Fighting games are characterized by close combat between two fighters or groups of fighters of comparable strength, often broken into rounds or stocks. If multiple players are involved, players generally fight against each other.
Note: Games are listed in a "common English title/alternate title – developer" format, where applicable.
General
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
Adding melee weapons to a fighting game often makes attack range more of a factor, as opponents may wield a sword, knife, katana or other kind of weapon of drastically different sizes.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
Fighting games that feature tag teams as the core gameplay element. Teams of players may each control a different character, or a single player may control multiple characters, but play one at a time. Other fighters feature tag-teaming as an alternate game mode.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
While traditional 2D/3D fighting game mechanics are more or less descendants of Street Fighter II, platform fighters tend to blend fighting with elements taken from platform games. A typical match is arranged as a battle royal. Compared to traditional fighting games, attack inputs are simpler and emphasis is put on dynamic maneuvering in the arena, using the level design to gain an advantage. Another major gameplay element involves using items, which may randomly spawn anywhere in the arena. Other terms which were used to refer to this sub-genre included "Smash Clones", "Party Brawler", "Party Fighter", and "Arena Fighter" (that is also being used to define another style of 3D fighting game).
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
Arena Fighters usually focuses on more free-controlling 3D movement and camera which follows the character, unlike other traditional 3D fighting games such as the Tekken series that still maintain the sideview and side-scrolling orientation to the attacks, and normally puts emphasis on offense over defense. Games are often based on popular anime series or other IPs.
3D
3D fighting games add three-dimensional movement. These often emphasize sidestepping.
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury / Konjiki no Gash Bell! Gekitou! Saikyou no Mamonotachi – Mechanic Arms
4-way simultaneous fighting
Games in which four players face off at once. Other games may feature 4-way fighting as alternate game modes, but here it is more central to the way the game is usually played.
2D
Fighting games that use 2D sprites. Games tend to emphasize the height of attacks (high, medium or low) and jumping.
Sports-based combat (also known as sport-fighters or combat sports games) are games that fall firmly within both the Combat and Sports game genres. Such games are usually based on boxing, mixed martial arts, and wrestling, and each sport is seen as their own separate subgenres. The combat is often far more realistic than combat in fighting games (though the amount of realism can vary greatly), and many feature real-world athletes and franchises.
Boxing games where combat is not directly human-controlled in the ring. Instead, a boxer is trained via a resource management game scheme, and bouts are directed via instructions given prior to each round.
While most versus fighting games could be considered mixed martial arts games, listed here are games that are based on actual MMA franchises or tournaments.
Games involving flying objects that can include balls and discs, where the players can only interact with each other through the object, and may or may not feature goalposts.
Games based on popular anime series and 3D variants often feature cell shading. "Anime fighters" also usually have very fast-paced action and put emphasis on offense over defense. Another common feature is that they typically have fighting systems built around doing long combos of dozens of attacks. Overall they appear in a variety of fighting game sub-genres.
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Fury / Konjiki no Gash Bell! Gekitou! Saikyou no Mamonotachi – Mechanic Arms
Crossover
Fighting games featuring characters from more than one franchise. Typically, these consist of characters across multiple game and/or comic franchises. Others are initially singular franchises featuring guest characters, often via DLC.
Super deformed refers to a popular type of Japanese caricature where the subject is made to have exaggerated toddler-like features, such as an oversized head and short chubby limbs. Their movements and expressions while super deformed also tend to be exaggerated.
