8 Best Fighting Games You Need to Play This Summer

In terms of direct game releases, 2026 has been a pretty great year for gaming so far, with Pokémon Pokopia being a refreshing take on Pokémon and the social sim genre, Subnautica 2 being a fantastic early-access title, and Resident Evil Requiem seeing the grand return of Leon Kennedy and Raccoon City.

While several great FPS, open-world, and indie games have launched this year so far, 2026 has also been a surprisingly exciting year for the fighting game genre, with it seeing multiple fighting game live-action film adaptations on top of brand-new fighting game launches based on fan-favorite franchises.

Based on these developments, here are eight fighting games that fans need to play this summer season due to their influence and connection to live-action films, real-life events, or simply being new fighting game entries to beloved series.

8

Fraymakers

The Indie Super Smash Bros.

It’s been nearly eight years since Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launched for the Nintendo Switch, and while it will probably be years until another Super Smash Bros. game is released, players can get their platform fighter fill now by playing the early access game Fraymakers.

Unlike SSB, Fraymakers is a 2D platform fighter featuring a cast primarily made up of mascots from indie games such as Among Us, Spelunky, Octodad, Slay the Spire and more, with new fighters routinely being added to the game leading up to its proper launch.

On top of indie game fighters, players can additionally create their own characters, stages, and modes to play with, giving Fraymakers ample replay value and making it perfect for players to discover and potentially become fans of indie titles.

7

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Fox McCloud’s Greatest Grounded Adventure

2026 has surprisingly been a very exciting year for Star Fox fans as Fox McCloud played a major role in the Super Mario Galaxy movie and the first Star Fox game was recently remade for the Nintendo Switch 2, but if players wanted to witness McCloud’s greatest grounded adventure, they’ll have to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

While Super Smash Bros. Brawl may not be universally beloved by SSB fans, it stands out among other games in the crossover fighting game series for featuring a campaign called The Subspace Emissary, depicting several iconic gaming heroes and villains as they fight Bowser and Ganondorf’s forces to prevent them from destroying the world.

Arguably, Fox McCloud’s appearance in The Subspace Emissary is his most epic despite not piloting an Arwing for most of the campaign, as he’s shown to easily defeat the legendary Sky High Pokémon Rayquaza, Shadow Bug clones of Bowser and Diddy Kong, and the mechanical knight boss Duon with some assistance from other Nintendo heroes.

6

EA Sports UFC 6

Fighting as a Form of Celebration

ea.com

Oddly enough, of all the activities and events the United States could have used to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the government chose to celebrate this milestone by hosting a highly politically motivated UFC fight on the front lawn of the White House because nothing is more American than a UFC fight, right?

All joking aside, mixed martial arts is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports in terms of fan viewership today, and if fans want to play as some of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s greatest male and female fighters against CPUs or opponents online, they’ve got to check out EA Sports UFC 6.

For example, UFC 6 allows people to play as legendary UFC champions Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, and Ronda Rousey, among several others, with players even being able to recreate the fight in front of the White House with the recent debut of the UFC Freedom 250 Venue.

5

Dead or Alive 6 Last Round

An Updated Version of a Modern Classic

The classic Dead or Alive series is nearly 30 years old now, being one of several fighting game franchises to successfully transition from the arcades to home consoles. While its creator, Tomonobu Itagaki, is no longer around to oversee the series, it remains as one of the most successful fighting game franchises.

Dead or Alive 6 is the latest entry in the series, which originally launched in 2019, but Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo recently released an updated version of the game called Dead or Alive Last Round for modern platforms with a free-to-play version called Dead or Alive 6 Last Round: Core Fighters having also recently debuted.

The base version of Last Round includes most of the previously released DLC characters in the base game alongside a new dynamic photo mode, while Core Fighters only features Kasumi, Marie Rose, Honoka, and NiCO available for free with other characters having to be purchased separately, making both of these updated games great ways to get into the DOA series.

Revisiting the Best Crossover Games of the 1990s

The 1990s era of Marvel Comics is seemingly seeing a renaissance lately with the X-Men, having arguably peaked in popularity in the ’90s, getting their second season of X-Men ’97 in early July and being featured in the upcoming action-adventure game Marvel’s Wolverine as well as the anticipated live-action film Avengers: Doomsday.

To prepare for all of these new X-Men-related projects and a new live-action adaptation of the Street Fighter series, this summer is a perfect time for people to revisit some of the best crossover games of the ’90s through the Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics.

A compilation of the arcade games The Punisher, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Marvel Super Heroes, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, Arcade Classics is a perfect game for X-Men fans new and old who always wanted to play as their favorite Mutants.

3

Invincible VS

Awaiting Invincible Season 5’s Debut

Amazon Prime’s Invincible adult animated series is arguably the best ongoing superhero-related show around these days. While fans have to wait till 2027 to see Season 5 debut, theyy can quench their thirst for Invincible content by playing the new fighting game Invincible VS.

Developed by Quarter Up, a studio founded by people who worked on 2013’s Killer Instinct, Invincible VS is a traditional 2D fighting game with 3v3 tag team battles similar to the aforementioned Marvel vs. Capcom titles, complete with an original story mode in an alternate dimension from the show and comic despite many actors from the show reprising their roles.

Invincible VS features many iconic characters from the show, such as Invincible, Monster Girl, and Rex Splode, but it also features a brand-new character, Ella Mental, made specifically for the game, with more characters expected to join its base 18 fighter roster through seasonal DLC events like the recently added Universa and The Immortal.

2

Street Fighter 6

Prepping for 2026’s Street Fighter Theatrical Premiere

2023’s Street Fighter 6 is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighting games to release in the 2020s, largely thanks to its incredibly fun customization options, World Tour, and Battle Hubs modes, but fans should strive to revisit the three-year-old game to prepare for the upcoming 2026 Street Fighter film.

The third live-action film based on the hit fighting game franchise after 1994’s cult classic Street Fighter and the maligned Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, 2026’s Street Fighter will serve as a great entry point and celebration to the nearly 40-year-old franchise as it follows Chun-Li recruiting Ryu and Ken to fight M. Bison.

While the plots of the new Street Fighter film and Street Fighter 6 may not be similar, SF veterans should strive to revisit the game to get amped for the film before it premieres in mid-October, while potential new SF fans should try out the game for its addictive gameplay and to begin learning more about the film’s large cast of characters.

1

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection

Playing Through the Original Mortal Kombat II

2025 was a bit of a rocky year for Mortal Kombat fans as Mortal Kombat 1 ceased receiving new updates and Mortal Kombat II, the follow-up to 2021’s Mortal Kombat, was delayed from October 2025 to May 2026. But now that the film has released to moderate critical and fan acclaim, it’s a perfect time to revisit the original Mortal Kombat II in Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection.

A compilation of the first 11 Mortal Kombat games featuring most arcade, console, and mobile ports of each title, Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection is a perfect way for fans of the series to revisit MK‘s early years, especially for those who are unlucky enough to not live near an actual arcade that still has some of the original MK arcade cabinets.

1993’s Mortal Kombat II and 2026’s Mortal Kombat II share only a few similarities, such as focusing on an Outworld-based MK tournament, but 1993’s Mortal Kombat II holds up remarkably well 33 years later thanks to its iconic base roster of 12 playable characters, stellar gameplay, and hidden secrets such as unlocking Jade, Smoke, and Noob Saibot.