Fightinggames have been a staple in the medium since the early 1990s. While they may have dwindled a bit in popularity since then, they still hold a beloved spot in the hearts of many. What to do, then, when most new releases demand sixty hard-earned dollars? How is it possible for the economic gamer to find titles that fit into their play style, or preferred genre?
Related:The Best Free To Play RPGs, Ranked
With many excellent fighting games being released in afree-to-playstate, no longer do you have to pay premium prices to play top of the line entries in this classic genre. In order to accommodate a wide range of player preferences, this rundown will be including a mix of both massively popular titles and a few lesser-known projects.
10Ultimate Fighters
Without a doubt the most overlooked entry on this list, things start off with the nostalgia-inducing Ultimate Fighters. Reminiscent of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System game Karate, this is one title that absolutely bubbles with charm.
From the character select screen forward, you may truly tell this is a product made with love, from a developer who has a genuine passion for fighting games. With references toStreet Fighterand many other classics, Ultimate Fighters has an easter egg around every corner for the fans who keep a sharp eye out. Add on top of this the fact that its core gameplay is incredibly well put together, with fun combos and intriguing move sets to play around with, and you have a game that fans of retro fighters surely won’t want to miss. Being so retro, however, it’s an acquired taste.
9Rumble Fighter Unleashed
Fans of the Power Stone series have been largely left wanting in the past. With no new entries, it’s hard to argue the series as being particularly lively. The gameplay formula, however, remains a chaotic, impressively good time. What would happen, then, if you were to take that gameplay and map it out into an MMO setting?
Well, Rumble Fighter: Unleashed happens. With a learning curve that’s easy to pick up but hard to master, twinned with a small but dedicated competitive community, this is one title that you will definitely find hard to put down. Its relative obscurity does hold it back, however.
8Drunken Wrestlers 2
When searching for a silly bit of fun, a game you don’t have to take too seriously, don’t skip over Drunken Wrestlers 2. It’s whacky physics galore in this absurd title, which pits up to 8 players against each other in a hilarious battle for the belt.
Related:Most Iconic Fighting Game Characters Of All Time
Furious flips, colossal kicks, and various other incredulous moves abound as you brawl it out. Featuring a massive selection ofSteamWorkshop mods, there is sure to be plenty of content keeping you and your friends going for hours of rag-doll absurdity. Physics-based fun like this, however, certainly isn’t for the strictly competitive crowd.
7Rumble Arena
The first platform fighter on this list comes, ironically, from the second “Rumble” title. Clearly inspired by theSuper Smash Bros.style of fighter, Rumble Arena sets itself apart with a few key details. This title brings with it a welcoming community, excellent online support, an interesting cast of characters, and fantastical map design.
Furthering itself a good distance from the Smash comparison, Rumble Arena also features light RPG elements, allowing players to level-up certain aspects of their main character. You can fight your way solo through both ranked and friendly game modes, or team up for some high octane two-on-two matches. Only some of the very best titles top this one.
6Fantasy Strike
Formerly sitting at a thirty dollar price point, this now free-to-play title has a lot of heart. Pitched as a sort of"beginner" fighting game, Fantasy Strike prides itself on being easy to pick up and learn. All moves can be executed with a single button press, there are no mindbogglingly difficult combinations to try and memorize. Instead, the focus is entirely on strategy, and outwitting your opponent.
Playing host to a diverse array of zoners, rushers, grapplers, and wild cards, this title has some of thebest character designon this list, showing clearly that there is a lot to love in Fantasy Strike. The game also has cross-play support between Steam, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch, so you can blaze through matches against friends on a variety of platforms. Being a lower-profile experience, however, it just doesn’t have the profile it deserves.
5RumbleVerse
Much like Epic’s most popular gameFortnite,RumbleVerseis a battle royale, throwing mass amounts of players into a large arena in a war for the crown. Being published by the same company under the same subgenre, it’s easy to see the similarities. Where RumbleVerse truly stands apart, however, is in its switch from a shooting focus to a melee one.
Battle it out with bombastic moves and flashy finishers. RumbleVerse is quite simple to pick up and learn, making it a greatbeginner’s battle royaletitle. Sitting only in its second season, there is still a fresh and exciting community surrounding RumbleVerse, with quick matches and Cross-Play support between all major platforms. It won’t be to everybody’s taste, however, as is the case with all battle royales.
Toribash is an intriguing game all around, let alone within the specific niche that is free-to-play fighters. Bursting at the seams with possibility, Toribash is a game that rewards the patience it requires. Instead of moving your character with simple inputs, you have to alter each joint’s movement separately per frame, allowing for some truly incredible and exact motions.
Related:The Best Fighting Games On Playstation 5, Ranked
It’s a bit like a flip-book, being played out against an opponent. It takes genuine strategy and foresight to read their move, then plot yours accordingly. With a healthy community supporting its online features, there has never been a better time to check out and begin practicing Toribash. All that’s really holding it back is its precise and quirky nature, which not every player will have the patience for.
3Brawlhalla
WhenBrawlhallahad its full release in 2017, cross-play gaming was just barely getting its footing. Fighting fans had very little representation in this budding convergence, with fans of platform fighting feeling particularly left out. Brawlhalla turned all of that around by releasing in an overall excellent state.
The game boasts an art style that will surely stand the test of time, a constantly updating roster including such fan favorites as Aang fromAvatar: The Last Airbender, and an engrossing gameplay loop. Finally, fighters on all major systems could get together for some fast-paced, flashy platform fighting fun (and it’s free, to boot!). It’s worthy of its place among the very best in the subgenre.
2Killer Instinct (2013)
To callKiller Instinct’s free-to-play release in 2013 a gamble, would be an understatement. Not only did it immediately raise skepticism with core fans of the franchise, but just in general at the time, there was a sentiment against free-to-play titles. This made it all the more surprising, then, that it would ultimately be a worthy successor to the title considered one of thebest fighting games of all time.
Returning with a fiery vengeance to that groundbreaking gameplay of the 1994 original, Killer Instinct 2013 had it all. Incredible characters, breathtaking maps, and a staggering amount of innovation. What keeps it from the number one spot on this specific list, however, is that a lot of content is locked behind an ever-looming paywall. The game itself is absolute excellence, but in order to get the most from it, you need to purchase the complete package.
1MultiVersus
MultiVersusis, full stop, the most polished free-to-play fighting game available. Built from the ground up by a AAA studio, and featuringsome of the most widely cherished characters in its vast roster, Warner Bros. Interactive have a surefire hit on their hands.
Gameplay-wise, it’s platform fighting genius. By incorporating unique mechanics such as a dodge roll, breathing fresh air into the sub-genre. With full Cross-Play support across all major platforms, and only cosmetic based mictrotransactions, this is certainly the best Free-To-Play fighter for you to pick up and play a round or two (or three) with friends.
