Since the resurgence of thefighting game genre, it’s seen plenty of high points.Tekkenwent from feeling stagnant to gaining a new lease on life inTekken 7.Mortal Kombatgot bloodier than ever before its developers Netherrealm Studios put the claret away to give DC aMarvelcontender with theInjusticegames.
King of FightersandGuilty Gearcame back in from the cold,Super Smash Bros Ultimatelived up to its name, and the indie scene saw a slew of underrated fighters likeThem’s Fightin’ HerdsandPunch Planet. 2023 promises to continue this upward trend withmore promising titles.
Updated on August 03, 2025, 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 thebest fighting games that were released in 2023, and the top games that are still to come in 2024.
20Orbitals
Metascore: N/A
Platform fighters currently don’t have a lot of choice, not that they’re likely starved for it thanks to the almightySuper Smash Bros Ultimate. Their next best chance would be to delve into the indie scene, where they’d find games likeOrbitals. 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-releaseofMultiVersusin 2024.
19Blazing Worldstars
With the last few flashy 2D franchises likeKing of FightersandGuilty Gearhaving 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 festBlazing 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 usesStreet Fighter’s 6-button layout and parries but hasKOF-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 laStreet 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.
18Trajes Fatais: Suits Of Fate
Another team inspired by SNK’s premier fighting game franchise is Onanim Studio who, with Valente Studio, createdTrajes Fatais: Suits of Fate. LikeBlazing 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.
LikeKOF,the game uses a 4-button layout: 2 normal attacks and 2 power attacks. Then it sprinkles a littleGuilty Gearinto the mix as its super meter, or Gana Meter, can be used to cancel moves likeGG’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.
17Final Fury
Kluge Interactive previously brought VR players a new, fun way to dance inSynth Riders. Now they aim to do the same for fighting games withFinal Fury. Various studios have tried to take fighters into a first-person, motion-control direction over the decades, be it the Virtual Boy’sTeleroboxermanaging the first, and the notoriousFighters Uncagedaiming for the latter on the 360 Kinect.
Final Furyplans 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.
16Project L
As 2023 draws to a close,Project Lhas 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 fromLeague 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 combinesLoL’s gameplay with fighting game meter mechanics as they pull off different Abilities. Confirmed characters thus far include Ahri, Darius, Katarina, andLoL’sunofficial mascot Jinx.
15Varvarion
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 beyondSamurai ShodownandSoulcalibur. Polygonomicon’sVarvarionaims to bolster the subgenre’s ranks by combining 3D sword-fighting action with anime-esque stunts and visuals.
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.
14Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves
The originalGarou: Mark of the Wolvesdidn’t get the recognition it deserved. The game played well and was beautifully animated. It rivaledStreet Fighter 3: Third Strikedespite 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 withFatal 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 moremore popular characters fromGarouand theFatal Furygames 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.
13Die By The Blade
Another issue with weapons-based fighting games is that lethal-looking attacks aren’t always so lethal. Characters inSoulcaliburchop, stab, and impale each other multiple times and are only inconvenienced rather than brutally maimed. Grindstone’sDie By the Bladefixes that by following cult classic PS1 fighterBushido 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.
Initially planned for a 2023 release,Tekken 8will 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 predecessorTekken 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.
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 fromT7, 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.
11God Of Rock
Metascore: 62
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 sinceSlap Happy Rhythm Busterson 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.
