First introduced in the 70s, fighting game is probably one of the earliest genres in the history of gaming. The concept of two characters controlled by two players engaged in hand-to-hand combat was first introduced by Sega in 1976 through a game called “Heavyweight Champ”. It was eventually adapted by many other developers and soon became a staple genre in video games, particularly in arcades. When arcades are starting to decline, the popularity of fighting games never faded. Many console games adapted the format which soon gave birth to many popular and classic titles today, including iconic games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Tekken to name a few.

What really separates fighting games from other genres is that the games are purely skill-based, making each fight unpredictable. This also provides impressive replay value and it is not really surprising that even on mobile platforms, you can still see a great number of fighting games. Even giant titles are starting to venture into this platform to reach wider audiences. Today, we are listing down 10 of the best free fighting games that you can play on your mobile devices.

free fighting games

Street Fighter Duel

Street Fighter solidified itself as one of the pioneers in this genre. In fact, it holds the title of being the most commercially successful fighting game of all time. The impact of the game is truly overwhelming and every kid who grew up enjoying this fighting game is very much aware of the “Hadouken”, the signature attack from the game. Street Fighter eventually expanded into a giant franchise and has become Capcom’s biggest flagship title. It took a while before Street Fighter finally ventured to the mobile platform. The recently launched Street Fighter Duel reintroduced all our favorite Street Fighter characters including Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, Blanka, and more. The game was optimized for mobile devices and introduced us to some new mechanics.

The game comes with an entirely different combat system with some action card battle elements along with RPG, Strategy, and a pinch of Clicker mechanics. The player controls a squad of three different fighters. It also comes with multiple engaging campaigns with multiplayer elements that can be experienced through real-time PvP modes. It offers a nostalgic game experience that every Street Fighter fan will appreciate.

 

Download Street Fighter: Duel – Android / iOS

 

Mortal Kombat Mobile

A list of fighting games will not be completed without including another classic title. Mortal Kombat was first introduced in 1992 for arcade machines. It features diverse characters whose intention is to win a martial art competition. What really separates Mortal Combat from other fighting games is the brutality and gruesome elements that the character might encounter when losing the match. If “Hadouken” belongs to Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat owns its famous “Fatality”, a gruesome finishing move performed by a winning character. This also brought lots of controversies over the game. Despite the issues, Mortal Kombat was truly a success and eventually grew into a major franchise and was even adapted into different media including films and animated series.

Mortal Kombat first made an attempt to conquer the mobile platform by launching the Mortal Kombat Mobile in 2015. It is a free-to-play fighting game that is exclusively optimized for mobile devices. The game was developed by NetherRealm Studio, the same team behind the Mortal Kombat series and Injustice. While the game offers different campaigns to explore, it remains faithful to its original material. There’s a 3v3 combat, a collecting card element that allows you to unlock more than 130 characters from the franchise, and many others.

 

Download Mortal Kombat Mobile – Android / iOS

 

free fighting games

 

Injustice 2

From the same team behind the Mortal Kombat franchise comes another epic fighting game. The first Injustice was released in 2013 for various gaming consoles. Interestingly, a free-to-play version was also released for mobile devices. Despite the fact that the game was released for smartphones, the quality of the game was never compromised, allowing players to experience an epic console-grade fighting game straight from their mobile devices. Injustice generally takes you to the huge DC Universe. It highlights DC’s very own multiverse featuring a large variety of your favorite DC superheroes and supervillains.

Following the success of Injustice: The Gods Among Us in 2013, it was succeeded by an equally impressive sequel in 2017. Injustice 2’s core gameplay is very much the same as its predecessor. Here, the player competes in a one-on-one battle using DC characters. Players can perform combos and utilize the character’s unique skillset to win each match. The sequel also introduced a new loot system to make the match more engaging and fun. To top it all off, the game added a bunch of new playable characters from the ever-growing DC universe. Not to mention the console-grade graphics that you can enjoy straight from your mobile device.

 

Download Injustice 2 – Android / iOS

 

The King of Fighters ALL STAR

SNK is constantly making an extreme effort to bring its iconic flagship titles into the mobile platform. Through the so-called ACA NEO GEO program, a partnership between SNK Corporation and Hamster Corporation, the company is re-releasing their titles and introducing them to a new generation of gamers in a retrospective fashion (meaning, the games are released with the same nostalgic interface and gameplay). Interestingly, Netmarble Games, the studio behind Ni no Kuni: Crosswinds and Marvel Future Revolution, made an interesting approach by creating a beat ’em’ up fighting game via The King of Fighters ALL STAR.

The first King of Fighters (KOF) game was launched in 1994 and soon became a major hit for SNK. This eventually expanded to multiple series for multiple gaming platforms. In this game, the player controls one character as he engages multiple enemies until reaching the stage boss. As the title of the game suggests, it is an ALL-STAR edition that features multiple cross-over characters from different iconic games and pop culture references like Samurai Shodown, Gin Tama, Tekken, WWE, Street Fighter, Soulcalibur, Virtua Fighter, and many more.

 

Download The King of Fighters ALL STAR – Android / iOS

 

Brawlhalla

The success of Super Smash Bros is truly overwhelming and the concept was eventually adopted by different developers. Ubisoft, the same studio behind Assassin’s Creed also created its own version through Brawlhalla. Unlike Super Smash Bros though, Brawlhalla is more like a cartoonish brawl presented in a colorful 2D environment. The goal is simple, knock your opponent outside the arena or what is referred to here as the Blastzones. This can be done by using your character’s ability. The game was first launched with only 34 playable characters in 2014 but the roster grew and expanded. Currently, there are 56 staple characters in the game.

The main characters are exclusively designed for the game, unlike Super Smash Bros which features a massive cross-over from different Nintendo titles. However, what makes the game special are the customizable skins. This is where the cross-over takes place. In the entire course of the game, several characters were introduced as part of special events and they remained accessible in the game even though the event already ended. Some of the cross-over characters came from games and series like Adventure Time, Assassin’s Creed, The Walking Dead, Street Fighters, Avatar: The Last Air Bender, Ben 10, Tomb Raider, and Kung Fu Panda to name a few.

 

Download Brawlhalla – Android / iOS

 

Flash Party

Flash Party is probably the newest game on this list. The game was launched publicly a few weeks ago by XD Entertainment. Similar to Brawlhalla, Flash Party is merely inspired by the classic Super Smash Bros gameplay. The core objective is to knock your opponent out of the arena three times to win the match. Similar to Brawhalla, Flash Party will introduce diverse characters that are exclusively built for the game. Once engaged in battle, players will be sent into a floating arena. You can use the virtual joypad to move around and the tap-based buttons to execute skills, jump, and shield. Like most fighting games, the player is encouraged to exert the best of their eye and hand coordination and visual reflexes to maximize their chances of winning.

Although it highlights exclusive characters, the game is gradually adding exciting heroes to its growing roster. Recently, they had a cross-over event with Stardust Warriors and introduced some of its popular characters in the game. More than their unique appearances, each character also comes with a distinct skill set and combo attacks. You can also upgrade individual characters to make them more efficient and effective in each match.

 

Download Flash Party – Android / iOS

 

Final Fighter

If you are looking for another visually appealing fighting game that provides you with some console-grade graphics, Final Fighter is something you can confidently add to your mobile device. The game is developed and published by Jia Rong Tech. Final Fighter takes you to a futuristic environment that is said to take place in the year 2050. It follows the story of some experiments that gave birth to so-called Hybrid super champions. The powerful Hybrids, however, revolted against humans which resulted in a major catastrophe. Now, your goal is to lead a squad known as Soul Fighters to defeat the evil Hybrids and bring the world back to its former glory.

The game features a decent number of wonderfully designed characters which are referred to here as the “champions”. It features a nostalgic one-on-one combat system where players can utilize the unique skills given to each character. Be mindful that you are going to oppose real online players in real-time combat. Aside from the main story campaign, Final Fighter also offers other equally engaging campaigns to explore including Team and Guild systems.

 

Download Final Fighter – Android

 

free fighting games

 

Punch Boxing 3D

The first ever fighting game is based on boxing sports and it is not really surprising to see a lot of boxing games available on all platforms. Punch Boxing 3D is developed and published by CanaryDroid which is not a stranger to building sports games. Some of their works include Golf Hit, Fanatical Basketball, and Pool which are all presented in impressive 3D graphics. Punch Boxing 3D, as the title suggests, highlights a beautiful 3D boxing environment and provides a realistic boxing experience. The game features more than 30 different boxers from all over the world.

The game allows you to customize your boxer with more than 120 uniforms and equipment that you can mix and match. The mechanics are also simple and easily manageable. It comes with basic controls through a couple of tap-based buttons on the screen. You can also upgrade the gym to improve your boxer’s skills and attributes. What really separates the game from other boxing apps is the impressive 3D graphics. The well-polished animation and console-grade design are what make Punch Boxing 3D stand out.

 

Download Punch Boxing 3D – Android

 

Shadow Fight 4: Arena

From being a Facebook-based game, Shadow Fight by Nekki evolved into a full-fledged app game and expanded into multiple sequels. The first two games only feature silhouettes in an intense 2D arena. However, when Shadow Fight 3 was launched in 2017, the game featured a vast of changes. Unlike its predecessors, Shadow Fight 3 highlights life-like 3D characters in an animated environment. To remain faithful to the original title, the game added unique shadow abilities to each fighter.  In November 2020, the fourth installment was released.

Shadow Fight 4: Arena follows the events from Shadow Fight 3. The game will primarily focus on PvP battles. Each character and location in the game has its own unique connection with Shadow Fight 3’s storyline. The core objective is to win over your enemies by utilizing your weapons and fighting skills. Each hero can be upgraded to make them more efficient in battle. Aside from its well-polished gameplay, the game is also an absolute visual delight. It treats you with stunning graphics and fighting sequences that make you feel like playing a console game.

 

Download Shadow Fight 4: Arena – Android / iOS

 

free fighting games

Dragon Ball Legends

Developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, the same studio behind a great number of anime-inspired app games like One Piece Bounty Rush, Sword Art Online, My Hero Ultra Impact, and more, comes an epic battle featuring one of the most classic anime of all time. Dragon Ball Legends. As the title of the game connotes, Dragon Ball Legends is an RPG fighting game that features all the legendary Dragon Ball heroes that we all adored. These include Goku, Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and more. They also included some famous villains such as Frieza, Cell, and Majin boo to name a few.

The game comes with very intuitive controls and simple card-based strategic gameplay. Despite the apparent simplicity, Dragon Ball Legends will surely take you to an epic battle. While it features all the legendary Dragon Ball characters, the game will introduce you to a new main character that is exclusively created for the game. It also comes with a different storyline for players to explore. Appearance-wise, Dragon Ball Legends is an absolute visual delight. Instead of bringing the signature anime style, the game recreated the characters and the map into high-quality 3D graphics. If you love the animated series, then this game is definitely a great catch

 

Download Dragon Ball Legends: Android / iOS

 

Fighting games are simple yet surprisingly addictive and fun. If you are looking for an intense fighting game that will test the best of your skills, feel free to explore any of these Ten Best fighting Games for mobile. Good luck and have fun!