Best games
Best Fighting games on PlayStation 2
The 16 best Fighting games on PlayStation 2, ranked from 3,603 critic and player ratings.
The best Fighting game on PlayStation 2 right now is SoulCalibur II, with a critic score of 95/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 16 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,603 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 16
01
SoulCalibur II
SoulCalibur II is the third installment in the Soul series and continues the tradition of his predecessors with improved graphics, new characters and new levels. A majority of the action takes place in Weapon Master mode where you have to choose a character and travel a set map to fight the many other warriors through different levels and challenges. Console ports were released, including guest characters from other franchises. The Arcade version has a unique mode called "Conquest Mode". This mode, which uses a name and password system to save data, allows the player to select one army among four. The player then fights against enemies in a series of eight 1-round battles, win or lose (the first seven are based on the player's rank, and the eighth is chosen by the player – this can only be interrupted by a Versus challenger.) After each round, the player earns EXP and can be promoted, and the game also rates the player in four categories: Soul, Power, Wisdom and Skill. The game also keeps track of which moves the player knows and uses most often. After the eight battles, territory control is updated and the player has the option to fight a bonus round against their character played by the AI.
95
/100
02
Tekken 5
The home version of Tekken 5 came with new character customization options and a beat 'em up mode called Devil Within.
88
/100
03
Metal Slug 3
“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls!
82
/100
SoulCalibur II
SoulCalibur II is the third installment in the Soul series and continues the tradition of his predecessors with improved graphics, new characters and new levels. A majority of the action takes place in Weapon Master mode where you have to choose a character and travel a set map to fight the many other warriors through different levels and challenges. Console ports were released, including guest characters from other franchises. The Arcade version has a unique mode called "Conquest Mode". This mode, which uses a name and password system to save data, allows the player to select one army among four. The player then fights against enemies in a series of eight 1-round battles, win or lose (the first seven are based on the player's rank, and the eighth is chosen by the player – this can only be interrupted by a Versus challenger.) After each round, the player earns EXP and can be promoted, and the game also rates the player in four categories: Soul, Power, Wisdom and Skill. The game also keeps track of which moves the player knows and uses most often. After the eight battles, territory control is updated and the player has the option to fight a bonus round against their character played by the AI.
95
/100
02
Tekken 5
The home version of Tekken 5 came with new character customization options and a beat 'em up mode called Devil Within.
88
/100
03
Metal Slug 3
“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls!
82
/100
04
Tekken 4
Tekken 4 marks the return of Namco's premier fighting franchise, Tekken. This version features enhanced graphics, gameplay mechanics, and fearsome fighters. Newcomers engage old favorites in interactive, multileveled arenas. The addition of walls, terrain effects, position changes, and enhanced sidestepping will force you to adjust your fighting strategy. Expanded game modes such as Training, Team Battle and the new Tekken Force provide the player with a deeper gameplay experience.
79
/100
05
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon brags a roster of 62 characters and sees the return of classic ones from the original Mortal Kombat, such as Reptile, Shang Tsung and Goro. The enhanced Konquest mode (story/adventure mode) improves over the preceding versions, but has a shorter length. There are now 64 arenas (including revamped versions of classic environments) which each have their own tweaks, such as the ridiculous amount of stage fatalities (fatalities are a fancy way of killing your opponent, including classic techniques such as the "spine-rip" or "arm-break").
76
/100
06
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an action-adventure beat 'em up video game set in the Mortal Kombat universe. Players take on the roles of the iconic Shaolin monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao, either solo or in cooperative mode, as they defend Earthrealm against the threats of Outworld. The game offers a reimagining of the storyline from Mortal Kombat II.
74
/100
07
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a 1vs1 fighting game based on the anime/manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. It includes the apocalyptic battles and the essence of the Dragon Ball series following the main story of the popular manga. As in the previous games of the series, you'll have to select your character (over 162 characters with their own movements and combos) and fight against a friend or the computer in many different game modes with many different stages and weather/time conditions.
73
/100
08
Kung Fu Panda
In the Kung Fu Panda video game, players embark on an epic, action-packed adventure as they master the specialized Kung Fu fighting styles of Po the Panda, the unlikely hero, his teacher Shifu, and the legendary Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five: Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane. Through 13 legendary levels from the movie and beyond, and spanning land, water and air, players must work their way to become the Dragon Warrior and defeat the ultimate enemy, Tai Lung, as they battle a variety of foes, overcome dangerous obstacles, navigate multi-tiered environments and solve challenging puzzles. Featuring a deep variety of gameplay, unique co-op and competitive multiplayer modes, collectibles, and a host of character upgrades, the Kung Fu Panda video game provides an experience gamers of all ages will enjoy.
73
/100
09
Oni
An intense action anime thriller comes to life in Oni. As an elite member of the tech crimes task force, Konoko is an agent on a mission to fight the evil Syndicate. But things are not always as they seem... Konoko is haunted by unknown demons of her past, and the truth threatens to send her over the edge.
73
/100
10
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role playing game set within the fictional Marvel Universe. It features many of the superheroes, supervillains, and supporting characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.
72
/100
11
True Crime: Streets of LA
72
/100
12
THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002
67
/100
13
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
64
/100
14
S
Mafia
63
/100
15
Enter the Matrix
60
/100
16
Transformers: The Game
56
/100
Tekken 4
Tekken 4 marks the return of Namco's premier fighting franchise, Tekken. This version features enhanced graphics, gameplay mechanics, and fearsome fighters. Newcomers engage old favorites in interactive, multileveled arenas. The addition of walls, terrain effects, position changes, and enhanced sidestepping will force you to adjust your fighting strategy. Expanded game modes such as Training, Team Battle and the new Tekken Force provide the player with a deeper gameplay experience.
79
/100
05
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon brags a roster of 62 characters and sees the return of classic ones from the original Mortal Kombat, such as Reptile, Shang Tsung and Goro. The enhanced Konquest mode (story/adventure mode) improves over the preceding versions, but has a shorter length. There are now 64 arenas (including revamped versions of classic environments) which each have their own tweaks, such as the ridiculous amount of stage fatalities (fatalities are a fancy way of killing your opponent, including classic techniques such as the "spine-rip" or "arm-break").
76
/100
06
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks is an action-adventure beat 'em up video game set in the Mortal Kombat universe. Players take on the roles of the iconic Shaolin monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao, either solo or in cooperative mode, as they defend Earthrealm against the threats of Outworld. The game offers a reimagining of the storyline from Mortal Kombat II.
74
/100
07
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3
Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is a 1vs1 fighting game based on the anime/manga Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama. It includes the apocalyptic battles and the essence of the Dragon Ball series following the main story of the popular manga. As in the previous games of the series, you'll have to select your character (over 162 characters with their own movements and combos) and fight against a friend or the computer in many different game modes with many different stages and weather/time conditions.
73
/100
08
Kung Fu Panda
In the Kung Fu Panda video game, players embark on an epic, action-packed adventure as they master the specialized Kung Fu fighting styles of Po the Panda, the unlikely hero, his teacher Shifu, and the legendary Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five: Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane. Through 13 legendary levels from the movie and beyond, and spanning land, water and air, players must work their way to become the Dragon Warrior and defeat the ultimate enemy, Tai Lung, as they battle a variety of foes, overcome dangerous obstacles, navigate multi-tiered environments and solve challenging puzzles. Featuring a deep variety of gameplay, unique co-op and competitive multiplayer modes, collectibles, and a host of character upgrades, the Kung Fu Panda video game provides an experience gamers of all ages will enjoy.
73
/100
09
Oni
An intense action anime thriller comes to life in Oni. As an elite member of the tech crimes task force, Konoko is an agent on a mission to fight the evil Syndicate. But things are not always as they seem... Konoko is haunted by unknown demons of her past, and the truth threatens to send her over the edge.
73
/100
10
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is an action role playing game set within the fictional Marvel Universe. It features many of the superheroes, supervillains, and supporting characters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.
72
/100
11
True Crime: Streets of LA
72
/100
12
THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2002
67
/100
13
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
64
/100
14
S
Mafia
63
/100
15
Enter the Matrix
60
/100
16
Transformers: The Game
56
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Fighting game on PlayStation 2?
SoulCalibur II currently tops the ranking with a score of 95/100 across 187 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.