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Best Fighting games on PlayStation 2

The 14 best Fighting games on PlayStation 2, ranked from 1,867 critic and player ratings.

The best Fighting game on PlayStation 2 right now is Tekken 5, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated November 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.
  • 14 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,867 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 14 November 2026.

Top 14

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Tekken 5 Tekken 5 2005 · 274 ratings The home version of Tekken 5 came with new character customization options and a beat 'em up mode called Devil Within. 90 /100
02 Soul Calibur III Soul Calibur III 2005 · 135 ratings Soulcalibur III is a fighting game produced by Namco as a sequel to Soulcalibur II and the fourth installment in the Soul series. The game includes three new modes and a larger character roster with 24 characters playable in Tales of Souls mode and an additional 18 playable in all other modes. 83 /100
03 Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes 2000 · 133 ratings Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes is the fourth game in the Marvel vs. Capcom series of fighting games. The player's controls were simplified to make the gameplay more accessible to the wider audience of casual players and the button configuration was trimmed down to 4 main buttons and 2 assist buttons. The game also features a different air-combo system and 3 on 3 tag, compared to the 2 on 2 tag from previous games in the series. 80 /100
04 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 2004 · 146 ratings The third installment in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series begins another tournament of champions where only one fighter can prevail. As one of the characters from the Dragon Ball Z animated series, you can master an all-new fighting system that lets you teleport, juggle opponents, fly, and attack in a variety of ways. As you progress through the tournament, you can unlock up to 40 bonus characters from the DBZ universe. You can also post and retrieve character profiles from the Internet. 88 /100
05 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance 2002 · 94 ratings Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is the first Mortal Kombat outing on the next-gen systems. New to DA is a completely revamped fight engine. The graphics are in full 3D and feature somewhat interactive environments. Each character now has different fighting stances, allowing them to be in an offensive stance or a fatality stance. Returning from past games are all your favorite fighters, and a host of new ones. Johnny Cage, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Raiden, joined by such newcomers as Molloch and Quan Chi. Each character has their own specific fatalities. 79 /100
06 Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Deception 2004 · 107 ratings Mortal Kombat: Deception is the sixth installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Based on the Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance engine, players once again have to fight to stop this new threat in the sixth installment of the fighting series. The standard Arcade, Versus, and Practice modes return, as well as new items to be found in the Krypt. In addition, there are new Konquest Adventure, Chess Kombat, and Puzzle Kombat modes to give the player new mini-games. The Playstation 2 and Xbox versions offer online, competitive play against other players. The Gamecube version does not include online play, but offers Goro and Shao Kahn as exclusive playable characters. 77 /100
07 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 2003 · 86 ratings Go to the next level in the Dragon Ball Z saga. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 improves upon the first installment by adding an all-new single player mode, new characters and explosive attacks. Experience the new match-ups, character cameos and challenging missions in "Dragon World." Pick your favorite DBZ hero or enemy and take on a friend in "Vs." and "Tournament" modes. If you're really good, you will soon come face-to-face with Buu, the most lethal DBZ villain. 74 /100
08 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 2006 · 118 ratings Tenkaichi 2 is a fighting game with more than 120 playable characters, the biggest amount ever featured in a Dragon Ball game. The main Dragon Adventure mode follows an epic story mode that covers the first Dragon Ball Z saga (Saiyan Saga) right up to the last Dragon Ball GT saga (Dragon Saga), including all of the major battles, making it one of the most comprehensive Dragon Ball Z games. 74 /100
09 Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Mortal Kombat: Armageddon 2006 · 128 ratings 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"). 73 /100
10 Def Jam: Fight for NY Def Jam: Fight for NY 2004 · 95 ratings The ultimate hip-hop fueled fighting game, Def Jam Fight For NY challenges players to step into the shoes of a ruthless street fighter battling for control of the hip-hop underground. The game features an all-new fighting engine including weapons, interactive environments and five unique fighting styles that can be combined to form dozens of customized hybrid styles for the ultimate edge on the streets. Def Jam Fight For NY features more than 40 of the most well-known artists and personalities in hip-hop today, including Busta Rhymes, Carmen Electra, Lil' Kim, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Sean Paul, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, and many more. * New Fighting Engine -- A new fighting engine challenges you to master multiple fighting disciplines, take advantage of interactive environments, and utilize dozens of weapons to make a name for yourself. * Three Times the Length of the Original Def Jam VENDETTA -- It's going to take more than 90 fights in 20-plus venues to win control of the streets. * 40 of the Biggest Hip Hop Artists and Celebrites -- Starring and music by the hottest names in hip hop from Def Jam and beyond -- look for appearances by Busta Rhymes, Carmen Electra, Fat Joe, Flava Flav, Freeway, Ghostface, Ice T, Joe Budden, Kimora Lee Simmons, Lil' Kim, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Sean Paul, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and many more. * Five Brutal Fighting Styles -- Master each fighting style: street fighting, kickboxing, martial arts, wrestling, and submission fighting. Combine up to three styles to create devastating hybrid-styles, complete with new "blazin' moves" to finish off your opponent. * 22 Interactive Venues -- From destructible environmental objects to rowdy spectators who like to "get involved," the 22 venues are the ultimate weapon. * Create-A-Street Fighter -- Build your own street-ready fighter and outfit him with thousands of pieces of unlockable licensed gear, tattoos, and even bling from the Jeweler to the stars, Jacob the Jeweler. * Represent Your Crew Online -- Join a crew and own the mean streets of NYC. Move onto the international stage and take on all-comers with online play for the PlayStation 2. 72 /100
11 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2005 · 92 ratings 72 /100
12 WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2011 WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2011 2010 · 82 ratings 70 /100
13 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 C Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 2007 · 281 ratings · 2 Tier votes 69 /100
14 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2002 · 96 ratings 67 /100
Browse all the best PlayStation 2 games

Other platforms

Best Fighting games on PCBest Fighting games on PlayStation 4Best Fighting games on PlayStation 3Best Fighting games on PSPBest Fighting games on WiiBest Fighting games on Xbox 360Best Fighting games on ArcadeBest Fighting games on Xbox OneBest Fighting games on PS VitaBest Fighting games on iOSBest Fighting games on PlayStation 1Best Fighting games on Android

Same platform, other genres

Best Action games on PlayStation 2Best Adventure games on PlayStation 2Best Arcade games on PlayStation 2Best Music games on PlayStation 2Best Platformer games on PlayStation 2Best Racing games on PlayStation 2Best RPG games on PlayStation 2Best Shooter games on PlayStation 2Best Sports games on PlayStation 2

Nearby rankings

Best Fighting games of 2018Best Fighting games of 2017Best Fighting games of 2014Best Fighting games of 2013

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Fighting game on PlayStation 2?

Tekken 5 currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 274 ratings. Ranking updated November 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.