Turtles in time game Continue Of all the confusing naming conventions associated with video games, combat games are perhaps the most famous. With most franchises receiving countless re-hits, ports and sequels, it can be hard to know where to get started. That's why we're here to read out the best fighting games of all time. In order not to highlight one series too strongly over another, we are only giving one slot for any individual game in the franchise. Super Smash Bros., for example, has Melee and Brawl, but we only dedicate one Ultimate slot. Tekken 7 Tekken has a long history of being an evilly competitive combat game, and the Tekken 7 is the latest in this line. The first game to use Unreal Engine and the latest game in the Mishima Saga Story, Tekken 7 introduces a host of new mechanics, making the game more accessible to beginners while maintaining the competitive nature of the community that surrounds it. While not enough content after release, Tekken 7's list of characters has grown significantly. Favorites such as Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima, as well as newcomers in the form of Fahkumram, Shahin and The Devil Kazumi, are returning. Since its launch, Bandai Namco has also partnered with various other studios to bring third-party characters to the game. These include Akuma from Street Fighter, Giza Howard of Fatal Fury and King Fighters, Noctis Lucious Caelum of Final Fantasy XV, and, oddly enough, Negan from The Walking Dead. Read our full review of Tekken 7 Killer Instinct Killer Instinct is an old, but pretty niche, wrestling franchise. Originally developed by Rare in 1994, the series received only three games, one of which was an exclusive arcade game. After acquiring Microsoft Rare, however, it decided to reboot the franchise by launching with Xbox One in 2013. Developed by original co-designer Killer Instinct and a host of combat veterans, including former competitive players and tournament organizers, Killer Instinct is indeed a combat game created by fans for fans. While the first season of the competitive game was met with some disappointment, Killer Instinct has evolved into one of the best fighting games around. It's also free, or at least free to download. The basic game comes with only one fighter and you can choose to either upgrade to the full version of the game or buy fighters a la carte. If you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, however, you'll get everything for free, so Killer Instinct is one of the best xbox Game Pass games. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Super Smash Bros. is a marvel of game design, allowing players interested in mashing buttons to have as much fun as competitive players. While the Smash Bros. series doesn't have a fist-busting combo of other competitive combat games, it's still a nuanced and fast-paced brawler. The final is the most expansive title in the series, too. Although Melee is often referred to as the embodiment of the Smash Bros. series, Ultimate offers a lot more content. The basic game includes 69 fighters, with fan-favorite Nintendo characters like Captain Falcon and Ness, as well as third-party fighters like Cloud from Final Fantasy VII and Snake from Metal Gear Solid. This is one of the best switch games you can buy by pairing perfectly with the console. No matter if you're jumping into a few online battles on the go or sitting down with friends to duke it out, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate provides the same experience. Not only is Ultimate the biggest Smash game to date, it's also one that can fit in your pocket. Read our full Super Smash Bros. Final review of Street Fighter V Street Fighter may be the most famous combat franchise around, with the original game releasing in 1987. Street Fighter V is the biggest game in the series to date, though, and, like many other entries on this list, was met with negative criticism at launch. Released in a largely unfinished state, fits into controller problems, network problems, and little in the way of eponymous content, Street Fighter V was considered a cash grab more than a masterpiece that was Street Fighter IV. However, Capcom stuck with the game and it greatly improved. Since its launch, Capcom has released two major game updates, the Arcade Edition and the Championship Edition. While common practice for the Street Fighter series, Capcom has made these updates available as a free download for all Street Fighter V owners. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a sequel to The Persona 4 Arena, originally released exclusively in Japanese arcades, before being ported as a PS3 and Xbox 360 game in 2014. Of the various side effects of the Persona series, the two Arena titles may be the best, with Ultimax improving almost every aspect of the original. In it you can play as characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4, each with their own special moves and Persona abilities. While much more attention is paid to wrestling than the main Persona games, Arena Ultimax keeps some aspects of life modeling the main titles intact. Outside of combat, players can build social connections that can help them in combat. Ultimax includes all fighters from the original arena on the roster, as well as eight new characters. Each of these fighters has a shady type, too. These shadow versions of the characters have lower normal attack damage, but can support them SP for several rounds, allowing them to create special moves. Dragon Ball Fighter' Dragon Ball games have a spotty history, really bad games, but very few are really good. Fortunately, the fighter fits in category, throwing many RPG elements out of the Xenoverse titles that came before in favor of a strict brawler. That attention pays off, with Fighter having some of the most eye- catching battles the franchise has seen. The game takes place in Dragon Ball Super Timeline, but it's a side story from the main series. In it you will come across Android 21, the man turned the car Red Ribbon Army. After waking up Android 16 and using Dragon Balls to bring back Nappa, Cell, Frieza and Ginyu Force, 21 develops a system to connect human souls to machines. Of course, the list of iconic Dragon Ball characters is intact, with Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and trans. Since the launch of Arc System Works, the game's developer has supported the release with a variety of fighter packages, showcasing alternative versions of Goku and Vegeta, as well as new additions to the roster such as Broly and Android 17. Read our full review of Dragon Ball Fighter from 2011, one studio dominates the fighting market in the West: NetherRealm. A rebranded subsidiary of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, NetherRealm has led the charge on the last three Mortal Kombat games that are considered among the best in the series. He also created a new franchise with injustice. If you don't know, Injustice is a fighting game based around the DC universe that lets you take Batman, Superman, The Joker, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and more into battle in this superhero game. In addition to the list of DC heroes and villains, Injustice 2 features fighters from other franchises, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, and Sub-zero. Compared to the first entry in the series, Injustice 2 has a much more convincing eponymous mode. After the events of the first game, Injustice 2 pits Batman v Superman, with Superman taking extreme measures to punish the criminals. With DC characters joining both sides of the battle, The Story of Injustice 2 feels like a true superhero clash. Read our full review of Injustice 2 Mortal Kombat X NetherRealm Studios originally proved their combat game prowess with the 2011 Mortal Kombat before moving on to the launch of Injustice: God Among Us. Like Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat X perfects the game that preceded it in almost every way, with increased visual accuracy, more character and more refined mechanics. Presented in NetherRealm's first swing in Mortal Kombat, X has X-Ray special moves, slowing down the time in combat to demonstrate the opponent's dice gap with each of your hits. X also allows you to interact with the environment as much as you can in injustice, either getting to another point in the stage or hit the enemy. Mortal Kombat favorites are on the list, including Johnny and Cassie Cage, Reptile, Scorpion, Sonia Blade, and Sub-zero. NetherRealm has made various crossovers with franchises since launch, too, adding Jason Voorhees, Predator, Alien franchise xenomorph, and LeatherFace. Read our full review of Mortal Kombat X Skullgirls With staples of the genre like Street Fighter and Tekken hogging the spotlight, it's hard for the original IP to break into the genre of combat games, especially in the West. Skullgirls managed to do the impossible, however, releasing for almost every platform under the sun after release and eventually ported to a modern console. The main claim to the glory of the title is his artistic style. It has a dark deco style that is similar to the style of animation Batman: Animated Series. The title combines aspects of art deco, in the early 1920s visual design is often associated with the adaptation of The Great Gatsby, with noir-style elements, creating a dark but high-end feel. In the context of the battle game, the visual style works perfectly, with beautiful hand-drawn characters and mesmerizing finishers.