The best Street Fighter games and where your favorite falls

We ranked every mainline Street Fighter game to see which ones are worth playing and where your favorite falls in the history of the legendary fighting game series.

What is the best Street Fighter game? The legendary 2D fighting game series has given us some of the most memorable characters and mind-blowing moves in all of gaming. With over 20 mainline titles and countless spin-offs, it can be tough to know which Street Fighter games to play.

The Best Street Fighter Game List

The first Street Fighter game certainly introduced important mechanics like the hadouken, parry, and jump-in attack, but its clunky gameplay doesn’t age well. Likewise, Street Fighter 2: The World Warriors revolutionised fighting games and set the stage for the series’ success, but the original is still a slow, frustrating slog by today’s standards.

We’ve ranked every Street Fighter game from worst to best to help you decide which ones to play. Not all of them are worth playing today, but each one is an important step in the history of one of the best PC games, with quality-of-life updates, stunning sprite work, important mechanics, and more that have led us to the Street Fighter 6 we have today.

Street Fighter 2: The World Warriors

Even though the original Street Fighter 2 had an underwhelming roster compared to the first World Warriors and Champion Edition, it’s still a must-play. Not only did it introduce characters like Guile and Balrog, but it also revolutionised the fighting game genre with its new mechanics.

Street Fighter 2: Hyper Fighting improved the graphics and added two new characters: T. Hawk and Cammy. Despite the improvements, Hyper Fighting slowed down battles, which is why many fans prefer Champion Edition.

Street Fighter 2': Hyper Fighting is still worth playing if you want the definitive version of SF2, as it increased the speed of battles and gave fans everything from the original SF2 plus two new characters.

Street Fighter 5

Street Fighter 5 had a rocky start. While the gameplay was the best it had ever been, the initial roster was small, there was no single-player content for months, and Capcom was slow to add new fighters. Fans who stuck with the game were rewarded, though, as Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition introduced a cinematic story mode and an awaited Arcade Mode with unique ladders for each game.

Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition is the ultimate version if you want everything, as it included all DLC and continuous support leading up to SF6.

Street Fighter Alpha

Street Fighter Alpha explored the past of the World Warriors, introducing characters from the Final Fight series like Cody, Guy, and Mike. Each Alpha game had a unique gameplay mechanism: Alpha introduced parries and air blocking, Alpha 2 had custom combos, and Alpha 3 included the divisive ISM system. Each Alpha game had a unique roster as well, which is appealing to fans who want to experience the evolution of SF2.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a fan-favorite thanks to the addition of custom combos and the popular character Sakura. It’s a must-play for fans who want to experience the evolution of SF2 and deepen their gameplay experience.

Street Fighter 3

Street Fighter 3 is a fan-favorite thanks to stunning sprite work and important mechanics like parries and dashes. Street Fighter 3: 2nd Impact introduced EX Moves and bonus stages, making it beloved by SF2 fans who were disappointed by Champion Edition.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 was divisive at the time due to the ISM system that affected how Alpha Counters worked, but the game has a dedicated following in Japan. Champion Edition handled Alpha 3’s mechanics better, but 2nd Impact is still a must-play for fans who want to experience that game for themselves.

Street Fighter Alpha 2

Street Fighter Alpha 3

Street Fighter 4

Street Fighter 4 revived the series with updated graphics and a roster that included all SF2 characters. Super Street Fighter 4 added more content, online modes, and new characters like Juri. If you want to experience SF4’s roster in their most polished form, check out Hyper Street Fighter 2: The Anniversary Edition.

Street Fighter 4: Arena

Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition

Street Fighter 5

Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition is the definitive version of Street Fighter 5. It introduced a cinematic story mode and an awaited Arcade Mode with unique ladders for each game. Street Fighter 5: Champion Edition is the ultimate version if you want everything, as it included all DLC and continuous support leading up to SF6.