It's ironic that one of the most violent video game genres is also one which has pulled millions of people together; ever since the early days of Fatal Fury and Street Fighter II, the humble 'fighting game' genre has created (and arguably ended) countless friendships. This style of game is perfect for social multiplayer malarkey – and it should come as no surprise to learn that there are plenty of fine examples on Switch thanks to the console's natural affinity for quick blasts of local multiplayer.
We've compiled a selection of the best fighters on Switch, concentrating on versus experiences and competitive slugfests. Switch's mix of new titles, ports from other consoles and the vintage fighters of Hamster's ACA Neo Geo line make it a wonderful place for head-to-head fighting fans, giving you plenty of amazing options for when you simply have to take out your frustrations on somebody – anybody.
So, in no particular order, may we present our selection of the very best fighters on Nintendo Switch...
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (Switch)
Capcom's Street Fighter is responsible for popularising the one-on-one fighting game genre, as well as siring movies, comics, toys and much more besides. This collection pulls in every mainline entry to create an utterly essential package for fans of the franchise; from the game that started it all in 1987 to the polished and technical masterpiece that is Street Fighter III: Third Strike, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection leaves no stone unturned when it comes to celebrating the history of this amazing lineage. Essential.
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Blade Strangers (Switch)
This cross-over brawler looks and sounds amazing, and is blessed with characters from Code of Princess, Shovel Knight and even Cave Story. It's gloriously accessible, too, making it a solid option for genre newcomers. However, with this simplicity comes a drawback – it's quite a shallow experience and one that won't keep veterans interested for very long.
Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch)
Mortal Kombat 11 is the best Mortal Kombat since MK2, a bold and bombastic entry that boasts a fighting model that finally matches the slapstick theatrics of gory Fatalities. It's further proof that MK, much like Street Fighter, has just as much relevance today as it did in the '90s thanks to the way its evolved while retaining its core identity. On Switch, it's a performance-first experience that nails 60fps, and boasts every mode and mechanic from other versions, only with a noticeable downgrade in the aesthetics department. The heavy-handed application of microtransactions makes customisation far less appealing than it should, but that aside, MK11 is one of the best fighters on the console.
Nidhogg 2 (Switch eShop)
This certainly ranks as one of the most original fighting games included on this list. You fight with fencing swords and death comes swiftly and often, but thankfully you respawn after each death. The objective isn't to destroy your enemy, but to make your way as far into their side of the arena as possible; it feels like a game of tug-of-war in this regard, and its appeal is expanded further by the surprising amount of depth involved. Like so many fighting games, Nidhogg 2 only really comes to life when a second player is in the mix, so make sure you've got a carbon-based challenger close at hand before downloading.
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy (Switch)
SNK and Capcom ruled the one-on-one fighting genre back in the early '90s, so it's easy to understand why people were so excited by this brawler. Like Blade Strangers, it's very much aimed at novices and won't satisfy seasoned pros – you may also find its half-naked and over-sexualised characters to be slightly off-putting. However, even with these potential drawbacks, it's clear that SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy is a game that has been made with a sense of fun in mind, and it's perfect for social multiplayer sessions.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy (Switch eShop)
While it's online portion is lacking, this collection of games will be the dream ticket for fans of the Naruto series. The cel-shaded visuals make it feel like you're playing an episode of the anime, while the fun and slick ninja combat only serves to reinforce this impression. The ability to tag in other characters is a nice touch as well, making Naruto Shippuden a welcome addition to the Switch's brawling game library – even if you don't know anything about the media property it's based on.
Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo)
SNK's Samurai Shodown series recently got a new lease of life on modern consoles, so what better way to get a grounding in the franchise than going back to what is arguably one of its best entries? This second instalment improved on the already amazing original with new characters and fine-tuned mechanics and boasts some utterly gorgeous 2D sprite art and stirring music. The sequels may offer improvements of their own, but this is the one Samurai Shodown offering we'd recommend without hesitation.
Pocket Rumble (Switch eShop)
If you were lucky enough to own a Neo Geo Pocket back in the day, then you'll be familiar with SNK's selection of pint-sized ports of its famous fighting game properties, which included Fatal Fury, Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters. Pocket Rumble is heavily inspired by these games, using the same limited colour scheme you'd see on SNK's underrated portable. It's also deep and engaging, making it a solid option for fans of old-school competitive fighters.
Guilty Gear 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch)
Guilty Gear 20th Anniversary Edition is a fantastic addition to the Switch’s roster of fighting games and sits right up there with the very best examples of the genre the platform has to offer, mostly due to the fact that XX Accent Core Plus R is just about the strongest, most technically refined entry in the series. The original game is showing its age, but it’s still an absolute blast and together these two games provide fight fans with a neat look at how the 2D era of Guilty Gear developed from inception to its most polished and refined point. Disappointing online performance sullies what is otherwise an absolutely essential purchase, but there's still more than enough single-player content here to make this collection highly recommended.
Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
This re-heated Wii U port is a Pokémon fan's dream come true – rather than relying on turn-based combat to see who is the very best, you can take to a 3D arena and smash the seven shades of poop out of a rival 'mon to finally decide once and for all who is king (or queen). Robust single and multiplayer options make Pokkén Tournament DX one of the most impressive competitive fighters on Switch, although the lack of mechanical depth may put off serious fighter fans.
Comments (29)
There was once a time when it was hard to be a fighting game enthusiast with a Nintendo console. Despite a few notable absences (Soul Calibur please) that just isn't the case anymore.
I have a lot of these. I need to get Guilty Gear & BlazBlue eventually. And The Last Blade 2, although absent here.
Brawlout?... but no Brawlhalla thats an oversight! Brawlhalla might be f2p but it beats Brawlout hands down.
If Bamco would just port ANY soul calibur (2 or 4 please!) and Tekken (give us TTT2 for crying out loud) and if Sega would stop pretending that the greatest tech fighter in the world (VF) doesn't exist and toss it on switch I'd be on cloud 9. I need to build a new stick this year but I'm happy to be a FGC gamer and a switch owner.
@judaspete It still is. Where are the Street Fighters, Tekkens, Soul Caliburs, King of Fighters etc? And I'm not talking about the older games.
@HumanDog The new Samurai Showdown is coming in December, and King of Fighters XIV and XV sometime next year. So SNK is on board at this point. Most of Arc's games are already out or on their way. Plus Nintendo now has three fighting franchises with ARMS, Pokken, and Smash. Casual yes, but still fun games.
There are some big absences (come on Namco), but I'd say the Switch lineup is the most robust we've seen on a Nintendo console since the SNES.
I don't believe shovel knight is in brawlout...
@Smashfan502 Dont be down about it, the much superior Rivals of Aether is coming out soon and that art style imo suits shovel knight better.
@Smashfan502 When I play competitive I obviously don't like items. My wife being a casual fan hates them too. However, there's a ton of work and fun in the items part of the game that I generally will play with them on when my friends come over.
I really can't wait for shovel knight dig either. I dig the original 8-bit look of shovel knight but I love the way that the more detailed sprites look on the character.
@Smashfan502 I play competitively, not as K Rool of course. However, items add an element of randomness to the game and can really assist people against more skilled players like myself. If there is a broken pokemon that takes a stock off of me when my friends and I are playing. That's okay. When I play for fun with my friends I tend to put my competitive mindset in the back of my head. Because If I beat them all of the time they wont want to play anymore
@Smashfan502 I'm actually more upset that there aren't more broken pokemon. I haven't played with items all that much since melee and brawl which I remember seeing scizzor and others that used to destroy others lol. Now a days the pokemon are more of a nuisance than an actual threat.
@Smashfan502 Yeah I don't find themselves annoying, I would just rather them do more damage.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore should've been on the list.
@Smashfan502 I'm talking about the Pokemon that come out of pokeballs not the playable characters
With the Street Fighter collection alone you got 12 games
how many more do you need ?
@Ryu_Niiyama Why OLD games? Why no new entries in the series?
@Moshschocker ? I don't understand your question. I posted on this article a year ago.
I’d put the new Samurai Shodown on this list. Great game and very solid port.
Samurai Shodown is on the way, folks !
The two best fighting games of all time are King of Fighters '94 and Mark of the Wolves.
Skull girls 2nd Encore definitely should’ve made the list
Skullgirls got a 7/10 from us, so it gets nudged out by others.
Added Samurai Shodown and SNK Gals' Fighters
Well I have Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Dragonball FighterZ, Mortal Kombat 11, and some of these others listed and I'm happy with them. It's nice to be able to pay a visit to the past to relive my childhood and teen years and also playing the recent titles. It's amazing how the genre has come along and I do hope that some of the other franchises make their way to the Switch such as Soul Caliber and Virtual Fighter.
1. Garou: Mark of the Wolves
2. King of Fighters '98
Those are the best two fighting games of all time, and they're both on the Switch. Street Fighter 2 is really a B-level game, but it's popular because of the funny and likable characters.
Added Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection.
Brawlout has left the building and two superior Smashlikes (yes) have joined the roster: Kirby Fighters 2 and Rivals of Aether.
Mate a list with Garou. That is a first. As far as I'm concerned Garou is the best fighter ever and it just gets shunned in these lists. Street Fighter Anniversary is a hell of a beast with the classic SF2's, Alpha's and 3rd Strike, Kof98 is a bad boy. I think Fatal Fury RB spec 2 is solid too. For a low tech game I find Jump Force and DBfighterz similar but I just prefer Jump Force. I know it gets hate but it is fun for one of the boring 1 button fighters.
Smash Bros. I don't think this should be considered a fighter. It always is and I always think it is a damned boring kids game. I have tried several versions, on several systems and that zoomy in and out camera is one of the worst things in gaming. It feels like a kids game rather than a fighter. I would call it a battle arena of some sort but I never felt like smash is a fighting game.
I find it downright disgraceful that Ultra Street Fighter II isn't on this list.
It's the best fighting game I've ever played. But for some reason people have decided it's "unworthy", be it the price or the collection, Idk. But it's far more enjoyable than the collection because it actually offers HD Udon sprites for the best looking aesthetic of any SF game to date.
I can appreciate if someone personally has a chip on their shoulder against it, but there's no excuse for a "best fighters on Switch" list to omit what is, to me, the best fighter on Switch. Even if you put it at the back of the list, at least mention it for the sake of the reader.
There's also Skullgirls, and Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, both of which probably deserve spots, and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is on the way too.
@JaxonH I'm a few years late, but also Melty blood type lumina is as good as blazeblue or persona and way better than undernight in birth...
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