mode incorporating all the gameplay mechanics and tweaks introduced to the base game over the years.
Though not the new entry in the series fans expected, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is a more than decent release to tide them over for the launch of a new generation game that promises to be the peak of the series.
CAPCOM Fighting Collection 2
Considering the current state of the genre, supporting more than a single fighting game is a real challenge for even big publishers like CAPCOM, which has been exclusively focusing on Street Fighter 6 since its launch in 2023.
Thankfully, the Japanese publisher hasn't completely forgotten about some of its older IPs, such as Capcom vs. SNK and Rival Schools, releasing them to the modern audience with the Capcom Fighting Collection 2.
Plasma Sword: Nightmare of Bilstein, Power Stone and its sequel, the two Capcom vs. SNK games, Project Justice, Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper, and Capcom Fighting Evolution, the Japanese publisher has made it easier than ever to enjoy these classic games, hopefully with the intent of eventually reviving one of these series with new entries.
Honorable Mentions
As already mentioned, 2025 didn't see the release of many new fighting games, so there are only a few more games worth mentioning. Still, they are more than worthy of a look.
- MARVEL Cosmic Invasion
- Mortal Kombat: Legacy Collection
- BLEACH: Rebirth of Souls
- REAL BOUT FATAL FURY 2: THE NEWCOMERS
- KIZUNA ENCOUNTER: SUPER TAG BATTLE
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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