Fighting games may not be the most popular genre anymore, but the people who still love the genre are among the most loyal gamers. Unfortunately, fighting games haven’t been as popular or successful on Android as many would’ve hoped, and there aren’t many amazing options available. There were some pretty big releases in 2018 and some more since. However, you’ll still want an emulator if you want something competitively fun. In any case, if you want to give it a shot, here are the best fighting games for Android.
We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Footsies (Google Play). It’s a very simple but addictive fighter.
The best fighting games for Android
Brawl Stars
Price: Free to play
Brawl Stars might be reaching just a little bit. The gameplay is a little more beat ’em up style than a true fighter, but it has many of the same tense elements. You and a couple of other people play online PvP against up to three total opponents. You have to beat them up, and finish the objective. However, the game does have a one versus one fighting mode that is basically just a fight to the death. The fighter genre isn’t super packed with great titles, but we think this one is good for killing five minutes.
Brawlhalla
Price: Free to play
Brawlhalla is a surprisingly fun fighting game. It plays a lot like Super Smash Bros. Players play on a small platform with edges where you can fall off. The various characters have various attacks and abilities, which is very similar to Super Smash Bros. In addition, the on-screen controls are highly customizable and there are a few different game modes. This is a good arcade fighter that is a lot of fun in short bursts. There are also 50 characters with more coming all the time.
EA Sports UFC Mobile 2
Price: Free to play
EA discontinued their original UFC mobile game in early 2022 and now we have its successor. The game doesn’t play all that much like its predecessor and some believe it’s for the worse. The controls are less granular and more arcade-like. There is also an RPG progression where your fighter gets more powerful as you level them up. Some other game features include a gacha element to build a perfect team of fighters, signature moves from big fighters, and more. It’s definitely not as good as the original, but it did take the original a few years to hit its stride so we hope EA improves this one too.
Emulators
Price: Free / Varies
Interest in fighting games was a lot higher on older consoles so you can find a ton of old games with emulators. You can play classic Street Fighter games with a SNES emulator, Soul Calibur on a PlayStation emulator, or King of Fighters on SEGA emulators. There are a large number of options with a bunch of games for each platform. Most of them also have controller support, save and load states, support for cheat codes, and other features.
The controller support gives you an advantage of the swipe and tap nature of mobile fighters. Mobile fighters are super simplified and this is a way to recapture those more complex fighters from long ago. We have John NESS (SNES and NES) linked at the button or our full list of the best emulators here.
Injustice: Gods Among Us 1 and 2 (and Mortal Kombat)
Price: Free to play
Injustice: Gods Among Us 1 and 2 are two fo the most popular fighting games on mobile. However, like most popular fighting games, the mechanics for both are a little bogus. It’s mostly just tapping a bunch of times until someone wins. Aside from that, they with a decent roster of DC Comics heroes, tons of stuff to do in the game, and online multiplayer. Mortal Kombat is another fighter by Warner Bros with roughly the same mechanics. Neither of these games are great, but they’re both decent time killers.
More game lists here:
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR
Price: Free to play
The King of Fighters ALLSTAR is one of the newer fighting games on the list comparatively speaking. It takes place in the KoF universe and has a bunch of characters from the various games. It’s a little bit of a button masher, but it has more control options than something like Mortal Kombat X or Injustice 2. The game also features online PvP, co-op play, and a campaign option. People seem to really like this one aside from the lag issues when playing PvP matches. Aside from that, it’s a solid free-to-play fighter.
Punch Boxing 3D
Price: Free to play
Punch Boxing 3D is the first of a few boxing games on this list. As with most boxing games, the gameplay is a bit slower than combo fighters and you rely more on the block and strike moves rather than movement. The graphics are alright and the controls seem to function as intended. It’s unfortunate that your controls are essentially confined to block and punch, but that’s how it sometimes goes. The audio is also pretty bad. You can also level up your character by fighting at the gym and there are a variety of accessories you can unlock.
Real Boxing 2
Price: Free to play
Real Boxing 2 (formerly Real Boxing 2 Rocky) is the sequel to one of the best fighting games out there. You’ll get to play as (and against) the popular fictional character as you fight. There is also a lot of stuff to do. You can challenge other fighters, engage in mini-games, battle bosses, and even create your own character. It has a selection of power ups and gear and that can turn the tide in battle for better or worse. The controls are pretty decent as are the graphics. There is also social mechanics in the form of leaderboards and gifts.
Real Steel series
Price: Free to play
Real Steel is a series of robot fighting games from Reliance Games. Unlike most, these titles feature arcade-style fighting controls. That means you’ll have to move and hit on your own. There are four games in the robot fighting series, each with its own set of mechanics, looks, and stuff to do. The most popular one, Real Steel World Robot Boxing, includes customization, multiplayer, and a couple of other play modes. The latest game in the series is World Robot Boxing 2 and it has reasonably decent reviews. These are on the higher end of the fighting game spectrum.
Prizefighters
Price: Free to play
Prizefighters is another one of the newer fighting games. It’s a retro-style boxing game similar to those from the SNES era (the 1990’s). It features simple controls, player and ring customization, a progression system, social features, and more. The developers also promise online multiplayer at some point. That should elevate an already above average experience. This is a good one for fans of retro fighting games. The in-app purchases aren’t as bad as competitors, either.
Shadow Fight Arena
Price: Free to play
Shadow Fight Arena is the latest in a long-running series of popular fighting games. This one is a bit different from its predecessors but it’s still a good fighter. You play a character and duke it out against the AI and other players. The controls are a bit simple and hardcore fighting fans may find it lacking. However, there is more than enough here for casual players. The franchise’s previous games are also quite good if you want to play the older ones.
Skullgirls
Price: Free to play
Skullgirls is a bit of a diamond in the rough. It’s not mentioned in the same conversations as Street Fighter or KoF, but people seem to like this one. The game brands itself as a 2D fighting RPG with mechanics from both genres. You collect a variety of characters, level them up, and then use them to beat up other people. The game is a bit heavier on the RPG elements than it is fighter elements, but there are enough controls there to scratch that itch. The online PvP has some problems, including the occasional lopsided match-up, but otherwise it seems like an enjoyable little RPG fighter.
Street Fighter IV Champion Edition
Price: Free / $4.99
Street Fighter IV Champion Edition is one of the big fighting game releases of 2018. It’s not without its problems, though. The full game features a decent selection of characters and actual fighting mechanics. It also includes several somewhat broken, but functional features like Bluetooth controller support and online PvP. We’ll be honest, this one still needs some work. However, Capcom seems up to the challenge with a swath of updates in the first few weeks of release. Most of the problems were fixed in its first year and the Google Play rating seems to be turning around from its insanely low score from back then.
Streets of Rage 4
Price: $5.99+$2.99
Streets of Rage 4 is a remaster of the original game from 25 years ago. It includes the classic beat ’em up mechanics. You pick a character, roam around the level, and fight bad guys while avoiding being hit. The remaster includes several characters, a few different game modes, secret levels, and more extra stuff. The gameplay is reasonably smooth, and it’s what you expect. You move horizontally across a level while bad guys periodically spawn to take you out. Use your best moves to take them down and finish the fight. There is an optional DLC available for $2.99 as well.
The game has a few flaws. Some users report a tendency to crash on startup, although we didn’t run into that issue during our testing. The only thing we noticed is the occasional frame drop when a lot of stuff is happening on screen.
Vita Fighters
Price: Free / Up to $8.49
Vita Fighters is a more traditional 1v1 fighter. The game includes over 30 characters, 16 stages, boss fights, controller support, and more. In terms of gameplay, it’s like the fighters from the 90s and 2000s. You move around to dodge attacks, hit combos, and try to outsmart and outplay the opponent. The controller support really helps here, since it lets you do moves a little more effectively.
There are some goofy elements as well. The characters are modeled after famous characters from other franchises, so you’ll likely see some characters you recognize. It’s a surprisingly good fighter, especially for traditional fighter fans.
