Similar games

Games like Karate Champ

1984

An early arcade fighting pioneer where you duel the computer or a friend using precise two-joystick inputs for a range of karate moves. Matches are decided in a best-of-three format.

Melee combat with weapons or fists
Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
Co-op or multiplayer
Action-packed real-time combat

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International Karate +

95 %Match

1987PlayStation

Melee combat with weapons or fists
Timing and reflexes matter (parrying, dodging)
Gameplay comes before story

A classic karate fighting game by Archer Maclean in which three fighters battle at once on screen. New moves like the backflip, an animated background and Rob Hubbard's music make it stand out.

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A classic 1991 SNK fighting game following Terry Bogard's fight against crime lord Geese Howard. Its standout feature is the two-plane system that lets fighters shift between foreground and background lanes.

Fire Pro Wrestling World

Melee combat with weapons or fists

A 2D pro wrestling game where timing of grapples and counters decides matches. Its deep editors for wrestlers, rings and match rules and its local multiplayer are the main draws.

Street Fighter

Challenging difficulty

Capcom's original Street Fighter laid the groundwork for the genre with one-on-one duels against opponents from around the world, attack buttons and early command-input special moves. It is clunky and punishing, but historically important.

The King of Fighters '95

Melee combat with weapons or fists

A classic 2D SNK arcade fighter where you assemble a three-fighter team and battle in team-versus matches. Precise inputs and combos are the focus, and it shines in head-to-head play.

Virtua Fighter 2

Melee combat with weapons or fists

A landmark 3D fighter from Sega AM2 that emphasizes grounded martial arts, precise timing and deep one-on-one duels instead of flashy special effects. Great for players who enjoy technical versus matches against friends or the AI.

Street Fighter: The Movie

Melee combat with weapons or fists

A 1995 arcade fighter based on the Street Fighter film, using digitized live actors instead of hand-drawn sprites in one-on-one duels with special moves. Its odd movie-photo look is the hook, while the play remains a classic versus fighter.

Fighting EX Layer

Action-packed real-time combat

You fight in this successor to the Street Fighter EX series, a 2.5D brawler that adds chain combos, running, and the Gougi system, which lets you bend your character's abilities or even the match rules mid-fight. The roster is carried over from Street Fighter EX2 Plus.

Lethal League Blaze

Melee combat with weapons or fists

A blisteringly fast arcade brawler where a ball speeds up with every hit and is smashed into opponents to knock them out. It rewards timing and reflexes, wrapped in a bold comic look and driving beats.

Yie Ar Kung-Fu

Gameplay comes before story

An early Konami arcade classic that helped lay the foundation for modern fighting games: as kung-fu fighter Lee, you defeat a series of opponents with different weapons and styles in short, reflex-driven duels.