Since the resurgence of the fighting game genre, it's seen plenty of high points. Tekken went from feeling stagnant to gaining a new lease on life in Tekken 7. Mortal Kombat got bloodier than ever before its developers Netherrealm Studios put the claret away to give DC a Marvel contender with the Injustice games.
King of Fighters and Guilty Gear came back in from the cold, Super Smash Bros Ultimate lived up to its name, and the indie scene saw a slew of underrated fighters like Them’s Fightin’ Herds and Punch Planet. 2023 promises to continue this upward trend with more promising titles.
Updated on November 18, 2023, by David Heath: With the year almost over and done with, there aren't too many fighting games left to look forward to. The rest will be ringing in 2024, which has a lot to live up to as 2023 was one of the strongest years for the fighting games in a long time. Both the AAA and indie scenes were full of highlights, some of which have taken the genre in interesting new directions. However, hindsight is 20/20 compared to foresight. Due to one circumstance or another, some games planned for 2023 got delayed to the following year or didn't offer much in the way of updates. So, this list has been updated to mark out the best fighting games that were released in 2023, and the top games that are still to come in 2024.
20 Orbitals
Metascore: N/A
- Platform Fighter with Gravity Mechanics.
- Demo available on Steam, full game due out in 2024.
Platform fighters currently don't have a lot of choice, not that they're likely starved for it thanks to the almighty Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Their next best chance would be to delve into the indie scene, where they'd find games like Orbitals. Made by Alleyway Games, and featuring a playable demo on Steam, players navigate through the stages by manipulating their own gravity. This way, they can avoid errant shots by sticking to the ceiling or switching to the sides to catch their opponents unaware.
There are multiple weapons for them to pick up and use, as well as monsters and other creatures lurking in each stage to attack anyone who gets too close. The demo features a tutorial, a multiplayer battle mode, and online play via Steam's Remote Play Together. The full game will feature a story mode, P2P online mode and matchmaking, and many more monsters, moves, and special abilities. But it will join the re-release of MultiVersus in 2024.
19 Blazing Worldstars
Metascore: N/A
- Anthro-based one-on-one fighter.
- Demo available. Full game release date to be determined (TBD).
With the last few flashy 2D franchises like King of Fighters and Guilty Gear having gone 3D a long, long time ago, there are still some people out there who miss those smoothly animated sprites. People like Bloodrune Entertainment, who made the furry fight fest Blazing Worldstars. The game's full release is still yet to be announced, but Bloodrune has provided a range of playable demos of the game since 2022.
It uses Street Fighter's 6-button layout and parries but has KOF-like rush combos where players have to be quick to keep their chains going. On top of that, it has the Enhance System, where each character gets their own unique buff a la Street Fighter 5's V-Triggers. Some could get super armor for tanking hits, or gain whole new move sets to get the advantage over their opponents. It's an intriguing indie game that players should keep an eye on.
18 Trajes Fatais: Suits Of Fate
Metascore: N/A
- 2D one-on-one fighter inspired by King of Fighters and Guilty Gear.
- Demo available. Full game release date TBD.
Another team inspired by SNK's premier fighting game franchise is Onanim Studio who, with Valente Studio, created Trajes Fatais: Suits of Fate. Like Blazing Worldstars, its full release has yet to be determined beyond a "coming soon" notice. But it also has a demo available for people to see how it plays. So far, it has a curious story where its characters are imprisoned by an entity and have to break free using powers based on their dreams and desires.
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Like KOF, the game uses a 4-button layout: 2 normal attacks and 2 power attacks. Then it sprinkles a little Guilty Gear into the mix as its super meter, or Gana Meter, can be used to cancel moves like GG's Roman Cancels. Players low on life get advantages like lower super move costs, and they can use their Gana Meter as a second life bar if they're at death's door. If the smooth, 90s-esque graphics don't pull the curious in, the gameplay will.
17 Final Fury
Metascore: N/A
- First-person VR platform fighter.
- 2023 release pushed back to 2024.
Kluge Interactive previously brought VR players a new, fun way to dance in Synth Riders. Now they aim to do the same for fighting games with Final Fury. Various studios have tried to take fighters into a first-person, motion-control direction over the decades, be it the Virtual Boy's Teleroboxer managing the first, and the notorious Fighters Uncaged aiming for the latter on the 360 Kinect.
Final Fury plans on being more expansive, with free-roaming 3D stages to race around on for an advantage while throwing punches and gesture-based special attacks. It'll have more familiar elements controlling things, like life bars and a super meter, but the way characters pull off combos is bound to be different from the norm. It was planned for a 2023 release on all major VR platforms, but due to delays, it's since been pushed to 2024.
16 Project L
Metascore: N/A
- 2-on-2 Tag fighter based on League of Legends.
- Full game estimated for release in 2025.
As 2023 draws to a close, Project L has yet to reveal its retail name, or that much detail since its EVO 2023 demo. Developed by Riot Games Inc., it's their hand-to-hand spin-off from League of Legends. It was estimated for a full release in 2024, but it's now more likely to reach players around Spring 2025, provided everything runs smoothly. As people wait for more details, this is what's currently known about the project.
It’s a tag-based game where the two "champions" can pull off the usual shenanigans: tagging in & out, assist attacks, and the "Dynamic Save" where the Assist character breaks an opponent’s combo. It also combines LoL’s gameplay with fighting game meter mechanics as they pull off different Abilities. Confirmed characters thus far include Ahri, Darius, Katarina, and LoL's unofficial mascot Jinx.
15 Varvarion
Metascore: N/A
- 3D weapons-based arena fighter.
- 2023 Release pushed back. New release date TBD.
While fisticuffs are fine, some people prefer their fighters to be armed. There’s something expressive and dynamic about a good weapons fighter, even if they're thin on the ground beyond Samurai Shodown and Soulcalibur. Polygonomicon’s Varvarion aims to bolster the subgenre's ranks by combining 3D sword-fighting action with anime-esque stunts and visuals.
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Players roam around the stage, fighting grunts and other foes as well as each other as they get to grips with their weapons. It’s not enough to just hack and slash away, as they will have to learn to evade, block, and riposte to get the advantage. The game's latest trailer from August 2023 even revealed players could get help from at least 2 AI companions. However, it still has yet to get a set release date.
14 Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
Metascore: N/A
- 3D sequel to classic 2D one-on-one fighter.
- Name and initial roster revealed at EVO 2023. Due out in 2024.
The original Garou: Mark of the Wolves didn’t get the recognition it deserved. The game played well and was beautifully animated. It rivaled Street Fighter 3: Third Strike despite running on much older hardware. While a sequel was in the works in the early 2000s, it was canceled, and the story of Rock Howard was left on an open cliffhanger. So, fighting game fans were over the moon when SNK announced it would finally get a sequel with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
Revealed officially at EVO 2023, it was confirmed that Rock Howard and Terry Bogard would return. Terry's brother Andy, and old fighting partner Joe Higashi will also be back in some capacity as per their concept art. Many more more popular characters from Garou and the Fatal Fury games were also hinted at via audio cues in the trailer, like B.Jenet, Gato, and the buoyant kunoichi Mai Shiranui. It'll be one of the more interesting games to look out for in 2024.
13 Die By The Blade
Metascore: N/A
- Cyberpunk-themed weapons fighter with realistic, bloody gameplay.
- Demo Available. Full game release date TBD.
Another issue with weapons-based fighting games is that lethal-looking attacks aren't always so lethal. Characters in Soulcalibur chop, stab, and impale each other multiple times and are only inconvenienced rather than brutally maimed. Grindstone’s Die By the Blade fixes that by following cult classic PS1 fighter Bushido Blade's lead, where all it takes to win (or lose) is the right hit in the right spot.
One sword swipe to the opponent's neck or point to the gut can end the match, while slices elsewhere can limit their attacks or keep them from moving. It’s a serious, more realistic take on weapons combat within a neat, samurai-punk setting. The game was initially set for release in 2021, and then it was pushed back to 2023. With a month and a half left in the year as of this writing, the game is likely to be another 2024 release.
12 Tekken 8
Metascore: N/A
Tekken 8
- Released
- January 26, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, Arika
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting
- The next installment in the classic 3D fighting game franchise.
- Initial 2023 release date pushed back to January 2024.
Initially planned for a 2023 release, Tekken 8 will now ring in the new year at the end of January 2024. It has a bundle of new mechanics to separate it from its mighty predecessor Tekken 7. Most notably, its "Heat" mechanics favor aggressive play by boosting the player's strength, attack chains, and speed. They can smash them into danger zones for extra damage, or lock them into super combo-esque Heat Smashes and the returning Rage Arts.
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Players can now take chip damage by default, but they can't die to it like in 2D fighters thankfully. It also offers one of the largest default rosters for a fighting game, featuring 32 characters, including perplexing newbies like Victor Chevalier and Reina Mishima. Plus, in a step up from T7, it'll have better single-player options like the Quests Mode and its story mode 'The Dark Awakens'. To say it'll be a big release is an understatement.
11 God Of Rock
Metascore: 62
- Music-themed fighter that mixes rhythm action with fisticuffs.
- Available since April 17th, 2023.
Fighting games and rhythm games have a few things in common, from their tight timing requirements to their love of combos and chain hits. Still, there hasn't been an attempt to bring the two together since Slap Happy Rhythm Busters on the PS1. At least until now with Maximum Games’ God of Rock. It pits the world’s greatest musicians against each other by making them hit their beats on time while hitting each other.
There are 40+ tracks for players to get to grips with, and 12 characters with their own unique harmonic and pugilistic styles. It popped up on April 17th, 2023, and showed a lot of potential in its genre blending. However, it needed some updates to stabilize it on PC and can be hard to play on smaller displays. Even after that, it got more plaudits for its ambition than its execution. Still, it earned itself a Best Fighting Game nomination at the 2023 Game Awards.