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The best Arc System Works games

The 12 best games from Arc System Works, ranked from 714 critic and player ratings.

The best Arc System Works game is Dragon Ball FighterZ, with a critic score of 87/100. Updated October 2026.

  • Ranked releases span 1988 to 2021.
  • Average critic score across the 12 ranked games: 75/100.
  • 714 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.

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 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • 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.
  • 12 games are listed on this page, carrying 714 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 11 October 2026.

Top 12

01 Dragon Ball FighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ 2018 · 231 ratings Dragon Ball FighterZ is born from what makes the Dragon Ball series so loved and famous: endless spectacular fights with its all-powerful fighters. 87 /100
02 Persona 4 Arena Persona 4 Arena 2012 · 48 ratings Persona 4 Arena is a fighting video game developed for Japanese arcades and later ported to home consoles. Based on Atlus' Persona role-playing game series, Arena serves as a direct sequel to Persona 4 and features characters from its predecessor, Persona 3. Atlus wrote the story to the game while Arc System Works handled the gameplay. 88 /100
03 Guilty Gear -Strive Guilty Gear -Strive 2021 · 69 ratings Discover the Smell of the Game with Guilty Gear: Strive! Immerse yourself in new gameplay mechanics designed to be simple and welcoming for fighting game newcomers, yet deep and creative for veterans. Ride the Fire into a heavy metal inspired alternate future full of over-the-top action, style and fun! 83 /100
04 Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR 2015 · 35 ratings Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator is a Japanese fighting game and the updated version of Guilty Gear Xrd: Sign. The updated version adds new characters Jack-O, Johnny, and Jam Kuradoberi, as well as updated mechanics, balancing, systems, M.O.M. Mode, and more. 86 /100
05 Guilty Gear Guilty Gear 1998 · 32 ratings Guilty Gear is a 2D fighting game, in which you can play as one of 10 very different kind of characters. There is a selection of fighters from Holy Order knights, Armed Air Force soldiers, Mafia members and mad scientists. Each character has his/her own storyline that will be fully revealed during the final showdown. In battles, you can charge up for special attacks, as well as perform Deathblow moves, which would kill the opponent instantly. You can either choose to finish the Arcade mode, challenge your friends to a Versus battle, or either train your skills out in the Training mode. 79 /100
06 Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Persona 4 Arena Ultimax 2013 · 41 ratings Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is a fighting video game developed by Arc System Works and Atlus. It is the direct sequel to Persona 4 Arena, which is itself a follow-up to the role-playing game Persona 4. The game was originally released in Japanese arcades on November 28, 2013, and later ported to home consoles. Unlike the previous game, it is not region locked. 78 /100
07 River City Girls River City Girls 2019 · 68 ratings River City Girls stars Kyoko and Misako, two street-tough high-schoolers who must fight their way through the six regions of River City to rescue their kidnapped boyfriends, series mainstays Kunio and Riki. Along the way, they'll utilize an arsenal of combos, counters, throws, and special attacks; battle an assortment of enemies; accept numerous side quests; level up with experience points; interact with NPCs (including guest stars from past River City games); and shop for a variety of items, food, and gear to boost stats and unlock new abilities. The girls can even wield weapons and recruit defeated foes to join them in combat! 77 /100
08 BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle 2018 · 33 ratings "THE COLLISION IS INEVITABLE! THE IMPACT WILL BE UNAVOIDABLE! An unrivaled clash of explosive proportions! The beloved BlazBlue franchise Crosses universes, Tags in fan favorites, and Battles it out in BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle! Created through an all-star collaboration between BlazBlue, Atlus’ Persona, French Bread’s Under Night In-Birth, and Rooster Teeth’s hugely popular RWBY web series, Cross Tag Battle celebrates the fighting genre for pros and newcomers alike! Choose your team in fast paced 2v2 team battles filled with the craziness you’ve come to love from BlazBlue, with all the tight mechanics, smooth gameplay, and gorgeous 2D graphics you expect from Arc System Works." 77 /100
09 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger 2008 · 55 ratings BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works in 2008 and is the first game in the BlazBlue series. The game was originally developed for Japanese arcades and later received console and PC ports. The game is a traditional 2D fighter where two characters participate in a duel. Every character has a weak, medium and strong attack, as well as an "unique" technique, called a Drive attack, which is different for each character. Various combos can be performed by every character through careful input of regular and Drive attacks. 73 /100
10 Double Dragon Double Dragon 1988 · 32 ratings The NES version of Double Dragon takes a wide range of liberties with the interpretation. The entire graphical style is more in line with Technōs’ Kunio-kun series, with characters that go for exaggerated expression rather than gritty realism. The biggest change, however, was reserved for the moveset. You start the game with only the punch, kick and headbutt available – all the other moves are obtained via an RPG-lite style experience system. Hitting enemies is now rewarded with a certain amount of experience points depending on the attack, and each time the counter goes above 999, you’re awarded an additional heart, which extends the range of possible actions. Two hearts add the uppercut and roundhouse kick combo finishers, and with three Billy can perform the jump kick maneuver. The fourth heart unlocks access to grappling moves. 66 /100
11 Guilty Gear X2 #Reload Guilty Gear X2 #Reload 2003 · 33 ratings 60 /100
12 Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R 2012 · 37 ratings 45 /100
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Frequently asked questions

What is the best Arc System Works game?

Dragon Ball FighterZ currently tops the ranking with a score of 87/100 across 231 ratings. Ranking updated October 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.