The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time, According to Metacritic

Street Fighter V – Metacritic Score: 75.5

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

The latest addition to the Street Fighter family turned out to not be the best Street Fighter game there is. Street Fighter V was beat out by its older siblings in terms of Metacritic reviews, but it also still received its fair share of praise. Street Fighter V’s game mechanics managed to win critics over while also adding a more widespread appeal. Out of all the Street Fighter games, Street Fighter V seems to be one of the most welcoming to newcomers who are looking for a flashy brawler.

Unfortunately, there is a stark contrast between Street Fighter V’s average of 75.5 out of 100 across all platforms from critics and it’s feeble 3.4 out of 10 that it received from users. While Street Fighter V did a great job of fine tuning its controls and buttons, it completely missed the mark on adding a variety of game modes, featuring a more interesting story to play through, and ensuring the final game actually felt like a finished product.

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting – Metacritic Score: 76

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting is best described as a solid gaming experience. It certainly isn’t the best that Street Fighter has offered, but it’s still a fun-enough game that, for the most part, lived up to expectations. It offered a challenging brawler that was well balanced when it comes to delivering punishments for missed buttons or offering big rewards for a well-timed combo. You always had to work hard for your victories in Street Fighter II, and Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting was no different. Where the game seemed to struggle, however, was in its online services and less than favorable controls. Both critics and users agree that Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting came with an unforgivable amount of lagging and frequent disconnections.

Street Fighter X Tekken – Metacritic Score: 81.3

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

It’s no surprise that this popular crossover brawler is one of the most highly rated Street Fighter games on Metacritic. Both Street Fighter and Tekken have a massive, dedicated following and a unique roster of characters that offer some cool matchups. Even more special, however, is that nobody relied solely on the popularity of these franchises to carry the game into the limelight. The actual gameplay itself felt different in the best way possible. Reviews praised the title as a “high-quality fighting” game that “brings together two unlikely groups of foes in a game that blends a more traditional style of gameplay with some very interesting-if not slightly controversial-new ideas.” Simply put, it’s just an all around solid game that also just so happens to have the character roster of your fighting game dreams.

Street Fighter III: Double Impact – Metacritic Score: 84

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

Street Fighter III: Double Impact was released more than 15 years ago and it’s still holding a score that outshines many of its newer siblings. It’s yet another title that has an incredible amount of appeal to both hardcore fans of the Street Fighter franchise and newcomers who are simply looking for a truly entertaining and challenging fighting game experience. Critics praised the game for doing away with the “old, dated look” the series once had and replacing it with a “2D fighter that not only plays great, but looks great as well.” The game also kept the parry maneuver that its parent title introduced, which has led to some of the best esports comeback stories in fighting game history.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition – Metacritic Score: 86

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

While you wouldn’t typically see multiple ports of the same game on a list like this, the difference in the appeal of Street Fighter III: Double Impact versus Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online seems to warrant a discussion of both titles. Street Fighter III seemed to truly highlight everything that makes a good fighting game great on a competitive level, so offering a port that made the online gameplay experience its number one priority just seemed like the right thing to do. Third Stike Online cut down on the lag that many players were experiencing while also providing them with new ways to improve their skills. New training modes were introduced that catered to both newcomers who wanted to climb the ranks and veteran players who needed a better way to practice mastering complex combos.

Anyone who was serious about the Street Fighter franchise or just serious about becoming a well-rounded fighting game player, would have done themselves a huge favor if they added Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition to their collection at the time.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix – Metacritic Score: 87.5

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix proved to be a great blend of the old and the new, with classic gameplay at its core and some beautiful upgrades to its visuals and online play. Reviews on Metacritic described the game as a “superb edition of a timeless game completed with nearly flawless online gameplay.” Other critics also claimed that the game remained true to everything that made Street Fighter a fighting game icon while still making the game feel new again.

Street Fighter IV – Metacritic Score: 92.7

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

There is less than a full point separating Street Fighter IV from the highest rated Street Fighter game on Metacritic, which serves as a testament to just how great both of these titles are. By the time Street Fighter reached its fourth main title, one thing had become glaringly obvious—Capcom had a knack for balancing classic features that appeal to the original fanbase while making the content fresh and exciting for newcomers.

“By striking a balance between fresh and familiar, and by delivering the best aspects of Street Fighter’s past, Street Fighter IV is easily one of this console generation’s best fighting games,” Playstation: The Official Magazine wrote of the wildly successful addition to the Street Fighter family back in 2009. Street Fighter IV seemed to fine tune the game in a way that made it truly fluid, well-balanced and downright beautiful. Street Fighter IV impressed on every level, scoring positive feedback from every critic that was featured on Metacritic.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 – Metacritic Score: 93

The Best Street Fighter Games of All Time

Street Fighter Alpha 3 is still touted today as an example of 2D fighting excellence. The 1999 addition to the Street Fighter series offers a dynamic gameplay experience with enough modes to add some serious replay value. It also boasts one of the most favorable menu systems of all the Street Fighter games, some of the best 2D graphics of its time, and tons of power ups to make your Street Fighter Alpha 3 experience a long-lasting one. Critics described Street Fighter Alpha 3 as “a wonderful piece of fighting goodness” that may very well be the “best 2D fighting game created” at that time. It’s simply a title that is clean, pretty, addicting, and hours and hours and hours of pure fun.