Our aim with today’s article is to stay as old school as we possible can with this best retro fighting games list. We are going as far back as 1986 with this one.
1 to 15 of the following fighting games are not in any type of order.
1. Renegade (Spectrum):
It was fighting games like Renegade that made the genre super popular in the late 80s and beyond. This game appeared in Arcades first, then got ported to a numbers of computer and console systems such as ZX Spectrum, C64, Sega Master System, and Nintendo NES. You can’t go wrong with this brilliant beat ’em up.
2. Target Renegade (Spectrum):
Target Renegade, the follow-up to Renegade, was actually surprisingly superior in a lot of ways. The bone-crunching action of the original is intensified in this mega sequel. We recommend playing the ZX Spectrum version of the game for the best experience because a lot of the other ports are nowhere near as good.
3. Double Dragon (Arcade):
It’s only natural to add the first Double Dragon on a best retro fighting games list. The arcade game revolutionised the beat ’em up genre at the time, paving the way for many fighting game clones that came after it. The game received a number of sequels over the years, but none of them were quite as good as the original.
4. Final Fight (Arcade):
After the likes of Renegade and Double Dragon had their time dominating the beat ’em up scene, along come Capcom’s almighty Final Fight to take the genre to the next level. For it’s time, the game looked super impressive, featuring large character sprites, bone-crunching sound effects, and buckets of playability.
5. Shadow Warriors aka Ninja Gaiden (Arcade):
When I was a young kid, I would often find myself blown away by the visuals of this brilliant ninja based fighting game from Tecmo. You can use the environment to your advantage by hanging on to poles and performing swing kick manoeuvres to take out incoming enemies, crash through phone booths, and a lot more.
6. Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja (Arcade):
Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja, also simply known as either Bad Dudes or Dragon Ninja, is another great side-scrolling fighting game from Data East. Punch and kick your way through hordes of Ninjas and end of level bosses to reach “President Ronnie”, who has been kidnapped by a vicious gang called Dragon Ninja.
7. Two Crude Dudes (Arcade):
A very fun side-scrolling beat ’em up in the same style as Dragon Ninja, only Two Crude Dudes has much chunkier sprites. You can pick up and toss enemies across the screen, as well as pick up and use items to defeat bad guys such as cars, pipes, pieces of wood, and a lot more. If you come across this awesome fighter, we recommend giving it some attention.
8. Streets of Rage (Genesis / Mega Drive):
Considered one of the greatest beat ’em ups of all-time, Streets of Rage was Sega’s answer to Capcom’s Final Fight. So, which of the two games is better? That’s a difficult question to answer. Streets of Rage and Final Fight are very similar in combat style. With this being a best retro fighting games list, we would advise you to play both to find out which one you prefer.
9. Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis / Mega Drive):
If you thought the first Streets of Rage was nothing short of utter brilliance, wait until you play the far superior sequel. Streets of Rage 2 is considered not only the best fighting game, but the best Sega Genesis / Mega Drive game of all-time. The music, sound effects, character sprites, and playability, have all been turned up to 10 on the Richter scale.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade):
If you grew up in the late 80s, you probably came across Konami’s legendary Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade machine at some point during that time period. The game is best played with 4-players simultaneously, but finding that specific arcade cabinet might be a bit of a task these days. You can still enjoy the greatness even in single player mode.
11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (SNES):
A fantastic port of the arcade game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time on the Super Nintendo was a mega hit on the console in 1991. Simply one of the greatest games to appear on the console during the early nineties. Konami always managed to deliver high quality titles on the beloved SNES and this is among the best of them.
12. DJ Boy (Arcade):
I have always had a soft spot for this game, specifically the arcade version. DJ Boy is basically a beat ’em up on roller skates. I know it doesn’t sound appealing, but it really is a lot of fun to play once you get the hang of the controls. The game is based on the hip hop culture in the U.S. during that time. The graphics are great to look at, representing that time period very well.
13. Tekken (PlayStation):
When the original Tekken hit the Sony PlayStation console back in the 1995, it soon became a beloved classic fighting game among gamers. Along with Sega’s Virtua Fighter, Tekken was among the first of many 3D based fighting games. We can’t say enough great things about the games music, graphics, and playability. Give it a play now.
14. Virtua Fighter (Sega Saturn):
Talking of 3D fighting games, Sega’s Virtua Fighter was the first to do it. It’s hard to believe 31 years have passed since it was released into arcades. The Sega Saturn conversion is almost a perfect port, cramming in all the amazing visuals, music, and mega gameplay action of the arcade machine on a single disc. What a game.
15. Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior (Arcade):
We can’t end this list without the inclusion of Capcom’s first Street Fighter 2 game, the iconic Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior. If you were old enough to experience this masterpiece in arcades back in the early nineties, then you were one very lucky kid. Street Fighter 2 paved the way for many future fighting games. Still holds up well to this day.
