Fighting games are not easy to play with their unique gameplay mechanics, neutral, rules, and interactions. A better way to learn a fighting game is to spend time with its community. It’s more convenient to do so online, though many fighting games feel like a wasteland when excluding the crossplay option.
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These great Xbox Game Pass games support cross-platform multiplayer, granting players access to PS5 and PC players.
Crossplay helps maintain a fighting game’s longevity across the eligible platforms to welcome newer players. Any fighting game without crossplay will make the player feel regretful and punished for choosing the wrong active platform. It’s only been recently since more fighting games added cross-platform play, including the more popular franchises. It gives a better light for the communities that can finally last longer in the future.
9 Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
Cartoony Slime
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2
- Released
- November 3, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ludosity, Fair Play Labs
- Publisher(s)
- GameMill Entertainment
- Franchise
- Nickelodeon
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 isn’t the most popular platform fighter, but it is one of the more accessible with its multi-platform release. Its wide host of series representatives like Danny Phantom and My Life As A Teenage Robot helps keep the game memorable when including its innovative slime mechanics. Its main system widens the fighting capabilities while keeping its controls simple and immersive for anyone to play.
The game has the most ideal online structure for a platform fighter. Its rollback netcode helps to mitigate the lag enough to be more tolerable for many online matches.
8 Fantasy Strike
Welcoming Neutral
Fantasy Strike
- Released
- September 14, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Free-to-Play, Action, Indie Games, Casual
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Fantasy Strike is very friendly to anyone wanting to try fighting games. It’s simplified enough to shift from the focus on combos to playing neutral. Its roster includes fighters designed in related classes like zoners and rushdown. Each fighter have different health, specials, and attacks that relate to their designated classes, either making them quick with weaker attacks or slow with stronger attacks.
The game does offer a good amount of costumes for several fighters to provide memorable fashion. It’s the most preferred entry to try traditional fighting games with its more united player base.
7 Mortal Kombat 11
Brutal Krossplay
Mortal Kombat 11
- Released
- April 23, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- NetherRealm Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Franchise
- Mortal Kombat
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Stadia, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Mortal Kombat 11’s continues to connect its community with crossplay after its recent predecessor. It is standard with its casual and ranked modes with Kombat League, though includes other options like AI battles and King Of The Hill.
The game’s best offering is its huge array of customization with gear, skins, intros, outros, and even playstyles. Each character has two different variations with an extra empty customizable slot. Players can mix and match different abilities for certain characters like Scorpion’s Demon Dash and Sub Zero’s Rising Ice. It’s a great inclusion for many players to show their fighter’s fashion and custom kit, especially with crossover fighters.
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The Shaolin monk Fire God and latest face of the Mortal Kombat franchise, Liu Kang is a character with a long legacy of appearances over the years.
6 Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
Allied As Team
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
- Released
- March 26, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- nWay
- Publisher(s)
- Lionsgate Games, nWay
- Franchise
- Power Rangers
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is not only a better game for Power Ranger fans, but also a good entry to learn the chaos of team-based fighting. It takes heavy inspiration from one of the most beloved 3v3 team fighting games while making itself the most accessible for its growing community.
Its online ranked seasonal system and arenas satisfy both competitive and casual players. Its gameplay isn’t complex at all, though its assist system provides more freedom with its seamless active switch. It gives enough for a player to create devious, confusing setups for long blockstrings or possible one-touch combos.
5 Brawlhalla
Massive Armed Legends
Brawlhalla
- Released
- October 17, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
Brawlhalla is the most friendliest platform fighter for any player to invest time into its wacky gameplay. Its online is very simple to understand with its casual and ranked modes. Casual mode is the more fun since up to 8 players can join the fray with different items spawning in the arena for chaos.
Its main weapon system help widen preferred ranges for either close-range with blades and staves or long range with guns and cannons. The roster is filled with crossover characters with related weapons like Luke Skywalker, Rayman, Megaman, Ryu. The game offers a lot to maintain its player base for the better.
4 King Of Fighters XV
Canceled Online Limits
The King of Fighters XV
- Released
- February 17, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- SNK
- Publisher(s)
- SNK, Koch Media
- Franchise
- The King Of Fighters
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
King Of Fighters XV is the most consistent with its characters’ designs throughout its series’ lifespan. Its expansive roster includes many fighters, especially veteran characters with years of evolved fighting styles. It’s a long journey to learn both the fighter and matchups. This doesn’t even include learning two more characters during team battles.
Its mechanics make it the best entry to welcome new players. Its rush option simplifies combos with singular inputs, making it easy to learn how moves connect. King of Fighters isn’t easy when learning move cancels, so it’s beneficial to maintain a larger player base through crossplay to assist with learning the advanced techniques and timing.
3 Tekken 8
Heated Combat
Tekken 8
- Released
- January 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Franchise
- Tekken
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Tekken 8 not only raises the i
Summary
- Crossplay in fighting games enhances longevity by connecting players across platforms.
- Popular titles like Mortal Kombat 11 have extensive customization options to create unique fighters.
- Newer games like Tekken 8 prioritize accessibility for beginners with simple control schemes.
Ntensity within its battles, but makes the advanced franchise more accessible for newer players. Players can easily switch controls mid-match to perform certain moves with simple inputs. This option is very helpful during very tense interactions against human opponents.
Tekken 8: 8 Most Popular Characters, Ranked
According to lead developer Harada, these Tekken 8 characters rank the highest in terms of overall usage.
Tekken is not an easy franchise with the fighters’ enormous lists of moves. Learning how to do each move and which one will link as a combo is challenging enough, but adding heat techniques like heat dash expands the required teachings. It’s why crossplay eases the personal need to research the fighters’ techniques with heat firsthand during combat while strengthening the game’s community.
2 Guilty Gear Strive
Resourceful Gathering
Guilty Gear -Strive-
- Released
- June 11, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Arc System Works
- Publisher(s)
- Arc System Works
- Franchise
- Guilty Gear
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Guilty Gear Strive welcomes a broader audience to its veteran fighting series with its new mechanics and online system. Newer players can try out its modified gatling combinations with more impactful attacks and zoomed camera shots.
The game did simplify mechanics from the older games, though they aren’t easy when including its roman cancels and burst. Resource management is a huge requirement when learning moments to link attacks with cancels or break an opponent’s aggression with a combo breaker. It’s a huge mind game, so a bigger community helps players to understand its complex features.
1 Street Fighter 6
Drive For Connection
Street Fighter 6
- Released
- June 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Publisher(s)
- Capcom
- Franchise
- Street Fighter
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, Arcade
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
Street Fighter 6 was a fantastic improvement compared to its Capcom predecessor. It widens the room for more players to invest in the series with its strong rollback matches and crossplay format. Not only does the roster bring veteran and new fighters, but players can create their own fighters with inspirational fighting styles and specials.
Its multiple control schemes welcome players from any skill level, though each layout has its rewards and consequences like modern controls’ scaled super damage. With how much the game includes at launch, it will keep the player base invested in Street Fighter for a long while.
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