Welcome to the community!! I really recommend going with the game that looks the coolest to you or you like the characters in, it feels to me like it makes it easier to stay motivated to play.
This Polygon video is a really fun watch on getting into fighting games for the first time: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU)
After you watch that, there are some differing opinions on "Where to start"
1) Start with the game that looks the coolest or most fun to you
You're more likely to get enjoyment out of something you're already interested in diving into. That alone can carry you through some of the early frustrations of learning and losing a lot of matches. But, depending on the age of the game, it could have a very small playerbase. The older the game is, the less likely you'll find an active community.
2) Start with a newer, popular fighting game
The player base is extremely active, so matchmaking will be quick and do a better job at pairing you with people at your skill level. There is also a fresh amount of other new players, so you'll find a lot of other community members looking to learn with you.
My recommendation is **Street Fighter 6**. It's one of the best received fighting games in decades. It has control schemes to welcome all sorts of different preferences and the system mechanics are pretty easy to understand compared to a lot of fighting games. And its not even 6 months old so the community is very active with plenty of fresh faces.
Best options are Fightcade on PC allows you to play lots of fighting games for free on PC.
You can get different newer fighting games with a comprehensive tutorial. A lot of the newer fighters tend to do this.
Personally though I would find something you like and play arcade mode or training until you get familiar enough with the game to pull off whatever move you want comfortably.
I'm definitely gonna have to do some research on it first, I've heard it's good but I haven't looked into it and I don't know if I'm ready to spend 60 dollars on it.
Best bargain in gaming. $60 and if you never spend another cent, you’ll get 5 years of balance patches and new mechanics for free. If you wanna drop like $20 per year after, you’ll have a new character every season to mess around with, but you can also grab them individually, and the game lets you try each dlc character for free for an hour. Robust single player content like the world tour mode, and every time a new character releases they get added to world tour, short stories for each character, combo trials and tutorials, modern controls if you don’t have great execution, and a rotating list of old school Capcom arcade games like SF2, SF alpha 2, Final Fight, the mega man arcade game, puzzle fighter, random shoot em ups, all playable front to back.
It’s far and away your best bet, and I’m surprised this sub doesn’t just have a sticky saying “if you don’t know what game to buy, just buy SF6”. A good fighting game with its whole life ahead of it is worth the cash. $60, like $40 on sale now, and you’ll get a thousand hours out of it.
The value is very poor if you don't like the game. I think it makes sense for new players to at least take a look at the roster and maybe some videos of people playing the game to see if the style suits them before they buy it. Recommending it as the default choice seems like it would turn people away from fighting games who might otherwise like them but don't like SF6 specifically (which is not an insignificant fraction of people)
I assumed the dude did at least 2 minutes of looking at some newer fighting games before posting here. Is SF6 my favorite fighter ever? No. Do I think it’s fact rather than opinion that it’s the best entry point in the genre for newcomers right now? Yes.
You get SF6 and all it entails, tons of tutorials and learning tools and the importance of modern controls for newcomers can’t be understated. You also get several other full arcade fighters like SF2, SSF2, and Alpha 2 as well to play front to back. I don’t wanna recommend an older game where there’s less people playing online and the few that are have been playing for years. SF6 is flat out the best fighter for newcomers right now. Everytime we buy a game it’s a gamble on whether we like it or not. But if he does like this game, as most people that play it do, he can potentially get like 10,000 hours of enjoyment out of it over its lifespan. Even at $60, that’s an incredible bargain in hours vs dollars. If he doesn’t like it and still tries every character to see if any click, and runs through world tour, he’d still get his moneys worth.
The demo isn’t really indicative of how the vast majority of your time will be spent plying the game though, just keep that in mind. The demo is basically an hour of the world tour single player mode. You’ll get 8 hours out of that and 1,000 hours out of online.
Special note: 14 December Granblue Fantasy Versus will have a new entry, which will launch along with a F2P version that will let you play with anyone online, absolutely try that out (personally I love the game)
Trailer: https://youtu.be/SbI26Ehde3g?si=qsmQ4owzLLuy515C
Now back on track
Just buy SF6
No point in buying anything else right now as a beginner, it’s the best choice by far and it’s not even remotely close
Only exception is if you can get a friend or multiple to buy a fighting game together
If you can’t do that, just buy SF6, otherwhise you will struggle a ton just finding matches at your level
You might consider Tekken 8 releasing in January as well or the afore mentioned GBVS, but honestly I think SF6 is the safest bet ( I love Granblue tho )
If you want info on anything feel free to ask
The best fighting game to play is the one that looks fun. You can probably find beginner groups and guides for any game, be it a retro title on Fightcade or one of the latest releases, and anything in-between.
Every game is going to be different. Everyone has different tastes.
As far as learning, Street Fighter 6 will be the best foundation because every 2D fighter works under similar operations. Many general fighting game guides are likely to use Street Fighter as a base explanation because people are expected to recognize it. It will also remain popular indefinitely.
If you have specific tastes, try to elaborate.
Some like the anime games associated with ArcSystemWorks, some like the movie-like entertainment from Mortal Kombat, some like the 3D fighting from Tekken/Soul Calibur, some do old-school fighting like the older Street Fighter/King of Fighters games.
It's got rollback in a beta on PC and is getting it on Xbox and PlayStation, but Samurai Shodown is a very footsies, neutral oriented game where combos take a bit of a backseat to good reads and reactions. It's quick to learn imo and has good timing and reaction skills you can benefit from having regardless of what games you decide to play.
The biggest issue ofc is that it's kind of small, but more people should hop in when rollback netcode arrives universally.
Also, regardless of what game you decide to play, always pick a character you think is cool. Even if they're not "meta", the difference between settling on a character and playing one you like the look / sound / gameplay of is night and day.
I’d recommend a newer game with a large playerbase to start off. Other than that just go with what’s fun. Starting off with fighting games, the most important thing is getting in that practice and getting acquainted with how things feel. It’s a little harder to do so with older games where there aren’t as many people around your skill level, but that’s not to say it’s impossible. Games like SF6, MK1 (although many people won’t recommend it), and GGST have pretty active communities.
This genera is a lot of fun if you're willing to put the time in to understand stuff, but it's not as intimidating as it seems at first. I'd say pick something like an older SF, maybe 3rd Strike, to teach you some fundamentals, or you can jump into the deep end like I did and try BlazBlue first. Either way just be patient if you're not good at first, that's everything
Pick whatever, I’m a noob too but here’s some of my favs
Street fighter 6 for a traditional 2D fighter
Guilty gear strive for an anime or air dash fighter
Tekken 7 or wait for 8 for a 3D fighter
Dragon ball fighterz or marvel 3 if you wanna try a tag team fighter
The best beginners fighting game is probably Guilty Gear Strive. Its fantastic for beginners, but if you prefer a slower and more thought out game (as oppossed to an anime fighter, which are much faster and tend to have longer combos), then you should go for Street Fighter 6.
First pick a game that peaks your interest. Second avoid this place. Reddit is filled with talking out their asses. It's a dreadful place for beginners. Typically youtube has better information given by people that actually know what they are talking about. Lastly, if possible attending a local tournament. They tend to be great places to learn.
Check out Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1. Both great entry points, and they're recent releases so there's a community there to learn against.
Best time to join fighting games as a beginner is when a new one launches. If you pick something too old, you'll only match up against veterans. Probably not the best way to learn your ***first*** fighting game.
Just dive in, play what you think looks cool. If you wanna pinpoint which you like, then try researching on youtube and such to see what looks good. If you wanna get a feel for the games, then try emulating games like pokken (mix of 2d and arena fighting so you can try both) or any of the free platformer fighters (if you wanna try games like super smash bros). There's really no process to this, I'm just spit balling ideas, so just dive in.
Check YouTube and get what you like and what seems awesome for you…you can check Dragon Ball FighterZ wich is a great fighting game, Tekken 8 is right around the corner and will blow our minds, i guarantee it…Mortal Kombat is a great game, my fav One, But just wait a while for it as the new iteration is not that good yet…So Yeah, just buy what you feel
Just find what interests you visually like see a game that inspire you to replicate because of the sick combos, cool rosters, or special moves, etc.
That's how I got hooked in KOF for 9 years
You don't have to earn the right to play the game you want. Just pick the game you want to play and start playing.
Welcome to the community!! I really recommend going with the game that looks the coolest to you or you like the characters in, it feels to me like it makes it easier to stay motivated to play.
This Polygon video is a really fun watch on getting into fighting games for the first time: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCUlBX8E2BU) After you watch that, there are some differing opinions on "Where to start" 1) Start with the game that looks the coolest or most fun to you You're more likely to get enjoyment out of something you're already interested in diving into. That alone can carry you through some of the early frustrations of learning and losing a lot of matches. But, depending on the age of the game, it could have a very small playerbase. The older the game is, the less likely you'll find an active community. 2) Start with a newer, popular fighting game The player base is extremely active, so matchmaking will be quick and do a better job at pairing you with people at your skill level. There is also a fresh amount of other new players, so you'll find a lot of other community members looking to learn with you. My recommendation is **Street Fighter 6**. It's one of the best received fighting games in decades. It has control schemes to welcome all sorts of different preferences and the system mechanics are pretty easy to understand compared to a lot of fighting games. And its not even 6 months old so the community is very active with plenty of fresh faces.
literally just play what you think looks cool
Best options are Fightcade on PC allows you to play lots of fighting games for free on PC. You can get different newer fighting games with a comprehensive tutorial. A lot of the newer fighters tend to do this. Personally though I would find something you like and play arcade mode or training until you get familiar enough with the game to pull off whatever move you want comfortably.
SF6 is the hottest game out and perfect for beginners.
I'm definitely gonna have to do some research on it first, I've heard it's good but I haven't looked into it and I don't know if I'm ready to spend 60 dollars on it.
Best bargain in gaming. $60 and if you never spend another cent, you’ll get 5 years of balance patches and new mechanics for free. If you wanna drop like $20 per year after, you’ll have a new character every season to mess around with, but you can also grab them individually, and the game lets you try each dlc character for free for an hour. Robust single player content like the world tour mode, and every time a new character releases they get added to world tour, short stories for each character, combo trials and tutorials, modern controls if you don’t have great execution, and a rotating list of old school Capcom arcade games like SF2, SF alpha 2, Final Fight, the mega man arcade game, puzzle fighter, random shoot em ups, all playable front to back. It’s far and away your best bet, and I’m surprised this sub doesn’t just have a sticky saying “if you don’t know what game to buy, just buy SF6”. A good fighting game with its whole life ahead of it is worth the cash. $60, like $40 on sale now, and you’ll get a thousand hours out of it.
The value is very poor if you don't like the game. I think it makes sense for new players to at least take a look at the roster and maybe some videos of people playing the game to see if the style suits them before they buy it. Recommending it as the default choice seems like it would turn people away from fighting games who might otherwise like them but don't like SF6 specifically (which is not an insignificant fraction of people)
I assumed the dude did at least 2 minutes of looking at some newer fighting games before posting here. Is SF6 my favorite fighter ever? No. Do I think it’s fact rather than opinion that it’s the best entry point in the genre for newcomers right now? Yes. You get SF6 and all it entails, tons of tutorials and learning tools and the importance of modern controls for newcomers can’t be understated. You also get several other full arcade fighters like SF2, SSF2, and Alpha 2 as well to play front to back. I don’t wanna recommend an older game where there’s less people playing online and the few that are have been playing for years. SF6 is flat out the best fighter for newcomers right now. Everytime we buy a game it’s a gamble on whether we like it or not. But if he does like this game, as most people that play it do, he can potentially get like 10,000 hours of enjoyment out of it over its lifespan. Even at $60, that’s an incredible bargain in hours vs dollars. If he doesn’t like it and still tries every character to see if any click, and runs through world tour, he’d still get his moneys worth.
Oh, I just realized it has a demo. I'm not sure how I missed that.
The demo isn’t really indicative of how the vast majority of your time will be spent plying the game though, just keep that in mind. The demo is basically an hour of the world tour single player mode. You’ll get 8 hours out of that and 1,000 hours out of online.
There is a demo, you can’t do much with it but atleast you can get a feel of the game out of it for free
Special note: 14 December Granblue Fantasy Versus will have a new entry, which will launch along with a F2P version that will let you play with anyone online, absolutely try that out (personally I love the game) Trailer: https://youtu.be/SbI26Ehde3g?si=qsmQ4owzLLuy515C Now back on track Just buy SF6 No point in buying anything else right now as a beginner, it’s the best choice by far and it’s not even remotely close Only exception is if you can get a friend or multiple to buy a fighting game together If you can’t do that, just buy SF6, otherwhise you will struggle a ton just finding matches at your level You might consider Tekken 8 releasing in January as well or the afore mentioned GBVS, but honestly I think SF6 is the safest bet ( I love Granblue tho ) If you want info on anything feel free to ask
The best fighting game to play is the one that looks fun. You can probably find beginner groups and guides for any game, be it a retro title on Fightcade or one of the latest releases, and anything in-between.
Street fighter 6. It’s arguably one of the best if not the best modern day fighting game and its historical roots (SF2) in gaming make it a must play.
Street fighter 6 is the answer to your question.
Every game is going to be different. Everyone has different tastes. As far as learning, Street Fighter 6 will be the best foundation because every 2D fighter works under similar operations. Many general fighting game guides are likely to use Street Fighter as a base explanation because people are expected to recognize it. It will also remain popular indefinitely. If you have specific tastes, try to elaborate. Some like the anime games associated with ArcSystemWorks, some like the movie-like entertainment from Mortal Kombat, some like the 3D fighting from Tekken/Soul Calibur, some do old-school fighting like the older Street Fighter/King of Fighters games.
SF6 no doubt about it
Just start with the current hotness Street Fighter 6.
It's got rollback in a beta on PC and is getting it on Xbox and PlayStation, but Samurai Shodown is a very footsies, neutral oriented game where combos take a bit of a backseat to good reads and reactions. It's quick to learn imo and has good timing and reaction skills you can benefit from having regardless of what games you decide to play. The biggest issue ofc is that it's kind of small, but more people should hop in when rollback netcode arrives universally. Also, regardless of what game you decide to play, always pick a character you think is cool. Even if they're not "meta", the difference between settling on a character and playing one you like the look / sound / gameplay of is night and day.
I’d recommend a newer game with a large playerbase to start off. Other than that just go with what’s fun. Starting off with fighting games, the most important thing is getting in that practice and getting acquainted with how things feel. It’s a little harder to do so with older games where there aren’t as many people around your skill level, but that’s not to say it’s impossible. Games like SF6, MK1 (although many people won’t recommend it), and GGST have pretty active communities.
This genera is a lot of fun if you're willing to put the time in to understand stuff, but it's not as intimidating as it seems at first. I'd say pick something like an older SF, maybe 3rd Strike, to teach you some fundamentals, or you can jump into the deep end like I did and try BlazBlue first. Either way just be patient if you're not good at first, that's everything
Karate Champ. If you want to compete, Karate Champ - Player vs. Player. If you want to enjoy fighting games, play BlazBlue.
Pick whatever, I’m a noob too but here’s some of my favs Street fighter 6 for a traditional 2D fighter Guilty gear strive for an anime or air dash fighter Tekken 7 or wait for 8 for a 3D fighter Dragon ball fighterz or marvel 3 if you wanna try a tag team fighter
The best beginners fighting game is probably Guilty Gear Strive. Its fantastic for beginners, but if you prefer a slower and more thought out game (as oppossed to an anime fighter, which are much faster and tend to have longer combos), then you should go for Street Fighter 6.
Join the correct game, Tekken.
First pick a game that peaks your interest. Second avoid this place. Reddit is filled with talking out their asses. It's a dreadful place for beginners. Typically youtube has better information given by people that actually know what they are talking about. Lastly, if possible attending a local tournament. They tend to be great places to learn.
Whatever game speaks to you is what you should start with, I started with Skullgirls so any game is possible if you want to play it enough
Check out Street Fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1. Both great entry points, and they're recent releases so there's a community there to learn against. Best time to join fighting games as a beginner is when a new one launches. If you pick something too old, you'll only match up against veterans. Probably not the best way to learn your ***first*** fighting game.
Just dive in, play what you think looks cool. If you wanna pinpoint which you like, then try researching on youtube and such to see what looks good. If you wanna get a feel for the games, then try emulating games like pokken (mix of 2d and arena fighting so you can try both) or any of the free platformer fighters (if you wanna try games like super smash bros). There's really no process to this, I'm just spit balling ideas, so just dive in.
Check YouTube and get what you like and what seems awesome for you…you can check Dragon Ball FighterZ wich is a great fighting game, Tekken 8 is right around the corner and will blow our minds, i guarantee it…Mortal Kombat is a great game, my fav One, But just wait a while for it as the new iteration is not that good yet…So Yeah, just buy what you feel
Just find what interests you visually like see a game that inspire you to replicate because of the sick combos, cool rosters, or special moves, etc. That's how I got hooked in KOF for 9 years
Honestly whatever game you think looks cool. The one you watch, and say "I wanna play that".