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10 great fighting games for beginners to learn
# 10 Great Fighting Games for Beginners to Learn The world of fighting games is an exhilarating one, filled with flashy combos, strategic depth, and...
10 Great Fighting Games for Beginners to Learn
The world of fighting games is an exhilarating one, filled with flashy combos, strategic depth, and the unparalleled thrill of a close-fought victory. However, for newcomers, the genre can appear intimidating. Complex button inputs, a seemingly endless list of character moves, and a high-skilled online community can feel like insurmountable barriers. Fortunately, the landscape has changed. Developers are now more focused than ever on creating accessible entry points into their games, ensuring that even players with no prior experience can jump in and have fun. These modern titles often feature innovative control schemes, comprehensive tutorial modes, and gameplay mechanics that are easy to grasp but difficult to master. This focus on accessibility doesn't mean a lack of depth; instead, it provides a smoother on-ramp for learning the fundamental skills that are transferable across the entire genre.
This list is curated for those looking to dip their toes into the fighting game community. We're focusing on titles that excel in teaching new players the ropes, whether through simplified controls, outstanding in-game guides, or core designs that prioritize strategic thinking over complex execution. From the biggest names in the industry to innovative indie titles, these are the fighting games for beginners that will not only provide an enjoyable experience from the get-go but also build a solid foundation for a long and rewarding journey into the world of competitive gaming. Whether you're a complete novice or a returning veteran, these ten games offer the perfect starting point to learn, grow, and ultimately, compete.
1. Street Fighter 6
Capcom's latest installment in the legendary series is widely regarded as one of the most beginner-friendly fighting games ever made. Street Fighter 6 masterfully balances its deep, strategic gameplay with a suite of tools designed to welcome new players.
The Modern Control Scheme
The most significant innovation for newcomers is the "Modern" control scheme. This option simplifies the traditionally complex inputs required for special moves, binding them to a single button press combined with a directional input. For example, Ryu's iconic Hadoken can be performed with a simple button press, rather than the classic quarter-circle motion. This allows beginners to focus on the core concepts of spacing, timing, and strategy without getting bogged down by execution. An "Assist" button further simplifies things by enabling auto-combos with repeated presses, giving new players a feel for combo structure and damage output.
World Tour and In-Depth Tutorials
Street Fighter 6 introduces the "World Tour," a single-player story mode where you create your own avatar and explore an open world. This mode cleverly teaches players the fundamentals of the game in a fun and engaging way. You'll learn everything from basic movement and attacks to more advanced techniques by training with the legendary characters from the Street Fighter roster. Beyond the World Tour, the game boasts extensive character guides and combo trials that break down each fighter's move set, providing a clear path for improvement.
2. Tekken 8
The latest entry in the iconic 3D fighting game series, Tekken 8, has made significant strides in accessibility, making it an excellent choice for those new to the genre.
Introducing Special Style
Tekken 8 features a "Special Style" control scheme that can be toggled on or off at any time, even during a match. This mode simplifies the game's complex move lists, mapping key attacks and combos to single button presses. For example, pressing a specific button repeatedly will execute an air combo, while another will perform a powerful "Power Crush" move that can absorb an opponent's attack. This allows new players to experience the flashiest aspects of Tekken combat without needing to memorize long strings of inputs.
A Wealth of Learning Tools
Beyond the Special Style, Tekken 8 is packed with features to help beginners learn. The "Arcade Quest" mode acts as a comprehensive tutorial, guiding players through the game's core mechanics in a story-driven format. Furthermore, the game's replay system is a powerful learning tool, allowing you to not only watch your past matches but also take control of your character at any point to practice different responses to situations where you struggled.
3. Guilty Gear -Strive-
Guilty Gear -Strive- is renowned for its stunning anime art style and high-octane gameplay. While the series has a reputation for being complex, Strive was designed to be more approachable for newcomers without sacrificing its depth.
Simplified Mechanics
Strive streamlines many of the intricate systems of its predecessors. The combo system is more straightforward, and the game places a greater emphasis on neutral game and strategic decision-making over long, difficult-to-execute combos. This makes it easier for new players to understand the flow of a match and feel competitive more quickly.
Comprehensive Mission Mode
One of Strive's standout features for beginners is its extensive "Mission Mode." This mode goes far beyond a basic tutorial, offering dozens of missions that cover everything from fundamental movement and attacks to advanced concepts like Roman Cancels and matchup-specific strategies. It's an invaluable resource for learning not just how to play Strive, but also the universal concepts of fighting games.
4. Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising
For those who love the anime aesthetic but want an even more streamlined experience, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising is an excellent entry point.
Simple and Technical Inputs
This game offers both "Simple" and "Technical" input options for special moves. The simple inputs allow players to perform special moves with a single button press, similar to Street Fighter 6's Modern Controls. This makes it incredibly easy to pick up and play any character on the roster. While technical inputs offer a slight damage bonus, simple inputs are competitively viable, allowing new players to focus on fundamentals from the start.
Free-to-Play Version
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising offers a robust free-to-play version that includes a rotating roster of free characters and access to online play. This provides a no-risk opportunity for beginners to try out the game and see if its style and mechanics are a good fit before committing to a purchase.
5. Fantasy Strike
Fantasy Strike is a game built from the ground up with the goal of making the fighting game genre accessible to everyone. It achieves this by stripping away many of the traditional complexities.
One-Button Simplicity
In Fantasy Strike, all special moves are performed with a single button press, and there are no complex joystick motions required. Combos are intentionally short and easy to perform, shifting the focus of the game almost entirely to strategy, spacing, and decision-making.
The Yomi Counter
A unique mechanic in Fantasy Strike is the "Yomi Counter." If you anticipate your opponent is going to throw you, you can simply let go of all your controls to perform an automatic counter-throw. This creates an interesting mind game and simplifies a common defensive scenario for new players. The game also includes helpful in-game video tutorials for every character, breaking down their game plan and key moves.
6. Dragon Ball FighterZ
For fans of the iconic anime, Dragon Ball FighterZ offers a visually spectacular and surprisingly accessible 3-on-3 tag-team fighting game experience.
Auto-Combos and Simple Inputs
Dragon Ball FighterZ features an "auto-combo" system where repeatedly pressing the light or medium attack buttons will result in a flashy, pre-set combo. This allows beginners to deal respectable damage and feel competent while they are still learning the game's more complex systems. Special moves also have relatively simple inputs, making it one of the more approachable "anime fighters."
A Familiar and Exciting Roster
The ability to play as beloved characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Frieza is a huge draw for newcomers. The game's stunning visuals perfectly capture the look and feel of the anime, making every match an exciting spectacle. This built-in familiarity can be a great motivator for players to invest the time to learn the game's mechanics.
7. BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle
This 2-on-2 tag fighter brings together characters from several different franchises, including BlazBlue, Persona, and RWBY. Its simplified control scheme makes it a great entry point into the often-complex world of "anime" and tag-team fighting games.
Universal and Easy Inputs
In BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, many of the special move inputs are universal across the cast, and the game relies heavily on simple quarter-circle motions. It also features an auto-combo system, ensuring that new players can perform cool-looking and effective combos from the very beginning. This consistency across characters makes it easy for beginners to experiment with different teams and find a duo that suits their playstyle.
Fast-Paced and Fun
The tag-team nature of the game means that the action is always fast-paced and exciting. The ability to call in your partner for assists or switch characters mid-combo adds a layer of strategy that is intuitive and fun to learn.
8. Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid
This team-based fighter is another excellent choice for beginners, offering a fast-paced yet accessible experience.
Simple and Intuitive Controls
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid was designed with accessibility in mind. Special moves can be performed with simple button presses and directional inputs, removing the need for complex motions. The combo system is also very lenient, making it easy for newcomers to string together attacks and feel powerful.
Nostalgic Appeal
For fans of the Power Rangers franchise, this game is a treat. The roster is filled with iconic characters from across the series' history, and the gameplay is full of flashy special moves and over-the-top action that will feel right at home for fans of the show.
9. Injustice 2
For fans of DC Comics, Injustice 2 provides a cinematic and content-rich fighting game experience with a relatively gentle learning curve.
Straightforward Special Moves
Developed by the team behind Mortal Kombat, Injustice 2 features a similar control scheme where special moves are performed with simple directional inputs and button presses. The combo system is based on chaining together these special moves with normal attacks, which can be easier to grasp for beginners than the link-based systems of some other fighters.
Robust Single-Player Content
Injustice 2 is packed with single-player content, including a compelling story mode and the "Multiverse" mode, which offers an ever-changing series of challenges with unique rewards. This gives new players plenty of opportunities to learn the game and its characters in a low-pressure environment before venturing online.
10. Mortal Kombat 1
The latest installment in the long-running series, Mortal Kombat 1, continues the trend of offering a cinematic and accessible fighting game experience.
Simplified Inputs and Kameo Fighters
Like Injustice 2, Mortal Kombat 1 uses a dial-a-combo system and simple special move inputs. A new addition is the "Kameo Fighter" system, which allows you to call in an assist character for special moves. This adds a fun and strategic layer to the gameplay that is easy for beginners to understand and experiment with.
Extensive Tutorial and Story Mode
Mortal Kombat 1 features a high-quality story mode and a detailed tutorial that explains all of the game's core mechanics. The game is known for its over-the-top action and cinematic presentation, which can be very appealing to newcomers to the genre.
In conclusion, the fighting game genre is more welcoming to new players than ever before. With a wide range of accessible titles available, there has never been a better time to jump in and start learning. Whether you're drawn to the strategic depth of Street Fighter 6, the 3D combat of Tekken 8, or the simplified elegance of Fantasy Strike, there is a game on this list that will provide a fantastic entry point into this rewarding and exciting genre.