5 Street Fighter Games to Fight Your Friends in After Seeing the Live Action Movie
The release of the live action Street Fighter movie has many people being exposed to the fighting game franchise for the first time, even if the film is mainly for fans of the series. There are decades worth of Street Fighter games out there, from arcade classics to modern evolutions of the fighting game genre that players have become attached to. For those looking to jump into the series as beginners, there are a few titles in particular that represent the quintessential Street Fighter experiences to see how it has evolved over the years.
Recently, the success of newer Street Fighter games has been through careful decision making regarding its characters and legacy, which are among the most recognizable in fighting games as a whole. While many players realize that Mortal Kombat is arguably the best-selling fighting game series, Street Fighter is consistently the most well-known for being the definitive representation of the genre’s greatest strengths. Mechanical difficulty and memorable characters make up the best Street Fighter games, but a few have shaped gaming eras in more impactful ways than you might expect.
5. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
There are many versions of Street Fighter 2, starting with the 1991 classic that jump started the fighting game genre due to its popularity. This game introduced players to the concepts of combos, which were ironically an accident within that title. However, there were several versions of Street Fighter 2 that expanded what was possible in the earliest edition, adding new characters and systems that would later become staples of the series. Nowhere is that more apparent than Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, the last game in the SF2 line-up.
This game is still played competitively today, using the original cast of memorable World Warriors, from Street Fighter 2 originals like Blanka, Ryu, and Chun-Li, to newcomers in Hyper Street Fighter 2 such as M. Bison or Sagat. What makes SF2 Turbo so special is how it dramatically increased the pace of player vs player fights, enhancing every character’s movement speed to fully embrace the “Turbo” moniker. This made more combos possible and gave characters more ways to deal with particular match-ups, balancing the experience into something more comparable to modern day fighting games.
In addition to movement changes, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo included a super meter that characters could use to unleash extra powerful attacks with the right inputs. Although these were often the most difficult maneuvers in the game to pull off, their explosive nature and high damage made them exciting. Later Street Fighter games would always include super moves of some kind, as would most fighting games down the line. For players looking for perhaps the blueprint that many fighting game genre projects follow, SF2 Turbo is a landmark whose influence can’t be denied.
4. Ultra Street Fighter 4
Ultra Street Fighter 4 is very similar to Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, as it represents the final version of a game that representing something huge to fighting games as a whole. The first edition of SF4 was almost the revival of the series, bringing back series traditions while modernizing visuals and mechanics to appeal to new audiences. Ultra Street Fighter 4 keeps SF4‘s introduction of 3D graphics for beloved characters and refines the gameplay of that title beyond its limits. What you end up with is a highly refined fighting game that has character balance issues, but is incredibly varied with tons of mechanical depth.
Street Fighter 4 is one of the more difficult games in the series, with high execution ceilings that can easily drive away new players. However, this isn’t defining for the game by any means, mainly due to the strength of Ultra Street Fighter 4‘s roster. USF4 has an astounding 44 characters, from celebrated newcomers like Juri to fan-favorites from across the franchise’s history. The Ultra update for SF4 added five new characters, including:
- Decapre
- Elena
- Hugo
- Poison
- Rolento
These characters alone helped diversify an expansive roster, but it’s how gameplay was improved that really captured players’ attention. There were major shake ups to the core systems of Street Fighter 4 with this title, such as the inclusion of delayed wake-ups to prevent constant pressure to new versions of the game’s signature Focus Attack to balance offense and defense. Players could also select any version of a Street Fighter 4 character, from their vanilla SF4 version to their changes in Super Street Fighter 4 or Ultra Street Fighter 4.
New stages and intense balance patches also helped this game become more refined than its previous versions. Players now could select to have multiple super “Ultra” moves at the same time, expanding how they played in exchange for a reduced damage output. While the online netcode for Ultra Street Fighter 4 is not the best, fan mods have introduced modern rollback matchmaking to the game years later to vastly improve its functionality. For that reason alone, this game is great to return to today if you want to see an era where the series truly found its modern identity.
3. Street Fighter Alpha 2
Before Street Fighter 2 moved on to the next entry in its mainline series, the spin-off Street Fighter Alpha games were the next big hit for the franchise in arcades. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is by far the most impressive of the Alpha games, acting as the refined edition of the games that act as prequels to the events of SF2. The Alpha series transforms the visual look of Street Fighter, taking an anime-inspired look rather than the harsh realism attempted in the pixels of the first couple titles. This stylized approach has been very appealing to players over time, with future games adopting a more fantastical look for Street Fighter ever since.
Street Fighter Alpha 2 is wonderful for players who want a combination of game balance and player creativity, with a tight roster of Street Fighter mainstays and interesting outliers. This is the first game with fan-favorites like Sakura or Dan Hibiki, as well as some unique fighters like Birdie, Nash, or Sodom. This game built off what SF2 Turbo started, making super moves far more available and giving players access to custom combos through its core mechanic. Dynamic backgrounds and character designs here would also be translated into other great fighting games like the first Marvel vs Capcom titles, so there is a lot for players to discover here.
2. Street Fighter 6
The latest Street Fighter game is the highly praised Street Fighter 6, which released in 2023 to much acclaim from casual fans and series veterans. There are plenty reasons why this is, but SF6 has such a positive reputation for mainly fixing the many problems of its predecessor, Street Fighter 5. Inspired gameplay ideas like the innovative Drive system combined with complex and nuanced character design to make Street Fighter 6 feel like a true evolution of the series from SF4. In addition, stellar new characters like Marisa, JP, Luke, and Manon helped make this game feel like a fresh start for those just getting into the franchise.
What makes Street Fighter 6 truly special, though, is the single-player World Tour mode invented just for this title. This RPG-mode allows players to create their own custom fighter, who travels the world to learn from various masters and develop their own style of fighting in the process. This mode slowly teaches players how to investigate the mechanics of a fighting game, acting as a perfect on-ramp for newcomers who’ve never touched the genre before. As such, Street Fighter 6 is one of the most beginner-friendly fighting games out there, especially due to easier control schemes making it easier than ever to pick up and play.
1. Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
The Street Fighter 3 series got off to a rocky start in arcades, with many players not appreciating how the newest Street Fighter game ditched fan-favorites in favor of a roster almost full of newcomers. However, through iteration and system refinements, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike is now regarded as perhaps the most important game the franchise has. Featured in multiple collection bundles and modern console editions, this game is still one of the most played at events or online when it comes to Street Fighter in general.
The visuals are one reason for this, as Third Strike gives Street Fighter an urban, gritty edge infused with a compelling soundtrack of jazz and hip-hop that builds excitement at every step. In many ways, the “Street” in Street Fighter was established through this game, bringing the series back to its roots of grounded fights with fantastical characters. Third Strike is the pinnacle of the series at its most mechanically excellent too, with complex parry mechanics that are infinitely detailed for constant experimentation and mastery. Although the game isn’t quite “balanced,” it has features that stand the test of time.
This game introduced players to the concepts of enhanced special moves through the cost of meter, a feature now prevalent across fighting games. With a solid roster that grew on players over time and some of the best sprite-based visuals a game has to offer, this title is unforgettable even to players who don’t play games in the genre very often. Among the Street Fighter games you should try, Street Fighter 3: Third Strike is an easy recommendation for new and old players alike.
What is your favorite Street Fighter game to play with friends? Let us know in the comments below!