Attention, fighting game fans from the PS1 era, it’s time to gather around and reminisce. We’re about to rank the best in the fighting game genre on Sony’s PlayStation 1. With 12 slots on today’s list, we think we’ll cover our bases pretty well.
Anyone who had a passing interest in fighting games was either at an arcade, showing off their skills and muscle memory of the combos, or at home doing the same on their PS1. The after-school time was game time, and fighting games were all the rage back then.
Which PS1 Fighting Games are the Best of All Time?
During the heyday of PS1, it was a magical time, not to mention a heck of a lot simpler. You got what you paid for, and there was no corporate mandate for DLCs or season passes, especially in fighting games on the PS1. It’s one of the major reasons we have such fond memories of the best PS1 games of all time.
For us retro gamers, fighting games hold a special allure, unlike any other genre. They balance awesome-looking characters with unique move sets and wacky animations that we gravitate towards. Backstories and individual endings enrich their lore and add to their appeal.
Above all else, you put in the grind to develop your skill at playing these characters, creating a healthy competitive spirit in gamers. Alright, that’s enough gushing about the past; we won’t take up more of your time. Let’s dive into our list of top-tier fighting games on the PS1 and see how we rank them. Here we go!
12. Bushido Blade – The Weapon-Based Combat and Thrilling Encounters Are A Highlight
We’re kicking off the list with Bushido Blade on the PS1, truly one of the most unique 3D fighting games. Bushido Blade has an amazing presentation style, showing the role of a secret society of assassins. Players can select from a roster of distinct characters in the single-player campaign. The game adjusts slight details for each fighter, so the story makes sense.
Bushido Blade fights are highly immersive. You won’t see any fancy HP bars or any flashy number of hit notifications. The combat has a free-flow feel, as players can jump around and take advantage of the terrain. The animations are crisp, and each fighter has a weapon they can use in multiple stances to strike. Critical hits can result in different outcomes.
It’s possible to cripple your opponent slowly, or you can perform a one-shot kill if you strike at vital organs. Bushido Blade also favors dirty tactics; however, they’re not encouraged, especially in the single-player story. Bushido Blade is one of the mature PS1 fighting games for adults.
11. WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role – The Most Entertaining and Cheesy Fighting Game
The next entry on our list technically qualifies as a PS1 fighting game, so we’re going with it. WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role came out at the height of the Attitude Era and The Rock’s catchphrases. Everyone was into the wrestling fandom, and you had these larger-than-life wrestling personas captivating audiences. It made sense to release a game to capitalize on the boom.
Anyway, WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role is a PS1 fighting game with a healthy dash of panache. It has an accurate depiction of all professional wrestlers’ physical appearance, signature moves, and even the grand entrance music. The match modes had loads of variety, and fighting was super fast.
If you enjoy combat with a mix of exaggeration and authenticity of professional wrestling on TV, then WWF Smackdown 2! Know Your Role is for you. For more games that offer a similar vibe, you can check out our top PS5 boxing games.
10. Guilty Gear – Exciting Anime-Esque Fighting Mechanics Will Visually Stun Players
Questions, do you like anime-style aesthetics like skins? Do you like fighting games on PS1? If the answer to both is a resounding yes, congratulations! With Guilty Gear on PlayStation 1, you get the best of both worlds. In fairness, the game’s much more than its appearance and requires some serious skill.
Guilty Gear, aside from having a super epic name, also happens to have a highly wonky style of gameplay. You see, the players are encouraged to fight aggressively in Guilty Gear and not worry too much about taking damage. In fact, the idea is to survive long enough and avoid instant kill shots. At least until the HP bar is halfway, while the tension gauge fills up.
At this juncture, the fun factor truly kicks in with infinite Chaos Attacks. Players can spam and go gam with the special attacks. The flashy animations and smooth 2D fighting visuals are a treat to watch in action. We love Guilty Gear, and you could say it’s one of the PS1 fighting games that’s our guilty pleasures.
9. Darkstalkers 3 – High-Octane Fights and Gorgeous Character Art Will Glue Players to the Screen
Ah, Darkstalkers 3, the PS1 title that will leave you a sweaty mess because of its intensity and diverging approach from the standard fighting games. Most of the internet is probably mildly aware of the Darkstalkers franchise thanks to the ever-popular Morrigan, the succubus vampire character.
You’ll be surprised to know Darkstalkers has plenty of spectacular characters that boast eye-catching designs. In Darkstalkers 3, the game’s roster is full of supernatural and quirky fighters with charming personalities and deadly attacks. Darkstalkers 3 is a PS1 fighting game that adds a different kind of pressure.
Darkstalkers 3 has one-round fights with two health bars for each character. The game rewards players for going on the offensive, as your health carries over after depleting one health bar of your opponent. The damage from normal attacks is recoverable if blocking or dodging is successful. Also, the difficulty spikes when the super meter attacks and special buffs trigger using the Dark Force mode.
8. Soul Blade – Fantasy Style Fights Boast Impressive Combo and Block Systems
Soul Blade is the precursor of the 3D era of the Soulcalibur series. It’s also one of the most exciting PS1 fighting games ever. The side-step movement mechanic and incorporation of character-specific weapon combat variety feel masterful. Soul Blade also features vaulting movement, where characters can leap over their opponents to open attack opportunities from the rear.
Soul Blade’s story is heavily immersive and gives us serious fantasy game vibes. Each character’s perspective is unique and allows more insight as you play through their story arc. Soul Blade balances the weapons attacking and blocking mechanics by having weapons break to discourage spamming.
Soul Blade also has Guard Impact, which essentially allows players to block and go on the attack. The timing has to be crucial; otherwise, it’ll fail. However, if both players are using it, then the first one to delay or screw up will feel the blow. Soul Blade is a PS1 fighting game that’s an absolute joy to play.
7. Dead Or Alive – The Cinematic Fighting Game Offers A Complexly Intriguing Blocking Mechanic
This next pick for our list of great PS1 fighting games might seem questionable to some. However, we’ll address the elephant in the room right away before diving into the game’s details. Dead Or Alive is pretty much unapologetically the most provocative fighting game around; that’s a fact. Here’s our counterpoint, so what? There’s clearly an audience for it, similar to how gamers like Bikini Fortnite skins.
Alright, now let’s talk about Dead Or Alive’s gameplay. The use of environmental hazards to deliver great damage is a method that’s highly emphasized. Also, the uniqueness of Dead Or Alive is in its counter system. There’s no proper blocking in the game. Instead, players will engage in holds or counterattacks.
Easily, the best feature of Dead Or Alive is the roster of charming and alluring characters. A personal favorite of ours is the badass ninja Ryu Hayabusa from Ninja Gaiden. His combos and attacks, and that devastating Izunda Drop, are a thing of beauty. Ryu Hayabusa is one of the big reasons we love Dead Or Alive and play this fun fighting game on the PS1.
6. X-Men Mutant Academy 2 – A Fun and Enjoyable Brawler on the PS1
X-Men were always the popular team from Marvel Comics. They were everyone’s favorite because of their edgy looks and storylines. Naturally, the video-game front needed X-Men, but thankfully X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 and its predecessor were worthy fighting games on the PS1.
The gameplay and graphical improvements in X-Men: Mutant Academy, 2 from the previous game, are significant. There’s much refinement to the supers, and the roster is much more expansive. To clear fights with specific characters, you must close the distance if you’re playing a melee brawler like Wolverine or Sabertooth.
If you’re playing as Cyclops or Magento, then you have some leeway to spam projectiles to maintain distance. Oh, and there are quite a few surprises waiting if you’re willing to 100% the arcade endings. Secret characters like Psylocke, Juggernaut, and even Spiderman himself. Long story short, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2 is a fighting game on PS1 that’s well worth it.
5. The King Of Fighters ’99 – An Outstanding Fighting Game With Unique Charm
Our next pick for excellent fighting games on PS1 is The King Of Fighters ’99. This game series is retro, as it mostly was on Arcades machines, but thankfully it got a PS1 port. The King Of Fighters ’99 isn’t super complex to master; it’s actually got pretty straightforward mechanics.
The great thing about The King Of Fighters ’99 is its innovative idea of adding a 4th member to the team. Once you have selected your fighters, you can choose to have this 4th character as your striker. You can call the striker to assist you in prolonging your combos or catch a breather from your opponent’s attacks.
Aside from that, there is super armor for enhanced resistance. Also, there are power moves that players can trigger after landing combos on the opponent. The King Of Fighters ’99 is a PS1 fighting game that entices players to exercise the character’s movement. The idea is to chain attacks or cancel into specials and super moves.
4. Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash Of Super Heroes – A Dream Crossover Fighting Game That Still Holds Up
We’re in the upper echelon of fighting games on the PS1 and Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash Of Super Heroes rightfully deserves its place here. When it comes to video game crossovers, few titles can compete with this gem.
From its pixel-style art and vibrant aesthetic to the rock-solid attack animations, and a plethora of fan-favorite characters, everything screams perfection. Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash Of Super Heroes is a PS1 fighting game with an endearing charm to it.
The game-changing dual assault mechanic allows a brief moment where both characters on a team can attack the opponent. The secret characters’ assist made for a lot of strategic gameplay moments. Also, there are hyper combos that are pleasing to view as they encompass the whole screen. For more Marvel goodness, check out our top 3 star characters in Marvel’s Puzzle Quest.
3. Street Fighter Alpha 3 – The Top Dog of Fighting Games is An Evergreen Classic
We’re at the peak of PS1 fighting games territory with this next pick, which is Capcom’s signature fighting game franchise. The game in question is Street Fighter Alpha 3. Where do we even begin with this game? This version has more fan favorites and some newcomers at the time to bolster the roster.
Aside from that, Street Fighter 3 Alpha is famous for introducing character fighting style variants. This creates a nice way to master and play as different characters. The light, medium, and heavy standard attacks and blocking need precision for perfect execution.
Street Fighter 3 Alpha takes chances with its established PS1 fighting game mechanics by tinkering with the special attack gauge, adding 3 stages of super combos. In certain modes, only a single variant is available, but the trade-off is that it’s relatively easier to pull off.
2. Mortal Kombat Trilogy – Our Runner-Up Picks is the Bloodiest Fighting Games On the PS1
Mortal Kombat Trilogy is the definitive version of the third entry of the series. It takes the runner-up spot on the list of PS1 fighting games. Mortal Kombat is, without question, the most violent and bloody in the genre, and we love it all the more for it. If you’re into such titles, feel free to browse our favorite cinematic horror games like The Quarry. There’s quite disturbing imagery here as well.
There’s not much else to say, except Mortal Kombat Trilogy comes packed with loads of changes and nifty features. A particularly favorite one is the brutality feature. There are stage fatalities and drops that have now even more detail.
Also, Mortal Kombat Trilogy gives characters additional moves to create more depth in fighting. To that end, the highlight is the aggressor bar, which, when filled, allows faster movement and causes extra damage to the opponent. Mortal Kombat Trilogy, with its jaw-dropping graphics and refinement to its already fun gameplay, is one of the best PS1 fighting games ever.
1. Tekken 3 – Hands Down the Best Fighting Game On the PS1
The final choice for the best PS1 fighting game to top our list is none other than Tekken 3. We know we always try to throw in surprises for the final slot, but Tekken 3 cannot be denied. Many hold the opinion that Tekken 3 is the definitive fighting game of all time, and we tend to agree wholeheartedly.
So, what is it that makes Tekken 3 so great? Well, it’s the learning curve that requires concentration, precision, and timing focus. The basics are easy enough to learn, but it’s when you experiment and discover just what each character’s moves are capable of, that you realize, Tekken 3 is a masterpiece. On a side note, Eddy Gordo is the best Tekken character ever, and you can’t convince us otherwise!
Every fighter has a unique style, not just visually, but their fighting ability makes them stand out. Tekken 3 is what you get when you strike the right balance of accessibility and challenge, where players want to learn the mechanics. Tekken 3 manages to do this splendidly, and that’s why it’s got this timeless aura. There’s simply no other fighting game from the PS1 era that can hold a candle to Tekken 3.
Final Thoughts Regarding the Best Fighting Games on PS1
Well, there you have it, our fellow PS1 fighting game enthusiasts. Our list, like all good things, comes to a close. We’re hoping you agree with our choices and their placement, but even if you don’t, you gotta admit, it’s a who’s who of the heavy hitters. So, fire away your thoughts on today’s selection in the comments below. We’re pretty sure you’ll have colorful opinions, but don’t worry; we can take it.
If you’re feeling more of the nostalgic bug like us these days, how about another trip down memory lane? Check our top PS1 JRPGS and get ready for a blast from the past. Well, that’s all we got for you today as we sign off for the weekend. We hope you all stay safe and have a great time. Take care, everybody, and happy gaming!