The best fighting games you can play on your PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5, get your blood pumping and your palms sweating — just try not to break your Dualsense controller.
These are the best fighting games you can play on PlayStation and we hope to bring you a unique and fun list with a variety of games you can add to your backlog. As always, we will be adding to this list in the future to bring you even more fighting goodness! So, enter the ring with our current roster of the best fighting games on PS3, PS Vita, PS4, and PS5 right now.
Update: We've added one new game for you all to check out!
The best fighting games on PlayStation!
This list was put together to reflect every trophy-supporting PlayStation console, as well as a variety of different tastes, so if a fighting game you adore doesn't have trophy support, unfortunately, it won't be making an appearance on this list. That said, we think the list we have crafted is full of smash hits and underrated gems for players of all preferences to sink their teeth into — let's get into round one, we think it's a total knockout.
Check out our other best PlayStation games lists
The best fighting games on PlayStation consoles
Get ready to beat down all those pesky ninja's with your sick ninjutsu
Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 — PS4
The Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 trophies provide a decent and engaging challenge that are only amplified by the stellar gameplay and addictive combat. While the Naruto Storm games can slide into a multitude of genres be it RPG, adventure, or even visual novel, at their core the Naruto Storm games are fighters through and through — and mighty fine ones at that.
We will warn you that if you plan on playing this game through PS Plus, then you have only a limited time as Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 has joined the ranks of the April 2023 PlayStation Plus leaving list. Even so, we recommend jumping on this and experiencing some of the best, over-the-top, and badass fighting that is sure to get your adrenaline surging.
Those curious about how hard the platinum is can look at the 'Perfect Storm Master' and decide if a completion rate of 1.3% on PSN is difficult or passable. As someone who has obtained the platinum, there are only a few trophies that pose any real challenge — a couple of story missions you need to S rank. However, if you persevere and keep at it, you'll eventually get those trophies and the platinum won't be far behind.
Tekken 7 — PS4
Tekken 7 closes off the Mishima story arc in a fast-paced, high-octane, devilish volcanic finale — literally. With the official Tekken 8 announcement — not just a tease this time — it seems we will be getting a new storyline that centres around Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima. Heck, it wouldn't surprise us if Tekken 8 ends up on this list when it finally releases, but for now, that honour goes to Tekken 7. The game introduces a variety of mechanics that fans can utilise in a pinch to try and regain the upper hand or just flat-out win the round — the most notable of these being the 'Rage Arts' that you gain access to when your life falls below a certain percentage.
The Tekken 7 trophies are a fairly smooth ride to the 'I'll Get Everything Back' platinum trophy. The main hindrance you'll encounter is the 'Okay! I'm Ready' and 'Master of the Iron Fist' trophies, but seeing as a plethora of users on PSN (7.3%) have done so, you'll see that platinum trophy is certainly obtainable with a bit of patience and practice.
Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round — PS3 and PS4
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is an over-the-top, ninja-infused, action-packed masterpiece that deserves a lot more love and recognition than it currently gets. A lot of people are quick to write the Dead or Alive series off as a joke due to its certain "jiggle mechanics" that understandably turn people away before they've even picked up the controller. However, beyond this mechanic Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have an incredibly competent fighting game on their hands, that provides a fun and stylish fighting gameplay that is easy to pick up but hard to master.
Dead or Alive 6 could have snatched up this spot, but Dead or Alive 5 Last Round just has this element that helps edge it in front — that being the combat feels punchier and the roster is more enticing. Dead or Alive 5 Plus was also considered, which is the PS Vita exclusive version of Last Round, yet it just didn't feel complete enough and overall the game doesn't run as smoothly on our favourite little handheld system.
The Dead or Alive 5 Last Round trophies will certainly put you through your paces and keep you on your toes as you take down a near-impossible foe in the platinum trophy 'DOA5 Last Round Master.' This platinum goodness sits with a small completion rate of 1.2% on PSN and the trophies that seem to be stopping people from snatching up the big win appear to be 'Unchallenged Champion' and 'A Fighter is Born,' which ask you to beat all combo challenges with a character and to complete every lesson in the tutorial respectively. Do you have what it takes to overcome this challenge?
Mortal Kombat 11 — PS4 and PS5
Mortal Kombat 11 gives us our much-needed dose of blood, guts, violence, and insane fatalities — and a cool roster of combatants to boot. Honestly, we could have chosen a multitude of entries from the Mortal Kombat series, such as Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat X, and Mortal Kombat 4 — okay maybe not that last one. Mortal Kombat brings a multitude of characters and stories together in a bloodtastic extravaganza that we just had to choose this one over its predecessors — also a certain lady with a lot of teeth is brought back from the dead to devour her foes. Iconic.
The Mortal Kombat 11 trophies may cause a broken controller or two if you don't have the patience and dedication to power through some truly demonic trophies. The platinum trophy 'Elder God' sits with only 0.3% completion on PSN and there are a variety of trophies that appear to be blocking people from snatching it up. The main trophies that will have you screaming GET OVER HERE are 'No Bad Match Ups,' 'Puppet Master,' and 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T' so keep an eye out for those if you are hellbent on getting yourself a shiny new platinum trophy to show off.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax — PS3 and PS4
Our favourite Investigation Team are back in a sequel to Persona 4 Arena — which is also a spin-off of the Persona series. That's right our powerful Persona users from the PS Vita classic, Persona 4 Golden, are back to kick some serious ass in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, a game that throws our heroes into another fighting tournament.
This time around we are joined by even more familiar faces from both Persona 4 and Persona 3, with the likes of Rise, Junpei, and Ken all lending a hand in the ass-whooping scene. Combat feels more refined in the sequel and we also have access to the entire story that takes place in Persona 4 Arena for anyone who might not have played the first game.
The Persona 4 Arena Ultimax trophies are difficult and are going to be a rough ride if you want to earn the platinum trophy 'Thou Art I.' Trophies like 'Arena Domination' and 'Heroic Gladiator' look to have thrown off many players trajectory to earning some platinum goodness. After all, only 0.2% of PSN users have managed the feat of earning the platinum trophy! As much as we love Persona, we think this is a platinum that is out of our league.
Ultra Street Fighter IV — PS3 and PS4
Street Fighter IV or Ultra Street Fighter IV as it is called on the PS4, changed up the Street Fighter series and gave the game an overhaul — specifically in its art style. The series has since felt even more unique than before and completely in its own lane — at first, it seemed the new direction divided the fanbase — but over the many years people have seemingly come to appreciate the comic-book aesthetic. With an eclectic roster of characters, stylish combos, overkill finishers, and Chun-Li, the Street Fighter series is a feast for fighting game enthusiasts.
Ultra Street Fighter IV trophies are a real pain, with the platinum trophy 'Trophy Collector' having a staggeringly low completion rate of 0.1% on PSN. There is a multitude of trophies that seems to be stopping people from snatching up a total K.O, starting with the collection nightmare of both 'Entitled' and 'Iconoclast' that requires you to earn every single title and icon in the game, a time-consuming and tedious task indeed. Both trophies only have a 0.1% completion rate on PSN. Then you have combat-related trophies like 'Trial Athelete' that also only have a 0.1% completion rate on PSN — so yeah, looks like you've got a challenge on your hands here.
Guilty Gear Strive — PS4 and PS5
Guilty Gear Strive is a reboot of the Guilty Gear series and gives us an all-out action spectacle, with dazzling visuals, impeccable OST, quirky characters, and a beautiful coming-out story for DLC character Bridgette. There is a lot to appreciate when it comes to this fantastic fighting game and thankfully you can read all about it in our Guilty Gear Strive review.
The Guilty Gear Strive trophies look to be a tad easier than some of our other entries on this list, although in saying that, don't get comfortable thinking that the platinum trophy 'Strive' is going to be an easy one. Despite the platinum trophy having a 1.8% PSN completion rate on PSN, there are still a number of trophies that can impede your progress and make obtaining that platinum an absolute grind. The main culprit is the gold trophy 'Messiah Will Not Come' which requires you to beat the hidden boss of the game, something that can only be done on the Extreme difficulty setting — without losing a round. Have fun!
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale — PS3 and PS Vita
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a game that gets overlooked quite often and is something that we believe Sony really should come back to in the future. Seeing all of our favourite PlayStation Studios heroes battling it out is something we deserve more of. Bringing the Uncharted series, Infamous series, God of War series, and so many others together in a fighting masterpiece was a stroke of genius if you ask us. Characters all had unique ways of fighting that reflected perfectly their many different abilities from their own worlds and the game was just a blast to play.
Now for the disappointing part, the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale trophies are no longer obtainable due to server shutdowns, meaning the platinum trophy 'All-Star Legend - You've Only Done Everything' is completely void now, so make sure you keep this in mind if you do plan on starting up this fantastic fighting game. Also, quick congratulations to the 2.1% of users who snatched this platinum before it became impossible to do so (like TT's own Lee and Kes, but not Sean — silly boy).
SoulCalibur V — PS3
The SoulCalibur series is a fantastic fighting franchise and one of the few out there that fully incorporates weapons into the field of battle — something we want in more fighting games. On top of this fun little angle, the roster of characters are interesting with some standouts like Ivy, Taki, Tira, Voldo, and Yoshimitsu — a little Tekken crossover. The soundtrack is also phenomenal and you can find yourself getting hyped up as you swing, punch, bash, and slash away at your opponents. SoulCalibur VI was also a close contender for the crown here, but SoulCalibur V has this certain charm about it that is hard to pass up.
The SoulCalibur V trophies are going to be a struggle for some, especially as the servers aren't going to be as populated as they once were, so we can imagine trophies like 'No-hitter' and 'First Step of a Legend' are going to be a bit of a hindrance when trying to earn the platinum trophy 'Unwritten History.' That said, the servers are still alive — for now — so everything is still obtainable, unlike some games on this list. We wish you luck in snatching yourselves another glorious platinum trophy!
Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax — PS Vita and PS3
Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax brings together a variety of awesome anime titles under one feisty little fighting game that is wholly underappreciated by the fighting game fandom as a whole. We get to see the likes of the Sword Art Online series, Valkyria series, Virtua Fighter series, and many, many others collide in the fun outing.
Even better, the Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax trophies are actually pretty simple — especially in the grand scheme of this list. The platinum trophy 'Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax All Clear' has an overall completion rate of 12.5% which should bring you a great amount of confidence in your abilities to snatch up this shiny little platinum trophy.
Tekken Tag Tournament 2 — PS3
Some of you may wonder why we have chosen to put two Tekken games on this list, and the answer is quite simple — it's because this is easily one of the best fighting game franchises ever and has multiple combatants that could dominate this list. However, Tekken Tag Tournament 2 feels unique enough from Tekken 7 that we're willing to call it a spin-off. The tag mechanics bring a fun angle to the fighting franchise, allowing you to get familiar with multiple characters at once and utilise a range of new and unique moves to topple your tag team foes. Customisation is also on point, with thousands of items to gear up with. The OST is breathtaking, the roster is packed to the brim with every character you can think of, and the game just kicks ass.
The Tekken Tag Tournament 2 trophies are pretty fun, with nothing too overbearing blocking you from earning the platinum trophy 'All Hail, Tekken Incarnate.' There are some multiplayer trophies to snatch up, but servers are still populated enough that they shouldn't pose too much of a threat. If you are — for some reason — unsure about TT2, there is actually a Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Prologue game that can give you a taster of what to expect if you were to purchase a copy of the full game — it even comes with its own trophy list; just no platinum trophy.
That's the list. What did you guys think? Did we miss anything glaringly obvious that needs to be added pronto? Are there any games here that deserve to be on our
best PS Plus games list? Let us know in the comments down below!