Fighting game#Special attacks and combos

Fighting games are a type of action game where two (in one-on-one fighting games) or more (in platform fighters) on-screen characters fight each other.{{cite magazine|date=March 1996|title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Fighting Game|url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-015/page/n33/mode/2up|magazine=Next Generation|publisher=Imagine Media|issue=15|page=33}}{{cite book|last1=Rollings|first1=Andrew|first2=Ernest | last2=Adams|title=Fundamentals of Game Design|publisher=Prentice Hall|year=2006|url=http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14053/3597646.cw/index.html|access-date=February 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231072651/http://wps.prenhall.com/bp_gamedev_1/54/14053/3597646.cw/index.html|archive-date=December 31, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite book | author = Ashcraft, Brian | year = 2008 | title = Arcade Mania! The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers | publisher = Kodansha International | page = 90}}{{cite web|title=The Tao of Beat-'em-ups|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-tao-of-beat-em-ups-article|author=Spencer, Spanner|date=February 6, 2008|website=Eurogamer|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511090702/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/the-tao-of-beat-em-ups-article|archive-date=May 11, 2009|access-date=April 29, 2009}} These games typically feature special moves that are triggered using rapid sequences of carefully timed button presses and joystick movements. Games traditionally show fighters from a side view, even as the genre has progressed from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) graphics. Street Fighter II, though not the first fighting game, is considered to have standardized the genre, and similar games released prior to Street Fighter II have since been more explicitly classified as fighting games. Fighting games typically involve hand-to-hand combat, though many games also feature characters with melee weapons. Fighting characters are usually based on humans, but there are also games that are entirely based around mecha robot characters, for example the Gundam: Battle Assault series.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-11 |title=The X Button - Popular Mecha Nicks |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-x-button/2014-07-23/popular-mecha-nicks/.76948 |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=Anime News Network |language=en}}

This genre is distinctly related to beat 'em ups, another action genre involving combat, where the player character must fight many enemies at the same time. Beat 'em ups, like traditional fighting games, display player and enemy health in a bar, generally located at the top of the screen. However, beat 'em ups generally do not feature combat divided into separate "rounds". During the 1980s to 1990s, publications used the terms "fighting game" and "beat 'em up" interchangeably, along with other terms such as "martial arts simulation" (or more specific terms such as "judo simulator"){{cite web|date=May 28, 1986|title=Way of the Tiger|url=https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-28/page/n115/mode/2up|publisher=Crash|issue=28|pages=116}}{{cite web|author=Bielby, Matt|date=May 1990|title=Oriental Games|url=https://archive.org/details/your-sinclair-53/page/n29/mode/2up|publisher=Your Sinclair|issue=53|page=31}} and "punch-kick" games.{{cite magazine |title=Capcom |magazine=RePlay |date=May 1991 |volume=16 |issue=8 |page=74 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-8-may-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%208%20-%20May%201991/page/74}} Fighting games were still being called "beat 'em up" games in video game magazines up until the end of the 1990s.{{cite journal |title=Play Test: Soul Blade |journal=Official UK PlayStation Magazine |date=1999 |issue=Platinum Special |pages=82–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/Official_UK_Playstation_Magazine_1999_Future_Publishing_GB_platinum_special/page/n81/mode/2up}} With hindsight, critics have argued that the two types of game gradually became dichotomous as they evolved, though the two terms may still be conflated.{{cite web|title=E3 Feature: Fighting Games Focus|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/e3-feature-fighting-games-focus|author=Staff|date=May 3, 2006|publisher=Edge Online|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505171555/http://www.edge-online.com/features/e3-feature-fighting-games-focus|archive-date=May 5, 2012|access-date=February 11, 2009}}

Sports-based combat games are games that feature boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), or wrestling. Serious boxing games belong more to the sports game genre than the action game genre, as they aim for a more realistic model of boxing techniques, whereas moves in fighting games tend to be either highly exaggerated or outright fantastical models of Asian martial arts techniques. As such, boxing games, mixed martial arts games, and wrestling games are often described as distinct genres, without comparison to fighting games, and belong more in the sports game genre.{{cite web | author = Bramwell, Tom | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/article_47405 | title = Fighting in the Backyard | website = Eurogamer | date = February 13, 2003 | access-date = February 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101227192229/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/article_47405 | archive-date = December 27, 2010 | url-status = live }}{{cite news | author = Walters, Stefan | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/1855789.stm | title = Let's play: Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing | work = BBC Sport | date = April 26, 2004 | access-date = February 11, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071031095912/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/funny_old_game/1855789.stm | archive-date = October 31, 2007 | url-status = live }}

File:Street Fighter II.png is not the first fighting game, it popularized and established the gameplay conventions of the genre.]]

Fighting games involve combat between pairs of fighters using highly exaggerated martial arts moves. They typically revolve primarily around brawling or combat sport, though some variations feature weaponry. Games usually display on-screen fighters from a side view, and even 3D fighting games play largely within a 2D plane of motion. Games usually confine characters to moving left and right and jumping, although some games such as Fatal Fury: King of Fighters allow players to move between parallel planes of movement.{{cite web |author=Provo, Frank |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-review/1900-6180701/ |title=Fatal Fury: King of Fighters Review |website=GameSpot |date=October 10, 2007 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102180641/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-review/1900-6180701/ |archive-date=November 2, 2019 |url-status=live }} Recent games tend to be rendered in three dimensions, making it easier for developers to add a greater number of animations, but otherwise play like those rendered in two dimensions. Games that are fully three-dimensional without a 2D plane are sometimes referred to as "3D arena" fighting games.{{Cite web |last=Liang |first=Lu-Hai |date=2022-05-23 |title=Capcom May Revisit Dormant Games |url=https://www.thegamer.com/capcom-dormant-games/ |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}

Aside from restricting movement space, fighting games confine the player's actions to offensive and defensive maneuvers. Players must learn each game's effective combinations of attacks and defenses. Blocking is a basic defense against basic attacks.{{cite web|title=The Essential 50: Virtua Fighter|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-virtua-fighter|publisher=1UP|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719110526/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-virtua-fighter|archive-date=July 19, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2009}} Some games feature more advanced blocking techniques; for example, Capcom's Street Fighter III features a move termed "parrying", which can be immediately followed by counter-attack, skipping the temporary stun a block would have put them in. A similar stun state is termed "just defended" in SNK's Garou: Mark of the Wolves.{{cite web | author = Gerstmann, Jeff | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/streetfighter3doubleimpact/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715010218/http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/streetfighter3doubleimpact/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 15, 2012 | title = Street Fighter III: Double Impact Review | website = GameSpot | date = December 29, 1999 | access-date = January 15, 2009 }}{{cite web | author = Chau, Anthony | url = http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/166/166258p1.html | title = Fatal Review: Mark of the Wolves | website = IGN | date = December 11, 2001 | access-date = January 15, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081007042313/http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/166/166258p1.html | archive-date = October 7, 2008 }}

An integral feature of fighting games is the use of "special attacks", also called "secret moves", that employ combinations of directional inputs and button presses to perform a particular move beyond basic punching and kicking.{{cite web |author=Towell, Justin |title=The Best Special Attacks Ever |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-special-attacks-ever/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120126204346/http://www.gamesradar.com/the-best-special-attacks-ever/ |archive-date=January 26, 2012 |access-date=January 29, 2009 |publisher=GamesRadar}} Some special moves, which play an animation portraying an aspect of the character's personality, are referred to as taunts. Originated by Japanese company SNK in Art of Fighting (1992),Arcade Mania!, pp. 100–101.{{cite web |author=Park, Andrew |date=June 5, 2007 |title=Art of Fighting Anthology Review |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/artoffightinganthology/review.html?tag=summary;read-review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717135451/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/artoffightinganthology/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |website=GameSpot}} these add humor, and they affect gameplay in certain games, such as improving the strength of other attacks.{{cite web |author=Rose, Martyn |title=Designing Kung-Fu Chaos, Part 3 |url=http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/k/kungfuchaos/themakers5.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205175426/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/k/kungfuchaos/themakers5.htm |archive-date=December 5, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=Xbox.com}} Some characters have unusual taunts, like Dan Hibiki from Street Fighter Alpha.{{cite web |title=Top 20 Street Fighter Characters of All Time |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-20-street-fighter-characters-of-all-time/?page=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301120425/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-20-street-fighter-characters-of-all-time/?page=3 |archive-date=March 1, 2009 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=GameDaily}}{{cite web |title=Top 25 Most Bizarre Fighting Characters |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-most-bizarre-fighting-characters/?page=24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206220705/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/top-25-most-bizarre-fighting-characters/?page=24 |archive-date=February 6, 2009 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |publisher=GameDaily}}

Combos that chain several attacks are fundamental to the genre since Street Fighter II (1991).{{cite magazine |year=2003 |title=The making of Street Fighter II |magazine=Edge Presents Retro |issue='The Making of...' Special |quote=[Combos] became the base for future fighting titles}} Most fighting games display a "combo meter" of progress through a combo. The effectiveness of such moves often relates to the difficulty of execution and the degree of risk. These moves are often challenging, requiring excellent memory and timing.

Predicting opponents' moves and counter-attacking, known as "countering", is a common element of gameplay.{{cite web | author = Treit, Ryan | url = http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/tips/noviceguides/fighting.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090515013224/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/tips/noviceguides/fighting.htm | archive-date = May 15, 2009 | title = Novice Guides: Fighting | publisher = Xbox.com | access-date = January 15, 2009 }} Fighting games emphasize the height of blows, ranging from low to jumping attacks.{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720141819/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=The Essential 50: 32. Street Fighter II |publisher=1UP |access-date=January 15, 2009 }}{{cite web | author = Ekberg, Brian | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/action/k1worldgp/news.html?sid=6179720&mode=previews&tag=result;title;0 | title = TGS '07: K-1 World Grand Prix Hands-On | website = GameSpot | date = September 22, 2007 | access-date = January 15, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715174733/http://uk.gamespot.com/ds/action/k1worldgp/news.html?sid=6179720&mode=previews&tag=result;title;0 | archive-date = July 15, 2012 }} Thus, strategy requires predicting adversarial moves, similar to rock–paper–scissors.

In addition to blows, players can utilize throwing or grappling to circumvent blocks. Most fighting games allow a grapple move by pressing two or more buttons together, or simply by pressing punch or kick while being directly adjacent to the opponent. Other fighting games, like Dead or Alive, have a unique button for throws and takedowns.

Projectiles are primarily in 2D fighting games, like the Hadouken in Street Fighter. Projectiles can simply inflict damage, or can maneuver opponents into disadvantageous positions.

{{further|Turtling (gameplay)}}

Especially in 2D, zoning is defensive play that focuses on using relatively risk-free attacks to keep the opposing player away. The object is to force an opponent to take significant risks to approach the zoning player's character, or to stall out the in-game timer, which causes the player with more health (typically the one doing the zoning) to win. The effectiveness of the latter strategy varies from game to game, based on the effectiveness of zoning tools as well as the length of the in-game timer and the rewards characters can receive for successfully landing a hit when countering zoning.

{{further|Rush (video games)}}

The opposite of turtling, rushdown refers to a number of specific aggressive strategies, philosophies, and play styles across all fighting games. The general goal of a rushdown play style is to overwhelm the opponent and force costly mistakes, either by using fast, confusing setups or by taking advantage of an impatient opponent as they are forced to play defense for prolonged periods of time. Rushdown players often favor attacking opponents in the corner of a stage or as they get up from a knockdown; both situations severely limit the options of the opponent and often allow the attacking player to force high-risk guessing scenarios.

Spacing is the act of positioning a character at a range where their attacks and movement tools carry the lowest risk and the highest reward. The concept is somewhat akin to that of footwork in martial arts. The desired position for play varies based on what tools are available to the character each player is currently using. As a result of this, a concept called "footsies" has emerged, frequently defined as players jockeying for position and using low-commitment moves at distances where neither character has a particular advantage.{{cite web |last=infil |date=May 18, 2021 |title=Footsies |url=https://glossary.infil.net/?t=Footsies |access-date=July 19, 2022 |website=Fighting Game Glossary}}

Depending on the game, character, and move used, a player may be rewarded for a decisive blow with a strong positional advantage, strong enough that the rewarded player can minimize the number of viable moves available to the other player. Doing so, and then taking advantage of the opponent's limited options, is called pressure. Common forms of pressure include making a player guess whether they should block high or low, or keeping the opposing player trapped in the corner and punishing any attempts to escape.

File:Fatality (Mortal Kombat screenshot).png allows the victor to perform a gruesome finishing maneuver called a "Fatality".]]

Fighting game matches generally consist of a set number of rounds (typically three), beginning with the announcer's signal.{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/capcomfightingjam/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Capcom Fighting Jam Review | website = GameSpot | date = November 16, 2004 | access-date = February 5, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010111303/http://uk.gamespot.com/capcom-fighting-evolution/reviews/capcom-fighting-evolution-review-6113212/ |archive-date=October 10, 2012}} If the score is tied after an even number of rounds (such as 1-1), then the winner is decided in the final round. Round decisions can also be determined by time over, which judge players based on remaining health to declare a winner. In the Super Smash Bros. series, the rules are different. Instead of rounds, the games usually give players a set number of lives (called stocks) for each player (usually three), and if the score is tied between two or more fighters when time runs out, then a "sudden death" match will take place by delivering a single hit to an opponent with 300% damage.

Fighting games widely feature health bars, introduced in Yie Ar Kung-Fu in 1984, which are depleted as characters sustain blows.{{cite web|author=Staff |url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-japans-first-rpg |title=The Making of... Japan's First RPG |publisher=Edge Online |date=March 6, 2008 |access-date=January 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125093639/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-japans-first-rpg |archive-date=January 25, 2012 }} Each successful attack will deplete a character's health, and the round continues until a fighter's health reaches zero. Hence, the main goal is to completely deplete the health bar of one's opponent, thus achieving a "knockout". Games such as Virtua Fighter also allow a character to be defeated by forcing them outside of the arena, awarding a "ring-out" to the victor. The Super Smash Bros. series allows players to send fighters off the stage when a character reaches a high percentage of damage; however, the gameplay objective differs from that of traditional fighting games in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

Beginning with Midway's Mortal Kombat released in 1992, the Mortal Kombat series introduced "Fatalities", where the match victor inflicts a brutal and gruesome finishing move onto the defeated opponent. Prompted by the announcer saying "Finish Him!", players have a short time window to execute a Fatality by entering a specific button and joystick combination while positioned at a specific distance from the opponent. The Fatality and its derivations are arguably the most notable features of the Mortal Kombat series with cultural impact and controversies.{{cite web |last=Gertsmann | first=Jeff |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ultimatemortalkombat3/review.html?tag=summary;read-review |title=Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Review |website=GameSpot |date=October 24, 2008 |access-date=January 11, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711071814/https://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/ultimatemortalkombat3/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}

Fighting games often include a single-player campaign or tournament, where the player must defeat a sequence of several computer-controlled opponents. Winning the tournament often reveals a special story-ending cutscene, and some games also grant access to hidden characters or special features upon victory. Tekken introduced the concept of story modes in 1994 with the first arcade full motion video cutscenes for each character's victory.{{Cite web|last=Santos|first=Gonçalo|title=Every Tekken Game In Chronological Order|url=https://www.thegamer.com/tekken-games-chronological-order/|date=March 14, 2024}}{{YouTube|bA49WgGOKp4}}{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadoralive4/review.html | title = Dead or Alive 4 Review | website = GameSpot | date = January 1, 2006 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090130135142/http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/deadoralive4/review.html | archive-date = January 30, 2009 }}

In most fighting games, players may select from a variety of playable characters with unique fighting styles, special moves, and personalities. This became a strong convention for the genre with the release of Street Fighter II (1991), and these character choices have led to deeper game strategy and replay value.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_02_02.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040902095224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/games_02_02.html | archive-date = September 2, 2004 | title = GameSpot: The History of Street Fighter – Street Fighter II: The World Warriors | website = GameSpot | access-date = April 29, 2009 }}

Custom character creation, or "create–a–fighter", is a feature of some fighting games that allows a player to customize the appearance and move set of their own character. Super Fire Pro Wrestling X Premium was the first game to include such a feature.{{cite book| editor= Craig Glenday| title= Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008| series= Guinness World Records| date= March 11, 2008| publisher= Guinness| isbn= 978-1-904994-21-3| page= [https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/84 84]| chapter= Record-Breaking Games| chapter-url-access= registration| chapter-url= https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0| url= https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0| url-access= registration}}

Fighting games can support a two-player duel, sometimes by letting a second player challenge the first at any moment during a single-player match. Some games allow four-player simultaneous competition.{{cite web | author = Anderson, Lark | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/action/supersmashbros/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review | website = GameSpot | date = March 8, 2008 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090210125316/http://uk.gamespot.com/wii/action/supersmashbros/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review | archive-date = February 10, 2009 }} Uniquely, the Super Smash Bros. series has allowed eight-player local and online multiplayer matches, beginning with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, though many classify the series as the platform fighter subgenre due to its deviation from traditional fighting game rules and design. Several games such as Marvel vs. Capcom and Dead or Alive have featured teams where players form "tag teams" to fight duels, but a character may be swapped by a teammate.{{cite web | author = Zdyrko, David | url = http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/163/163946p1.html | title = Tekken Tag Tournament | website = IGN | date = October 23, 2000 | access-date = February 2, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080211230621/http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/163/163946p1.html | archive-date = February 11, 2008 | url-status = dead }} Some fighting games offer the endurance challenge of a series of opponents. Online games can suffer lag from slow data transmission, which can disrupt split-second timing.Arcade Mania!, p. 108. This is mitigated by technology such as GGPO, which synchronizes players by quickly rolling back to the most recent accurate game state, correcting errors, and then jumping back to the current frame. Such games include Skullgirls and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition.{{cite web|access-date=April 23, 2011|url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/34050/Interview_How_A_Fighting_Game_Fan_Solved_Internet_Latency_Issues.php|title=Interview: How A Fighting Game Fan Solved Internet Latency Issues|website=Gamasutra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425150653/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/34050/Interview_How_A_Fighting_Game_Fan_Solved_Internet_Latency_Issues.php|archive-date=April 25, 2011|url-status=live}}{{cite web | url= http://shoryuken.com/2011/06/06/street-fighter-iii-3rd-strike-online-1st-trailer-and-screens/ | title= Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online – 1st Trailer and Screens | first= Adam | last= Heart | date= June 6, 2011 | work= Shoryuken | access-date= June 6, 2011 | quote= Street Fighter III Third Strike Online Edition will be using GGPO netcode ... | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110608025320/http://shoryuken.com/2011/06/06/street-fighter-iii-3rd-strike-online-1st-trailer-and-screens/ | archive-date= June 8, 2011 | url-status= live }}

The first fighting games were fundamentally inspired by martial arts films, especially Bruce Lee's Hong Kong action cinema. Films include Game of Death (1972), where Lee fights a series of bosses, and Enter the Dragon (1973), about an international martial arts tournament.{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Patrick |title=Street Fighter and basically every fighting game exist because of Bruce Lee |url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2020/9/24/21440150/bruce-lee-movies-street-fighter-fighting-games |website=Polygon |access-date=March 24, 2021 |date=September 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310053038/https://www.polygon.com/gaming/2020/9/24/21440150/bruce-lee-movies-street-fighter-fighting-games |url-status=live }} Other inspiration is Japanese martial arts works, including the manga and anime series Karate Master (1971–1977), and Sonny Chiba's The Street Fighter (1974).{{cite news |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Rus |title=IGN Presents the History of Street Fighter |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/02/16/ign-presents-the-history-of-street-fighter |access-date=January 31, 2022 |work=IGN |date=February 16, 2009}}

Before martial arts games, the earliest video games with fist-fighting are boxing games, featuring battles between characters with fantastic abilities and complex special maneuvers.{{cite book | title = Extending Experiences |author1=Olli Leino |author2=Hanna Wirman |author3=Amyris Fernandez | publisher = Lapland University Press | page = 53 | year = 2008}} Sega's black-and-white boxing game Heavyweight Champ, released for arcades in 1976, is considered the first video game with fist fighting.Arcade Mania!, p. 94. Vectorbeam's arcade video game Warrior (1979) is sometimes credited as one of the first fighting games;{{cite magazine | title=The Making of... Warrior | date=December 2006 | magazine=Edge Magazine | issue=169 | pages=101–103}} in contrast to Heavyweight Champ and most later games, Warrior is based on sword fighting duels and uses a bird's-eye view. Sega's jidaigeki-themed arcade action game Samurai, released in March 1980, features a boss battle where the samurai player character confronts a boss samurai in one-on-one sword-fighting combat.{{cite web |title=サムライ |trans-title=Samurai |url=https://sega.jp/history/arcade/product/9506/ |website=Sega |access-date=May 7, 2021 |language=ja |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507143731/https://sega.jp/history/arcade/product/9506/ |url-status=live }}{{cite book |chapter=1980 |title=Sega Arcade History |date=2002 |series=Famitsu DC |publisher=Enterbrain |pages=40–42 (40) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/segaarcadehistoryfamitsudc/page/n41 |language=ja}}

One-on-one boxing games appeared on consoles with Activision's Atari VCS game Boxing,{{cite book |last1=Wolf |first1=Mark J. P. |title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37936-9 |volume=1 |page=212 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC&pg=PA212 |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210507145122/https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC&pg=PA212 |url-status=live }} released in July 1980,{{cite book |last1=Lendino |first1=Jamie |title=Adventure: The Atari 2600 at the Dawn of Console Gaming |date=June 4, 2018 |publisher=Ziff Davis |isbn=978-1-7323552-0-0 |page=81 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JkaoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509061804/https://books.google.com/books?id=JkaoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA81 |url-status=live }} and Sega's SG-1000 game Champion Boxing (1983),{{KLOV game|7308|Champion Boxing}} which is Yu Suzuki's debut at Sega.GameCenter CX – 2nd Season, Episode 13. Retrieved on April 4, 2009{{cite web|url=http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p2.html|title=IGN Presents the History of SEGA|date=April 21, 2009|work=IGN|access-date=January 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314223804/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/974/974695p2.html|archive-date=March 14, 2012|url-status=live}} Nintendo's arcade game Punch-Out was developed in 1983 and released in February 1984,{{cite web |title=Punchout |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |url-status=live }} as a boxing game featuring a behind-the-character perspective, maneuvers such as blocking and dodging, and stamina meters that are depleted or replenished by blows.{{cite journal |date=August 1984 |title=Glass Joe Boxes Clever |url=http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/190/544/punch-out!!_review.html |journal=Computer + Video Games |publisher=Future Publishing |page=47 |access-date=January 2, 2015 |archive-date=October 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022193644/http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/190/544/punch-out!!_review.html |url-status=live }}

Karate Champ was developed by Technōs Japan and released by Data East in May 1984,{{cite web |title=空手道 |trans-title=Karate Dō |url=https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/M730501 |website=Media Arts Database |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |language=ja |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510142418/https://mediaarts-db.bunka.go.jp/id/M730501 |url-status=live }} and is credited with establishing and popularizing the one-on-one fighting game genre.{{cite web | url = http://games.ign.com/articles/840/840621p1.html | title = IGN's Top 10 Most Influential Games | website = IGN | author1 = Ryan Geddes | author2 = Daemon Hatfield | date = December 10, 2007 | access-date = April 14, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120214180351/http://games.ign.com/articles/840/840621p1.html | archive-date = February 14, 2012 | url-status = dead }} A variety of moves can be performed using the dual-joystick controls. It uses a best-of-three matches format like later fighting games, and has training bonus stages. The Player vs Player edition of Karate Champ, released later that year, is also the first fighting game to allow two-player duel.{{cite magazine |last1=Toose |first1=Dan |title=Retrospect: Karate Champ (Vs) Ancient History |magazine=Hyper |date=December 1998 |issue=62 |page=100 |url=https://archive.org/details/hyper-062/page/100}} It influenced Konami's Yie Ar Kung Fu, released in October 1984.{{cite web |title=Yie Ar Kung-Fu (Registration Number PA0000276094) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |url-status=live }} The game drew heavily from Bruce Lee films, with the main player character Oolong modelled after Lee (like in Bruceploitation films). In contrast to the grounded realism of Karate Champ, Yie Ar Kung-Fu moved the genre towards more fantastical, fast-paced action with a variety of special moves and high jumps, establishing the template for subsequent fighting games.{{cite news |last1=Carroll |first1=Martyn |title=The History Of: Yie Ar Kung-fu |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20190516/281646781578341 |access-date=April 10, 2021 |work=Retro Gamer |date=May 16, 2019 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410132417/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20190516/281646781578341 |url-status=live }} It expanded on Karate Champ by pitting the player against a variety of opponents, each with a unique appearance and fighting style.{{cite web|author=Hjul, Alison|date=March 1986|title=Yie Ar Kung Fu|url=https://archive.org/details/your-sinclair-03/page/n19/mode/2up|publisher=Your Sinclair|issue=3|page=19}} The player could also perform up to sixteen different moves,[http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=82 Game of The Week: Yie Ar Kung-Fu] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020173838/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=82 |date=October 20, 2011 }}, GameSpy, accessed February 27, 2011 including projectile attacks,{{Cite book|title=Game Plan: Great Designs That Changed the Face of Computer Gaming|author=Ste Curran|publisher=Rotovision|year=2004|isbn=2-88046-696-2|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXcWlWkIZ0AC&pg=PA40|access-date=April 10, 2011}} and it replaced the point-scoring system of Karate Champ with a health meter system, becoming the standard for the genre.{{cite news |last1=Good |first1=Owen S. |title=Yie Ar Kung Fu, one of the earliest fighting games, comes to Switch and PS4 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/24/20980867/yie-ar-kung-fu-ps4-nintendo-switch-konami-arcade-classics |access-date=May 10, 2021 |work=Polygon |date=November 24, 2019 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510054644/https://www.polygon.com/2019/11/24/20980867/yie-ar-kung-fu-ps4-nintendo-switch-konami-arcade-classics |url-status=live }}

Irem's Kung-Fu Master, designed by Takashi Nishiyama{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=Street Fighter 1: An oral history |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21270906/street-fighter-1-oral-history-takashi-nishiyama |website=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=July 16, 2020 |date=July 7, 2020 |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716104722/https://www.polygon.com/2020/7/7/21270906/street-fighter-1-oral-history-takashi-nishiyama |url-status=live }} and released in November 1984,{{cite web |title=Spartan X (Registration Number PA0000234444) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=United States Copyright Office |access-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-date=May 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |url-status=live }} is a side-scrolling beat 'em up that, at the end of each level, featured one-on-one boss battles that resemble fighting games.{{cite book |last1=Lendino |first1=Jamie |title=Attract Mode: The Rise and Fall of Coin-Op Arcade Games |date=September 27, 2020 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |pages=289–90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d6wCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289 |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=April 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412193215/https://books.google.com/books?id=d6wCEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289 |url-status=live }} It is based on Hong Kong martial arts films, specifically Jackie Chan's Wheels on Meals (1984) and Bruce Lee's Game of Death.{{cite web |last1=Dellafrana |first1=Danilo |title=Le origini di Street Fighter |url=https://www.thegamesmachine.it/speciali/90208/street-fighter/ |website=The Games Machine |access-date=March 20, 2021 |language=it-IT |date=August 29, 2017 |archive-date=April 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420090954/https://www.thegamesmachine.it/speciali/90208/street-fighter/ |url-status=live }} Nishiyama later used its one-on-one boss battles as the basis for his fighting game Street Fighter. Nintendo's boxing sequel Super Punch-Out was released for arcades in late 1984 and ported by Elite to home computers as Frank Bruno's Boxing in 1985,{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Matt |title=The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962–2012, 2d ed. |date=December 1, 2012 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-4766-0067-3 |page=225 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LVc1QNGo_g0C&pg=PA225 |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510041701/https://books.google.com/books?id=LVc1QNGo_g0C&pg=PA225 |url-status=live }} features martial arts elements,{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |date=August 6, 2020 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-1-4766-8420-8 |pages=144–5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510041659/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA144 |url-status=live }} high and low guarding, ducking, lateral dodging, and a KO meter. This meter is built up with successful attacks and, when full, enables a special, more powerful punch to be thrown.{{cite web|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue19/Pages/Crash1900022.jpg |title=Archive – Magazine viewer |publisher=World of Spectrum |access-date=February 18, 2013}} Broderbund's Karateka, designed by Jordan Mechner and released at the end of 1984,{{cite magazine |last1=Hurlbert |first1=Jeff |title=The Games of 1984: In Review – Part II |magazine=Hardcore Computist |date=1985 |issue=19 |pages=12–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/computist-scan-19/page/n13/mode/2up}} is a one-on-one fighting game for home computers that successfully added plot to its fighting action, like the beat 'em up Kung-Fu Master.

By early 1985, martial arts games had become popular in arcades.{{cite magazine |last1=Roberts |first1=Mike |title=Coin-Op Connection |magazine=Computer Gamer |date=May 1985 |issue=2 |pages=26–7 |publisher=Argus Press |location=United Kingdom |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Issue_02_1985-05_Argus_Press_GB/page/n25/mode/2up}} On home computers, the Japanese MSX version of Yie Ar Kung-Fu was released in January 1985,{{cite web |title=Yie Ar Kung-Fu |url=https://www.generation-msx.nl/software/konami/yie-ar-kung-fu/377/ |website=Generation-MSX |access-date=May 7, 2021 |archive-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510142359/https://www.generation-msx.nl/software/konami/yie-ar-kung-fu/377/ |url-status=live }} and Beam Software's The Way of the Exploding Fist was released for PAL regions in May 1985;{{cite magazine |title=Special Feature: Happy Birthday! |magazine=Popular Computing Weekly |date=May 1, 1987 |pages=14–18 (18) |url=https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1987-05-01/page/n17}} The Way of the Exploding Fist borrowed heavily from Karate Champ,{{cite journal|date=July 11, 1985|title=Way of the Exploding Fist|url=https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-004/page/n29/mode/2up|journal=Zzap!64|issue=4 (August 1985)|pages=30–32}} but nevertheless achieved critical success and afforded the burgeoning genre further popularity on home computers in PAL regions,{{cite web|author1=Candy, Robin|author2=Eddy, Ricky|date=October 1987|title=Run it Again!|url=https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-45/page/n37/mode/2up|publisher=Crash|issue=45|pages=38}}{{cite web|author=Davies, Jonathan|date=October 1988|title=Karate Ace|url=https://archive.org/details/your-sinclair-34/page/n45/mode/2up|publisher=Your Sinclair|issue=34|page=46}} becoming the UK's best-selling computer game of 1985.{{cite magazine |title=News Desk: Exploding Fist tops Gallup 1985 charts |magazine=Popular Computing Weekly |date=March 20, 1986 |page=4 |url=https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1986-03-20/page/n3}} In North America, Data East ported Karate Champ to home computers in October 1985,Data East USA, Inc. v. Epyx, Inc., [http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/862/862.F2d.204.87-2294.html 862 F. 2d 204, 9 U.S.P.Q.2d (BNA) 1322] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516005748/http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/862/862.F2d.204.87-2294.html |date=May 16, 2010 }} (9th Cir. 1988). becoming one of the best-selling computer games of the late 1980s.{{cite book |last1=Petska-Juliussen |first1=Karen |last2=Juliussen |first2=Egil |title=The Computer Industry Almanac 1990 |date=1990 |publisher=Brady |isbn=978-0-13-154122-1 |location=New York |pages=3.10–11 |url=https://archive.org/details/computerindustry00kare/page/n265/mode/2up}}{{cite journal | author=Worley, Joyce | title=Mega Hits: The Best of the Best | journal=Video Games & Computer Entertainment | issue=11 | date=December 1989 | url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_11_December_1989 | pages=130–132, 137, 138 }} Other game developers also imitated Karate Champ, notably System 3's computer game International Karate, released in Europe in November 1985; after Epyx released it in North America in April 1986, Data East took unsuccessful legal action against Epyx over the game. Yie Ar Kung-Fu went on to become the UK's best-selling computer game of 1986, the second year in a row for fighting games.{{cite magazine |title=Yie Ar tops charts for 1986 |magazine=Popular Computing Weekly |date=February 12, 1987 |page=6 |url=https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1987-02-12/page/n5}} The same year, Martech's Uchi Mata for home computers featured novel controller motions for grappling maneuvers, but they were deemed too difficult.

In the late 1980s, side-scrolling beat 'em ups became considerably more popular than one-on-one fighting games,{{cite web |last1=Leone |first1=Matt |title=Street Fighter 2: An Oral History |url=https://www.polygon.com/a/street-fighter-2-oral-history/ |access-date=April 29, 2021 |website=Polygon |date=February 3, 2014 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515155936/https://www.polygon.com/a/street-fighter-2-oral-history |url-status=live }} with many arcade game developers focused more on producing beat 'em ups and shoot 'em ups.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/sat/segafight/page2.html | title = History of Sega Fighting Games | website = GameSpot | access-date = October 11, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204190119/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/sat/segafight/page2.html | archive-date=February 4, 2009}} Takashi Nishiyama used the one-on-one boss battles of his earlier beat 'em up Kung-Fu Master as the template for Capcom's fighting game Street Fighter, combined with elements of Karate Champ and Yie Ar Kung Fu.{{cite web|title=The History of Street Fighter|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/history.html|website=GameSpot|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204224001/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/sfhistory/history.html|archive-date=February 4, 2009|access-date=October 11, 2008}} Street Fighter found its own niche in the gaming world, which was dominated by beat 'em ups and shoot 'em ups at the time. Part of the game's appeal was the use of special moves that could only be discovered by experimenting with the game controls, which created a sense of mystique and invited players to practice the game. Following Street Fighter's lead, the use of command-based hidden moves began to pervade other games in the rising fighting game genre.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3485/game_design_essentials_20_.php?page=16 | title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Mysterious Games | website = Gamasutra | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081005065837/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3485/game_design_essentials_20_.php?page=16 | archive-date = October 5, 2008 | url-status = live }} Street Fighter also introduced other staples of the genre, including the blocking technique, as well as the ability for a challenger to jump in and initiate a match against a player at any time. The game also introduced pressure-sensitive controls that determine the strength of an attack, though due to causing damaged arcade cabinets, Capcom replaced it soon after with a six-button control scheme offering light, medium, and hard punches and kicks, which became another staple of the genre.Nadia Oxford, [http://www.1up.com/features/20-years-street-fighter 20 Years of Street Fighter] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121206043053/http://www.1up.com/features/20-years-street-fighter |date=December 6, 2012 }}, 1UP.com, November 12, 2007

In 1988, Home Data released Reikai Dōshi: Chinese Exorcist, also known as Last Apostle Puppet Show, the first fighting game to use digitized sprites and motion capture animation.{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fighters/fighters8.htm|title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Pre-Street Fighter II Fighting Games|access-date=October 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011172741/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/fighters/fighters8.htm|archive-date=October 11, 2014|url-status=live}} Meanwhile, home game consoles largely ignored the genre. Budokan: The Martial Spirit was one of the few releases for the Sega Genesis, but was not as popular as games in other genres. Technical challenges limited the popularity of early fighting games. Programmers had difficulty producing a game that could recognize the fast motions of a joystick, and so players had difficulty executing special moves with any accuracy.

The release of Street Fighter II in 1991 is considered a revolutionary moment in the fighting game genre. Yoshiki Okamoto's team developed the most accurate joystick and button scanning routine in the genre thus far.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} This allowed players to reliably execute multi-button special moves, which had previously required an element of luck. The graphics took advantage of Capcom's CPS arcade chipset, with highly detailed characters and stages. Whereas previous games allowed players to combat a variety of computer-controlled fighters, Street Fighter II allowed players to play against each other. The popularity of Street Fighter II surprised the gaming industry, as arcade owners bought more machines to keep up with demand. Street Fighter II was also responsible for popularizing the combo mechanic, which came about when skilled players learned that they could combine several attacks that left no time for the opponent to recover if they timed them correctly.{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720141819/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-street-fighter-ii |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |title=The Essential 50 Part 32: Street Fighter II |work=1Up.com }}{{cite web |url=http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_24.html |title=The Top 100 Games of All Time! |author=IGN staff |year=2007 |work=IGN.com |access-date=June 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830043153/http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_24.html |archive-date=August 30, 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/street-fighter-ii-things-you-did-not-know |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110401182730/http://www.1up.com/features/street-fighter-ii-things-you-did-not-know |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 1, 2011 |title=20 Things You Didn't Know About Street Fighter II |date=March 30, 2011 |work=1UP.com |access-date=June 16, 2011 }} Its success led to fighting games becoming the dominant genre in the arcade game industry of the early 1990s,{{citation|title=Insert Coin Here: Getting a Fighting Chance|author=Jay Carter|magazine=Electronic Games|date=July 1993|issue=10|url=https://archive.org/stream/Electronic-Games-1993-07/Electronic%20Games%201993-07#page/n15/mode/2up|access-date=December 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402180521/https://archive.org/stream/Electronic-Games-1993-07/Electronic%20Games%201993-07#page/n15/mode/2up|archive-date=April 2, 2016|url-status=live}} which led to a resurgence of the arcade game industry.{{cite web|title=Top 10 Biggest Grossing Arcade Games|website=US Gamer|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time|access-date=January 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231034753/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/top-10-biggest-grossing-arcade-games-of-all-time|archive-date=December 31, 2013|url-status=live}} The popularity of Street Fighter II led it to be released for home game consoles and becoming the defining template for fighting games.

SNK released Fatal Fury shortly after Street Fighter II in 1991. It was designed by Takashi Nishiyama, the creator of the original Street Fighter, which it was envisioned as a spiritual successor to.{{cite web|title=The Man Who Created Street Fighter|url=http://www.1up.com/features/the-man-who-created-street-fighter|last=Leone|first=Matt|website=1UP.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718180754/http://www.1up.com/features/the-man-who-created-street-fighter|archive-date=July 18, 2012|access-date=December 19, 2011}} Fatal Fury placed more emphasis on storytelling and the timing of special moves, and added a two-plane system where characters could step into the foreground or background. Meanwhile, Sega experimented with Dark Edge, an early attempt at a 3D fighting game where characters could move in all directions. However, Sega never released the game outside Japan because it felt that "unrestrained" 3D fighting games were unenjoyable. Sega also attempted to introduce holographic 3D technology to the genre with Holosseum in 1992, though it was unsuccessful.{{cite web|last=Blagdon|first=Jeff|title=Sega's 'Time Traveler' might have changed arcade games, if it wasn't for Street Fighter II|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993327/time-traveler-sega-holographic-game|work=The Verge|access-date=May 24, 2012|date=May 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604084413/http://www.theverge.com/2012/5/2/2993327/time-traveler-sega-holographic-game|archive-date=June 4, 2012|url-status=live}} Several fighting games achieved commercial success, including SNK's Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown as well as Sega's Eternal Champions. Nevertheless, Street Fighter II remained the most popular, spawning a Champion Edition that improved game balance and allowed players to use boss characters that were unselectable in the previous version.

Chicago's Midway Games achieved unprecedented notoriety when they released Mortal Kombat in 1992. The game featured digital characters drawn from real actors, numerous secrets,{{cite web|title=Monday Bloody Monday|url=http://www.1up.com/features/monday-bloody-monday|publisher=1up|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612034315/http://www.1up.com/features/monday-bloody-monday|archive-date=June 12, 2016|access-date=April 29, 2009}} and "Fatality" finishing maneuvers in which the player's character kills their opponent. The game earned a reputation for its gratuitous violence, and was adapted for home game consoles. The home version of Mortal Kombat was released on September 13, 1993, a day promoted as "Mortal Monday". The advertising resulted in line-ups to purchase the game and a subsequent backlash from politicians concerned about the game's violence. The Mortal Kombat franchise would achieve iconic status similar to that of Street Fighter with several sequels as well as movies, television series, and extensive merchandising.{{cite web |author1=O'Neill, Cliff |author2=Greeson, Jeff |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_mortalk/index.html |title=History of Mortal Kombat |website=GameSpot |date=November 1, 1999 |access-date=January 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070322180222/http://uk.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_mortalk/index.html |archive-date=March 22, 2007 }} Numerous other game developers tried to imitate Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat{{'s}} financial success with similar games, including Rare Software with Killer Instinct, a game that featured unprecedentedly detailed pre-rendered 3D graphics and vastly improved on the core concept of combos, presenting a way faster gameplay than most other games of that era, specific combo-breaker maneuvers, and the "Ultra", a series of combined finishing moves surpassing the number of 20 hits. Many of the games of that period were low budget clones of the more popular games, and in some cases this led to controversy; in 1994, Capcom USA took unsuccessful legal action against Data East over the 1993 arcade game Fighter's History, which supposedly plagiarized Street Fighter 2. Data East's largest objection in court was that their 1984 arcade game Karate Champ was the true originator of the competitive fighting game genre, which predated the original Street Fighter by three years,{{cite book|date=December 30, 1994|title=Gamest|volume=134}} but the reason the case was decided against Capcom was that the copied elements were scènes à faire and thus excluded from copyright.Capcom U.S.A. Inc. v. Data East Corp. 1994 WL 1751482 (N.D. Cal. 1994). [http://www.patentarcade.com/2005/08/case-capcom-v-data-east-nd-cal-1994-c.html Analysis at Patent Arcade] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713140945/http://www.patentarcade.com/2005/08/case-capcom-v-data-east-nd-cal-1994-c.html |date=July 13, 2010 }} accessed June 18, 2009.

File:Virtua Fighter.png (1993) is the first widespread 3D fighting game. It is typical of most fighting games in that action takes place in a two-dimensional plane of motion. Here, one player ducks the other's attack.]]

Sega AM2 debuted in the genre with the 1993 arcade game Burning Rival,{{cite web|url=http://www.sega-am2.co.jp/jp/games/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040630004045/http://www.sega-am2.co.jp/jp/games/index.html|title=SEGA-AM2 – Games : 最新のAM2作品 -|archive-date=June 30, 2004}} but they gained renown with the release of Virtua Fighter for the same platform the same year. It is the first fighting game with 3D polygon graphics and a viewpoint that zoomed and rotated with the action. Despite the graphics, players were confined to back and forth motion as seen in other fighting games. With only three buttons, it was easier to learn than Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, which has six and five buttons respectively. By the time the game was released for the Sega Saturn in Japan, the game and system were selling at almost a one-to-one ratio. In 1994, Namco released Tekken, the rival arcade game using cutting-edge 3D polygon technology.{{Cite web |last=Chavez |first=Steven 'Dreamking23' |date=February 8, 2024 |title=It's unbelievable what 30 years has done for Tekken's visuals |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2024/feb/08/tekken-visuals-long-way-1994/ |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=EventHubs |language=en}}

The 1995 PlayStation game Battle Arena Toshinden is credited for taking the genre into "true 3D" due to its introduction of the sidestep maneuver, which IGN described as "one little move" that "changed the fighter forever". The "sidestep" in the game, however, consisted of shoulder rolls instead of actual sidesteps.{{YouTube|vtSlGWHdE3U}}{{cite web|title=Battle Arena Toshinden takes the fighter into true 3-D, but is it enough?|url=http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/150/150716p1.html|website=IGN|access-date=August 31, 2011|date=November 21, 1996|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822005754/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/150/150716p1.html|archive-date=August 22, 2012}} That year, Namco released Tekken 2, which introduced actual sidestepping or "mist steps" as first released in arcade games and in the international fighting game community. These moves are only exclusive to its two protagonists, Heihachi Mishima and his son, Kazuya Mishima, and his counterpart transformation which is the final boss in the arcade mode. The mist steps also allow combos to be performed as a manner of "crouch dashing," or when the Mishima player could run to the opponent while crouching since regular running prevented executing easy combos.{{Cite web|title=Tekken 7 - Regarding the Change to the Sidestepping|url=http://www.avoidingthepuddle.com/news/2015/5/14/tekken-7-regarding-the-change-to-the-sidestepping.html|date=May 14, 2015}}{{Cite web|title=Sorry kids, Tekken has NOT always been about juggling|url=https://steamcommunity.com/app/389730/discussions/0/2381701715727063368/?l=hungarian&ctp=6|date=October 23, 2017}} Polygonal fighters became trendy and many developers started to make them. Further all-new titles were released in 1995: Zero Divide on the PlayStation,{{Cite web |title=[レビュー] ゼロ・ディバイド (PS) (1995年のゲーム) {{!}} 思考回廊 |url=https://trynext.com/review/page/b00008hw0j.php |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=思考回廊：レビュー |language=ja |archive-date=August 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240820181425/https://trynext.com/review/page/b00008hw0j.php |url-status=dead }} the Western-developed FX Fighter on PC and Criticom on console,{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=May 1996 |title=Maximum Reviews |url=https://www.outofprintarchive.com/catalogue/maximum/Maximum006.html |magazine=Maximum - The Video Game Magazine |publisher=EMAP |page=122 |volume= |issue=6 |accessdate=}} and Sega's arcade Fighting Vipers - on top of Tekken 2, an updated Battle Arena Toshinden 2, and console ports of Tekken and Virtua Fighter 2. A multitude of new polygonal releases arrived in 1996 from both prime and smaller developers, major games being Virtua Fighter 3, Soul Edge, Dead or Alive, Last Bronx (in Japan),{{cite magazine |date=June 1997 |title=Tokyo Game Show Report from Japan |url=https://archive.org/stream/NextGeneration30Jun1997/Next_Generation_30_Jun_1997#page/n16 |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |page=16 |issue=30}} and the home port of Tekken 2,{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=May 1996 |title=Virtua Fighter 3 steals US show |url=https://dn790006.ca.archive.org/0/items/Next-Generation-1996-05/Next%20Generation%201996-05.pdf |magazine=Next Generation |publisher= |page=21 |volume= |issue= |accessdate=}} cementing 3D as the future of the genre.{{Cite magazine |date=April 1997 |title=An interview with Noritaka Funamizu |magazine=Next Generation |page=70 |issue=28}}

In 1994, SNK released The King of Fighters '94 in arcades, where players choose from teams of three characters to eliminate each other one by one.{{cite web | url = http://wii.ign.com/articles/852/852523p1.html | title = IGN: King of Fighters '94 | website = IGN | access-date = October 17, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081005211302/http://wii.ign.com/articles/852/852523p1.html | archive-date = October 5, 2008 | url-status = dead }} Eventually, Capcom released further updates to Street Fighter II, including Super Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II Turbo. These games feature more characters and new moves, some of which are a response to hackers of the original Street Fighter II game to add new features. However, criticism of these updates grew as players demanded a true sequel. By 1995, the dominant franchises were the Mortal Kombat series in America and the Virtua Fighter series in Japan, with Street Fighter Alpha unable to match the popularity of Street Fighter II. Throughout this period, the fighting game was the dominant genre in competitive video gaming, with enthusiasts popularly attending arcades in order to find human opponents. The genre was also very popular on home consoles. At the beginning of 1996, GamePro (a magazine devoted chiefly to home console and handheld gaming) reported that for the last several years, their reader surveys had consistently yielded 4 out of 5 respondents name fighting games as their favorite genre.{{cite magazine|title=King Doom vs. King Kombat |magazine=GamePro |issue=90 |publisher=IDG|date=March 1996|page=12}}

In the late 1990s, traditional 2D fighting games began to decline in popularity, with specific franchises falling into difficulty due to 3D fighters. Although the release of Street Fighter EX introduced 3D graphics to the series,{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198825-street-fighter-ex-plus-alpha/index.html |title=Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha for PlayStation |work=GameRankings |date=September 30, 1997 |access-date=June 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115244/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198825-street-fighter-ex-plus-alpha/index.html |archive-date=July 19, 2011 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152120p1.html |title=Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha – PlayStation Review at IGN |work=Uk.psx.ign.com |date=October 26, 1997 |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831203226/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152120p1.html |archive-date=August 31, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Imagine+Media%27s+PSM+Names+Top+25+PlayStation+Games+of+All+Time.-a050215867|title=Imagine Media's PSM Names Top 25 PlayStation Games of All Time|date=August 3, 2011|access-date=May 19, 2011|publisher=Imagine Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610005652/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Imagine+Media%27s+PSM+Names+Top+25+PlayStation+Games+of+All+Time.-a050215867|archive-date=June 10, 2013|url-status=live}} both it and Street Fighter: The Movie flopped in arcades. A home video game also titled Street Fighter: The Movie was released for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, but it is not a port, but a separately produced game based on the same premise.All About Capcom Head-to-Head Fighting Game 1987–2000, pg. 288 Capcom released Street Fighter III in 1997 which features improved 2D visuals, but is also unable to match the impact of earlier games. Excitement stirred in Japan over Virtua Fighter 3 in arcades, and Sega eventually ported the game to its Dreamcast console.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/virtuafighter3tb/news.html?sid=2448719 | title = Dreamcast Virtua Fighter 3 Ships | work = GameSpot | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090204185410/http://www.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/virtuafighter3tb/news.html?sid=2448719 | archive-date = February 4, 2009 | url-status = live }} Meanwhile, SNK released several fighting games on its Neo Geo platform, including Samurai Shodown II in 1994, Real Bout Fatal Fury in 1995, The Last Blade in 1997, and annual updates to its The King of Fighters franchise.{{cite web | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6089278/index.html | title = The History of SNK | work = GameSpot | access-date = January 12, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090216195839/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6089278/index.html | archive-date = February 16, 2009}} Garou: Mark of the Wolves from 1999 (part of the Fatal Fury series) was considered one of SNK's last great games;{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-mark-of-the-wolves-review/1900-2822675/ | title = Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Review | work = GameSpot | author = Andrew Seyoon Park | date = November 5, 2001 | access-date = June 19, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160413085419/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fatal-fury-mark-of-the-wolves-review/1900-2822675/ | archive-date = April 13, 2016 | url-status = live }} the company announced that it would close its doors in late 2001.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_16.html | title = The Best and Worst of 2001 – BEST FIGHTING GAME | work = GameSpot | year = 2001 | access-date = November 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090205011140/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/bestof_2001/p3_16.html | archive-date = February 5, 2009 | url-status = live }} Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that in 1996, U.S. gamers spent nearly $150 million on current generation fighting games, and in Japan, fighting games accounted for over 80% of video game sales.{{cite magazine|date=October 1997|title=Everybody's Kung-Fu Fighting|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/EGM_US_099.pdf|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|publisher=Ziff Davis|issue=99|page=196|access-date=June 1, 2020|archive-date=July 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719142433/https://retrocdn.net/images/6/6b/EGM_US_099.pdf|url-status=live}}

The fighting game genre continued to evolve, with several strong 3D fighting games emerging in the late 1990s. Namco's Tekken (released in arcades in 1994 and on the PlayStation in 1995) proved critical to the PlayStation's early success, with its sequels also becoming some of the console's most important games.{{cite web | author = Gerstmann, Jeff | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/tekken3/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Tekken 3 Review | website = GameSpot | date = March 30, 1998 | access-date = January 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716220916/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/tekken3/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 16, 2012}} The Soul series of weapon-based fighting games also achieved considerable critical success, beginning with 1995's Soul Edge (known as Soul Blade outside Japan) to Soulcalibur VI in 2018.{{cite web | author = Robertson, Ed | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/soulblade/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Soul Blade Review | website = GameSpot | date = April 3, 1997 | access-date = January 11, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716024748/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps/action/soulblade/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 16, 2012}}{{cite web|title=Soulcalibur IV Review|url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/soulcalibur-iv-review/1900-6195194/|author=Calvert, Justin|date=July 31, 2008|website=GameSpot|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507095551/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/soulcaliburiv/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review&page=2|archive-date=May 7, 2010|access-date=January 11, 2009}} Tecmo released Dead or Alive in the arcades in 1996, porting it for the PlayStation in 1998. It spawned a long-running franchise, known for its fast-paced control system, innovative counterattacks, and environmental hazards. The series again included games important to the success of their respective consoles, such as Dead or Alive 3 for the Xbox and Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360.{{cite web | author = Staff | url = http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152306p1.html | title = Dead or Alive (PS) | website = IGN | date = March 27, 1998 | access-date = January 12, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110713005618/http://uk.psx.ign.com/articles/152/152306p1.html | archive-date = July 13, 2011}}{{cite web|title=Two Men Enter, One Man Leaves...|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/two-men-enter-one-man-leaves/1100-6142102/|author=Rorie, Matthew|date=January 9, 2006|work=GameSpot|access-date=January 12, 2009}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In 1998, Bushido Blade, published by Square, introduced a realistic fighting engine that features three-dimensional environments while abandoning time limits and health bars in favor of an innovative Body Damage System, where a sword strike to a certain body part can amputate a limb or decapitate the head.{{cite web|title=Top 25 Beat-'Em-Ups: Part 1|work=Retro Gamer| date=October 2, 2009|url=http://www.nowgamer.com/features/434/top-25-beat-em-ups-pt-1|archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160523152229/http://www.nowgamer.com/features/434/top-25-beat-em-ups-pt-1|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 23, 2016|access-date=March 17, 2011}}

Video game enthusiasts took an interest in fictional crossovers, which feature characters from multiple franchises in a particular game.{{cite news | url = http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Nintendo-designs-fighting-game-for-its-Wii-console/284337/ | title = Nintendo designs fighting game for its Wii console | newspaper = The Financial Express | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080622032815/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Nintendo-designs-fighting-game-for-its-Wii-console/284337/ | archive-date = June 22, 2008 | url-status = live }} An early example of this type of fighting game is the 1996 arcade release X-Men vs. Street Fighter (which later became the Marvel vs. Capcom series), featuring comic book superheroes and characters from other Capcom games.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}} In 1999, Nintendo released the first game in the Super Smash Bros. series, which allowed match-ups from various franchises, such as Pikachu vs. Mario.

In the early 2000s, the fighting genre boom turned to bust. In retrospect, multiple developers attribute its decline to its increasing complexity and specialization, and to other factors such as over-saturation. This complexity shut out casual players, and the market for fighting games became smaller and more specialized.{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rare-may-do-new-killer-instinct | title = Rare "may do" new Killer Instinct | author = Johnny Minkley | date = November 26, 2008 | access-date = November 28, 2008 | website = Eurogamer | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090203113801/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rare-may-do-new-killer-instinct | archive-date = February 3, 2009 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3791/saving_street_fighter_yoshi_ono_.php?page=2 | title = Saving Street Fighter: Yoshi Ono on Building Street Fighter IV | publisher = GamaSutra | access-date = October 12, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081013190454/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3791/saving_street_fighter_yoshi_ono_.php?page=2 | archive-date = October 13, 2008 | url-status = live }} Even as far back as 1997, many in the industry said that the fighting game market's growing inaccessibility to newcomers was bringing an end to the genre's dominance.{{cite magazine |first=Crispin |last=Boyer |title=EGM Takes a Time-Tripping Look at the Evolution of Arcades|magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis |issue=103 |date=February 1998 |pages=91–92}} Furthermore, arcades gradually became less profitable throughout the late 1990s to early 2000s due to the increased technical power and popularity of home consoles. The early 2000s is considered to be the "Dark Age" of fighting games.

The two most prolific developers of 2D fighting games, Capcom and SNK, combined intellectual property to produce SNK vs. Capcom games. SNK released the first game of this type, SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, for its Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld at the end of 1999. GameSpot regarded the game as "perhaps the most highly anticipated fighter ever" and called it the best fighting game ever to be released for a handheld console.{{cite web | author = Mielke, James | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ngpc/action/snkvscapcommatchoftm/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium Review | website = GameSpot | date = January 28, 2000 | access-date = February 5, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715185555/http://uk.gamespot.com/ngpc/action/snkvscapcommatchoftm/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 15, 2012 }}{{cite web | author = Lopez, Miguel | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/dreamcast/action/capcomvssnkmf2000/review.html| title = Capcom vs. SNK Review | website = GameSpot | date = September 14, 2000 | access-date = February 5, 2009 }} {{dead link|date=January 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} Capcom released Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 for arcades and the Dreamcast in 2000, followed by sequels in subsequent years. Though none matched the critical success of the handheld version, Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO was noted as the first game of the genre to successfully utilize internet competition.{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox/action/capcomvssnk2eo/review.html | title = Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO Review | website = GameSpot | date = February 14, 2003 | access-date = February 5, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120723144609/http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox/action/capcomvssnk2eo/review.html | archive-date = July 23, 2012 }} Other crossovers from 2008 included Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.{{cite web | author = Miller, Greg | url = http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/930/930344p1.html | title = Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe Review | website = IGN | date = November 15, 2008 | access-date = April 29, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090331104300/http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/930/930344p1.html | archive-date = March 31, 2009 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | author = Tanaka, John | url = http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/937/937796p1.html | title = Tatsunoko VS Capcom Playtest | website = IGN | date = December 11, 2008 | access-date = February 5, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090121081122/http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/937/937796p1.html | archive-date = January 21, 2009 | url-status = live }} The most successful crossover, however, was Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. Featuring 40 characters from Nintendo and third-party franchises, the game was a runaway commercial success in addition to being lavished with critical praise.{{cite web | author = Casamassina, Matt | url = http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/856/856580p3.html | title = Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review | website = IGN | date = March 4, 2008 | access-date = January 31, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207092541/http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/856/856580p3.html | archive-date = February 7, 2009 | url-status = live }}{{cite web | url = https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AU8xLess7wISKbSMpYCj_HThii8UiBzG | title = Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smashes Nintendo Sales Records | publisher = Nintendo.com | date = March 17, 2008 | access-date = February 6, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080915093943/http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AU8xLess7wISKbSMpYCj_HThii8UiBzG | archive-date = September 15, 2008 | url-status = live }}

In the new millennium, fighting games became less popular and plentiful than in the mid-1990s, with multiplayer competition shifting towards other genres.{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespot.com/best-of/genreawards/index.html?page=5 | title = GameSpot's Best of 2007: Best Fighting Game Genre Awards | website = GameSpot | access-date = October 12, 2008 }} {{dead link|date=August 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} However, SNK reappeared in 2003 as SNK Playmore and continued to release games. Arc System Works received critical acclaim for releasing Guilty Gear X in 2001, as well as its sequel Guilty Gear XX, as both were 2D fighting games featuring striking anime-inspired graphics.{{cite web | author = Kasavin, Greg | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/guiltygearx2/review.html?tag=summary;read-review | title = Guilty Gear X2 Review | website = GameSpot | date = February 1, 2003 | access-date = February 5, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120716013149/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/guiltygearx2/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;read-review | archive-date = July 16, 2012 }} Fighting games became a popular genre for amateur and doujin developers in Japan. The 2002 title Melty Blood was developed by then-amateur developer French Bread and achieved cult success on the PC. It became highly popular in arcades following its 2005 release, and a version was released for the PlayStation 2 the following year.Arcade Mania!, pp. 109–112. The late 1990s and early 2000s saw the rise in online gaming. In 2004, Mortal Kombat: Deception, Dead or Alive Ultimate, and the Xbox version of Street Fighter Anniversary Collection became the first fighting games to offer online multiplayer and have received positive reception from critics. While the genre became generally far less popular than it once was, arcades and their attendant fighting games remained reasonably popular in Japan during this time period, and remain so even today. Virtua Fighter 5 lacked an online mode, but still achieved success both on home consoles and in arcades; players practiced at home and went to arcades to compete face-to-face with opponents.Arcade Mania!, pp. 108–109. In addition to Virtua Fighter, the Tekken, Soul and Dead or Alive franchises continued to release installments. Classic Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat games were re-released on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, allowing internet play, and in some cases, HD graphics.{{cite web | url = http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/streetfighter2livearcadexbox360/default.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090430183304/http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/s/streetfighter2livearcadexbox360/default.htm | archive-date = April 30, 2009 | title = Xbox Live: Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting | publisher = Xbox.com | access-date = February 6, 2009 }}{{cite web |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/superstreetfighteriiturbohdremix/index.html |title=Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix PS3 - GameSpot.com |publisher=Uk.gamespot.com |access-date=June 1, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090209210333/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/superstreetfighteriiturbohdremix/index.html |archive-date=February 9, 2009 }}

The early part of the decade had seen the rise of competitive video gaming, referred to by the term Esports. The rise in esports saw the rise of major international fighting game tournaments such as Tougeki – Super Battle Opera and Evolution Championship Series, and famous players such as Daigo Umehara.{{cite web|title=Being The Very Best at Fighting Games|url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3180053|author=Kevin Gifford|date=June 23, 2010|publisher=1UP|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629070056/http://www.1up.com/news/fighting-games|archive-date=June 29, 2011|access-date=June 24, 2010}}{{cite web|title=Daigo Umehara: The King of Fighters|website=Eurogamer|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/daigo-umehara-the-king-of-fighters-interview|access-date=May 18, 2010|date=November 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516232037/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/daigo-umehara-the-king-of-fighters-interview|archive-date=May 16, 2010|url-status=live}} An important fighting game at the time was Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, originally released in 1999. The game gained significant attention with "Evo Moment 37", also known as the "Daigo Parry", which refers to a portion of a 3rd Strike semi-final match held at Evolution Championship Series 2004 (Evo 2004) between Daigo Umehara and Justin Wong. During this match, Umehara made an unexpected comeback by parrying 15 consecutive hits of Wong's "Super Art" move using Chun-Li while Umehara had only one pixel on his health bar. Umehara subsequently won the match. "Evo Moment #37" is frequently described as the most iconic and memorable moment in the history of competitive video gaming, compared to sports moments such as Babe Ruth's called shot and the Ice Hockey Miracle on Ice.{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/someone-wrote-a-book-about-street-fighters-greatest-mat-1563009143|work=Kotaku|title=Someone Wrote A Book About Street Fighter's Greatest Match|last=Narcisse|first=Evan|date=April 14, 2014|access-date=September 18, 2021|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022093742/https://kotaku.com/someone-wrote-a-book-about-street-fighters-greatest-mat-1563009143|url-status=live}} It inspired many to start playing 3rd Strike, which brought new life into the fighting game community (FGC) during a time when the community was in a state of stagnation.{{Cite web|url = https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/nov/22/justin-wong-evo-moment-37-may-have-helped-save-fgc-many-games-were-dying-time-and-it-brought-some-new-life-scene/|title = Justin Wong: EVO moment #37 may have helped save the FGC as many games were dying at the time, it brought some new life to the scene|date = November 22, 2014|access-date = September 18, 2021|archive-date = April 29, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210429063956/https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2014/nov/22/justin-wong-evo-moment-37-may-have-helped-save-fgc-many-games-were-dying-time-and-it-brought-some-new-life-scene/|url-status = live}}{{cite news |last1=Learned |first1=John |title=How a Parry Saved Street Fighter: 20 Years of 3rd Strike |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/how-a-parry-saved-street-fighter-20-years-of-street-fighter-3-3rd-strike |access-date=September 18, 2021 |work=USgamer |date=May 13, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715215250/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/how-a-parry-saved-street-fighter-20-years-of-street-fighter-3-3rd-strike |url-status=live }} Fighting games have also been featured in esports scenes with variety of gaming genres, with Dead or Alive 3 becoming the fighting game to be included in the Xbox Championship in 2004,{{Cite web|url=https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20040307/ms.htm|title="Xbox Championship Vol.4 ~DEAD OR ALIVE 3" Kansai teams win both team and individual competitions|website=Game Watch|date=7 March 2004|language=ja|access-date= }} and Dead or Alive Ultimate becoming the first fighting game to be included in the World Cyber Games (WCG) in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.wcg.com//6th//history//wcg2005//wcg2005_overview.asp|title=WCG Official Website - WCG History - WCG 2005|publisher=World Cyber Games|access-date=13 April 2023|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808133059/http://www.wcg.com//6th//history//wcg2005//wcg2005_overview.asp|archive-date=8 August 2010}} Dead or Alive 4 became the first fighting game to have a televised competitive esport scene as it was the only fighting game included in the esport league, the Championship Gaming Series (CGS), in 2007 and 2008. The league was operated and fully broadcast by DirecTV in association with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) and STAR TV.[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19663003/ CNBC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711191339/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19663003/ |date=July 11, 2007 }}{{cite web |title=Champion Gaming Series Games |work=Championship Gaming Series |url=http://www.thecgs.com/index.php?s=games |access-date=October 7, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007011852/http://www.thecgs.com/index.php?s=games |archive-date=October 7, 2007 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.hotspawn.com/other/guides/championship-gaming-series-ahead-of-its-time| title=CHAMPIONSHIP GAMING SERIES: A CONCEPT "AHEAD OF ITS TIME"| website=Hotspawn | date=January 8, 2023| publisher=Lawrence "Malystryx" Phillips | access-date=April 13, 2023}} Dead or Alive has been credited for launching the careers of pro-gamer turned Koei Tecmo employee, Emmanuel Rodriguez,{{cite web|url=https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/06/11/esports-master-landed-dream-job-at-team-ninja/|title=How an Esports "Master" Landed His Dream Job at Team Ninja to Help Players Be Great|publisher=Xbox.com|first=Jon|last=Robinson|date=June 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611222410/https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2021/06/11/esports-master-landed-dream-job-at-team-ninja/|archive-date=June 11, 2021|url-status=live}} and the highest-paid women pro-gamers, Kat Gunn and Vanessa Arteaga.{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Maddy |title=Ten Years Ago, Dead Or Alive Launched The Careers Of The Highest-Paid Women Pro Gamers |url=https://compete.kotaku.com/ten-years-ago-dead-or-alive-launched-the-careers-of-th-1795048304 |access-date=May 2, 2021 |work=Kotaku |date=May 9, 2017}}

File:EVO 2008 - Street Fighter IV.jpg event at Evo 2009]]

The late 2000s featured a number of games that sparked another surge in fighting game popularity. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released in early March 2008 to universal acclaim and went on to set a new record in sales, at one point selling at 120 units per minute.{{Cite web|title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smashes Nintendo Sales Records|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/super-smash-bros-brawl-smashes-nintendo-sales-records|publisher=Games Industry International|date=March 18, 2008}} Another game was Street Fighter IV, the series' first mainline title since Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike in 1999, which was released in early 2009 also to critical acclaim,{{cite web | author = Chiappini, Dan | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/streetfighteriv/review.html?tag=summary;read-review&page=2 | title = Street Fighter IV Review | website = GameSpot | date = February 18, 2009 | access-date = February 26, 2009 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090225102747/http://uk.gamespot.com/ps3/action/streetfighteriv/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review&page=2 | archive-date = February 25, 2009 }} having garnered praise since its debut at Japanese arcades in July 2008.{{cite web | author = Rogers, Tim | url = http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-20-best-games-tgs?page=0,3 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081015034257/http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-20-best-games-tgs?page=0%2C3 | archive-date = October 15, 2008 | title = The 20 Best Games at TGS | publisher = Edge Online | date = October 12, 2008 | access-date = February 9, 2009 }} The console versions of Street Fighter IV, as well as the updated Super Street Fighter IV, sold more than 6 million copies over the next few years.{{cite web|url=http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |title=Platinum Titles |date=December 31, 2012 |access-date=February 8, 2012 |publisher=Capcom |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208030840/http://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/business/million.html |archive-date=February 8, 2015 }} The success of these two games, among others, sparked a renaissance for the genre,{{cite press release |url=https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AU8xLess7wISKbSMpYCj_HThii8UiBzG |title=Super Smash Bros. Brawl Smashes Nintendo Sales Records |publisher=Nintendo |date=March 17, 2008 |access-date=August 3, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915093943/http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/AU8xLess7wISKbSMpYCj_HThii8UiBzG |archive-date=September 15, 2008}}{{cite web|title=Marvel vs Capcom 3|work=Computer and Video Games|date=February 5, 2011|url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/287197/previews/marvel-vs-capcom-3-the-most-bonkers-beat-em-up-of-the-year/|access-date=February 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208014319/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/287197/previews/marvel-vs-capcom-3-the-most-bonkers-beat-em-up-of-the-year/|archive-date=February 8, 2011|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Review|date=February 16, 2011 |publisher=Shacknews|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/67542/marvel-vs-capcom-3-fate|access-date=February 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323235105/http://www.shacknews.com/article/67542/marvel-vs-capcom-3-fate|archive-date=March 23, 2011|url-status=live}} introducing new players to the genre and with the increased audience allowing other fighting game franchises to achieve successful revivals of their own, as well as increasing tournament participation.{{cite web|last=Kemps|first=Heidi|title=Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Review|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown/reviews/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown-review-6382527/|website=GameSpot|access-date=June 16, 2012|date=June 14, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618082928/http://uk.gamespot.com/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown/reviews/virtua-fighter-5-final-showdown-review-6382527/|archive-date=June 18, 2012}} Tekken 6 was building off the popularity of its previous iteration and was still positively received, selling more than 3 million copies worldwide by August 2010, one year after its release.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-06-tekken-6-breaks-million-marker|title=Tekken 6 breaks 3 million sales|website=Eurogamer|date=August 6, 2010|access-date=August 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625085801/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-08-06-tekken-6-breaks-million-marker|archive-date=June 25, 2017|url-status=live}} Other successful games that followed include Mortal Kombat,{{cite web|last=Guzman|first=Eric|title=Dead or Alive 5, Persona 4 Arena, Virtua Fighter 5, and more – the E3 fighters|url=http://www.2d-x.com/dead-or-alive-5-persona-4-arena-virtua-fighter-5-and-more-fighting-games-are-back/|publisher=2D-X|access-date=June 16, 2012|date=June 11, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615233141/http://www.2d-x.com/dead-or-alive-5-persona-4-arena-virtua-fighter-5-and-more-fighting-games-are-back/|archive-date=June 15, 2012}} Marvel vs. Capcom 3, The King of Fighters XIII, Dead or Alive 5, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Soulcalibur V,{{cite web |last=Basile |first=Sal |title=SoulCalibur V Review |url=http://www.ugo.com/games/soulcalibur-v-review |publisher=UGO Networks |access-date=August 29, 2012 |date=January 31, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202211050/http://www.ugo.com/games/soulcalibur-v-review |archive-date=February 2, 2012 }} and Guilty Gear Xrd. Though the critically acclaimed Virtua Fighter 5 was released to very little acclaim in 2007, its update Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown received much more attention due to renewed interest in the genre.

Numerous indie fighting games have also been crowdfunded on websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, the most notable success being the tag team fighting game Skullgirls in 2012. Later, in 2019, Ubisoft reported that the free-to-play platform fighting game Brawlhalla reached 20 million players, with it climbing to 80 million by 2022.{{Cite web|title=Brawlhalla celebrates 20 million players|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/109934/brawlhalla-celebrates-20-million-players|access-date=June 21, 2020|website=Shacknews|date=February 14, 2019 |language=en|archive-date=June 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624064058/https://www.shacknews.com/article/109934/brawlhalla-celebrates-20-million-players|url-status=live}}

In 2018, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch was released. It became the best-selling fighting game of all time, topping its Wii predecessor Super Smash Bros. Brawl and introduced nearly 90 characters through its default mode and through downloadable content or DLC,{{cite web |last=Mammit |first=Aaron |title=Super Smash Bros. Ultimate earns title of best-selling fighting game in history |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/super-smash-bros-ultimate-best-selling-fighting-game/ |date=November 3, 2019 |access-date=November 4, 2019 |publisher=Digital Trends |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104010049/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/super-smash-bros-ultimate-best-selling-fighting-game/ |archive-date=November 4, 2019 |url-status=live }} having sold 34.22 million copies worldwide.{{Cite web|title=IR Information: Sales Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html|date=March 31, 2024|website=Nintendo|access-date=August 6, 2021|archive-date=January 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130072006/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html|url-status=live}} Later in the mid-2020s, the genre achieved another renaissance with the arrival of Street Fighter 6 and its immediate success, together with Mortal Kombat 1 and Tekken 8. Street Fighter 6 sold over 1 million copies within five days after its launch,{{Cite press release |title=Street Fighter 6 Sells Over 1 Million Units Worldwide! – New title appeals to broad range of players, from fighting game newcomers to core fans alike, while Street Fighter series cumulative sales pass 50 million units |url=https://www.capcom.co.jp/ir/english/news/html/e230607.html |language=en-US |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=Capcom |date=June 7, 2023}} and sold over 3 million copies by January 2024.{{Cite web |last=Yin-Poole |first=Wesley |date=January 16, 2024 |title=Street Fighter 6 Punches Through 3 Million Copies Sold |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/street-fighter-6-punches-through-3-million-copies-sold |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=IGN |language=en}} Mortal Kombat 1 sold over 2 million copies in its first two months,{{Cite web |date=November 9, 2023 |title=Mortal Kombat 1 has sold nearly 3 million copies since the late 2023 launch |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/137751/mortal-kombat-1-3-million-copies |access-date=November 12, 2023 |website=Shacknews |language=en}} and garnered over 3 million copies by January 2024,{{Cite web |title=Mortal Kombat 1 Has Sold 3 Million Units |url=https://gamingbolt.com/mortal-kombat-1-has-sold-3-million-units |access-date=January 30, 2024 |website=GamingBolt |language=en-US}} while the latest game Tekken 8, which was released in January 2024 sold over 2 million copies in its first month alone.{{Cite web|last=Ashley|first=Jordan|title=TEKKEN 8 SALES GO BEYOND 2 MILLION IN LATEST UPDATE

|url=https://www.esports.net/news/fighting-games/tekken-8-sales/|date=February 2024}} Thus, the 2020s have had a marked resurgence in fighting games that has been deemed a new golden age in fighting games.{{Cite web|last=Middler|first=Jordan|title= 2024 PREVIEW: HOW STRONG IS TEKKEN 8 IN A GOLDEN AGE OF FIGHTING GAMES?|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/2024-preview-how-strong-is-tekken-8-in-a-golden-age-of-fighting-games/|date=December 31, 2023}}{{Cite web|last=Taylor-Kent|first=Oscar|title=Tekken 8 review: "We're in the Golden Age for fighting games, and Tekken is the king"|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/tekken-8-review/|date=January 23, 2024}}

The following are the highest-grossing fighting game franchises, in terms of total gross revenue generated by arcade games, console games, and computer games.

The following are the best-selling fighting arcade video game franchises that have sold at least 10,000 arcade units. The prices of fighting game arcade units ranged from {{US$|1300|long=no|1992|round=-2}} for Street Fighter II Dash (Champion Edition) in 1992,{{Cite book|title=Game plan: great designs that changed the face of computer gaming|author=Ste Curran|publisher=Rotovision|year=2004|isbn=2-88046-696-2|page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXcWlWkIZ0AC&pg=PA38|access-date=April 11, 2011|quote=When Street Fighter II' (pronounced street fighter two dash) was released just a short time later, it sold around 140,000 units, at ¥160.000 (c. US $1300 / £820) each. The figures were beyond massive — they were simply unheard of. Capcom's Titanic wasn't sinking. Anything but. The game was a runaway success in its territory of choice, bringing Western gamers as much joy as it had in the East.|archive-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418053920/https://books.google.com/books?id=TXcWlWkIZ0AC&pg=PA38|url-status=live}} up to {{US$|{{To USD|14|GBR|year=1993|round=yes}},000|long=no|1993|round=-3}} for Virtua Fighter (1993).{{cite magazine |title=Arcade Action: Virtua Fighters |magazine=Computer & Video Games |publisher=EMAP |issue=147 (February 1994) |date=January 15, 1994 |pages=100–1 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/4/4c/CVG_UK_147.pdf#page=100 |access-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019004419/https://retrocdn.net/images/4/4c/CVG_UK_147.pdf#page=100 |url-status=live }} In addition to unit sales, arcade games typically earned the majority of their gross revenue from coin drop earnings.

The following are the best-selling fighting game franchises for home systems, having sold at least 10 million software units for game consoles and personal computers.

The following games are the top ten best-selling fighting arcade video games, in terms of arcade units sold. The prices of fighting game arcade units ranged from {{US$|1300|long=no|1992|round=-2}} for Street Fighter II Dash (Champion Edition) in 1992, up to {{US$|{{To USD|14|GBR|year=1993|round=yes}},000|long=no|1993|round=-3}} for Virtua Fighter (1993). In addition to unit sales, arcade games typically earned the majority of their gross revenue from coin drop earnings, which are unknown for most games. Arcade revenue figures, from unit sales and coin drop earnings, are listed if known.

The following games are the top ten best-selling fighting games for home systems, in terms of software units sold for game consoles and personal computers.

{{Wiktionary|Appendix:Glossary of fighting games}}

• Fighting game community
• List of fighting games
• M.U.G.E.N.
• Platform fighter

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Category:Video game genres