Spanning from the late ’70s to nowadays, the fighting game community has grown to become a big part of the gaming landscape. From old-school boxing games to today, these titles showcase flying fireballs, helicopter-like kicks, and massive super combos.

Despite fighting games becoming a vast genre, it’s also one of the most intimidating for new players. It has next to no transferable skills with any other genre, creating a big learning curve for newcomers to endure. This narrow point of entry is why it’s so essential for fighting games to ease the process of learning a whole new skill set. Here are some brawlers you can count on to ease the blow.

17 Footsies

Available on Steam, Footsies is an indie fighter that strips down fighting game fundamentals to their core. While most fighting games emphasize spacing or “footsies,” this game boils gameplay down to strict spacing-based combat. Players only need to land a single hit to win a round.

Footsies’s barebones design makes it an excellent tool for fighting game players to improve their skills. Without the distraction of elaborate command inputs, colorful characters, and overstimulating stages, Footsies places its focus on the mind games synonymous with competitive play.

16 Divekick

Another simplified fighter, Divekick, is a fully-fledged fighting game that removes elements such as blocking or walking, only using two buttons: one to dive and one to kick.

Divekick players can find many core principles of fighting gameplay here. For instance, the diverse cast of characters all have a unique super move, activated by pressing the dive and kick buttons simultaneously. While the game is simple, few fighting games can get a player to the point of playing with intentionality as quickly as Divekick.

15 Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle

Team-based fighting games may appear complicated due to their lengthy combos and flashy gameplay. For instance, consider the hectic speed of games like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Still, for those interested in this sub-genre, Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle is an excellent place to start.

Without sacrificing the game’s depth, the game features notably easy and lenient command inputs for each character’s special moves, meaning that if a player can perform moves as one character, they can do so with every character in the game.

14 Street Fighter 2

Street Fighter 2 is a great place to start for those interested in the history of fighting games. With a modest roster size, many core design philosophies and character archetypes of the fighting game genre can be traced back to Street Fighter 2.

As the first fighting game to allow players to choose from several unique characters with individual abilities, attacks, and attributes, many consider it the first proper versus fighter ever made.

13 Fantasy Strike

A free-to-play indie fighter, Fantasy Strike is a fighting game designed around being as beginner friendly and accessible as possible. Removing elements such as command inputs and even crouching, the cast members of Fantasy Stike each have simple yet effective move lists, with each special move being accessible at the press of a button.

The game features characters of recurring core fighting game archetypes, meaning payers can access the likes of zoners, grapplers, rushdown characters, and even an RNG-based gambling character in a forgiving environment.

12 Samurai Shodown

The most recent entry in the Samurai Shodown series, Samurai Shodown (2019), places the spacing and hard-hitting nature of games like Footsies and Divekick within a more traditional fighting game experience.

Shodown is a weapon-based fighter with a high emphasis on strategy. Heavy attacks and super moves in Samurai Shodown deal absurd amounts of damage. Yet, these attacks are incredibly punishable, putting a massive emphasis on spacing and predicting your opponent’s moves rather than lengthy combos. This simplicity is easy to learn but hard to master.

11 Guilty Gear Strive

One of the premier anime fighting game franchises on the market, the Guilty Gear series has always been known for its fast-paced gameplay, edgy rock music, and visual flair. However, it hasn’t always been the most accessible series for newcomers to play.

Luckily, the most recent entry in the Guilty Gear series, Guilty Gear Strive, is significantly more forgiving for newcomers, offering players solid tutorials and fun and flexible mechanics that make the game a blast. While the roster isn’t the largest in the genre, each character feels wholly unique and distinct, with the gameplay of no two characters feeling alike.

10 Granblue Fantasy Versus

While Arc System Works is known for complex fighting game series, such as Guilty Gear and BlazBlue, the company also has a catalog of games designed for beginners. One example is Granblue Fantasy Versus, a spin-off/sequel to the mobile RPG that integrates role-playing elements with fighting game mechanics.

GBVS has plenty of beginner-friendly tools. Its tutorials are deep, breaking down basics, character skills, and matchup guides. Furthermore, there is a single-player-focused RPG Mode that lets players learn the ropes of the game within a side-scrolling beat-em-up environment.

9 DNF Duel

RPG and fighting game crossovers are more common than you think. A few years after Granblue Fantasy Versus, ArcSys launched a new title, DNF Duel, based on the Dungeon Fighter Online series. DNF Duel features similar beginner-friendly mechanics as GBVS, including simplified command inputs. Plus, the game’s tutorials are as detailed, if not more so, than its peer.

Still, while DNF Duel is a quick game to learn, its levels of complexity run deep. For instance, the game’s MP Skill system heavily emphasizes deft resource management. Plus, its canceling mechanics open the possibility for long strings of combos. Therefore, while its entry point is shallow, players who understand core anime fighter mechanics will likely come into this game with an edge.

8 Mortal Kombat 11

While the arcade era of Mortal Kombat relied on absolutely brutal AI to get teenagers to pump quarter after quarter into the machine, modern Mortal Kombat games are much more forgiving.

Not only are the move inputs in the franchise’s newest entry, Mortal Kombat 11, simple to figure out, but the game’s tutorial also does an excellent job of breaking down the mechanics. Combine that with easy fatalities triggered by a single button press, and newcomers will be able to rip off opponents’ heads in no time.

7 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Objectively speaking, it’s impressive how Super Smash Bros. has become a competitive juggernaut in the fighting game community. However, our reaction is because, at its core, Super Smash Bros. is one of the most beginner-friendly fighting game franchises around.

Unlike almost every other fighting game, the control scheme of this series has largely stayed the same since the first entry, and the same is true about its core mechanics. As a result, its move inputs are simple for the youngest gamers to play. But, of course, Super Smash Bros. jumps up from easy to mind-numbingly tricky once you get to the competitive scene.

6 Soul Calibur 6

Made by the same company behind Tekken, you might assume that the addition of weapons to a fighting game made by Bandai Namco Studios would be more complex. But it is just the opposite.

While Tekken is an uphill battle for newbies, the Soul Calibur series is much more inviting. While there are complex move inputs, Soul Calibur6 relies more on mental warfare and timing.

5 Street Fighter 5

Street Fighter is one of the giants in the fighting genre. While that might seem a little daunting, it also means that many resources are available to help you with your first few steps down the path of a warrior.

With such a large community to practice your skills, it’s hard not to find a training partner. Combine that with the relatively simple mechanics of the game, and you have the perfect game to introduce the genre.

4 Killer Instinct

The reboot gods have blessed us when it comes to this series. Microsoft Studios brought Killer Instinct into the new age in 2013 and has introduced many people to the world of fighting games.

When an open combo system meets simple move inputs, you have the perfect world for a button-mashing beginner to explore freely. Plus, Dojo Mode takes you through the entire game, from the basics to the advanced ends of gameplay. Even the free-to-play version lets you experiment when it switches out characters every game. It’s undeniably accessible.

3 Dragon Ball FighterZ

While this game doesn’t have the most straightforward mechanics, Dragon Ball FighterZ does introduce a wide array of systems without drowning players in the details. Not to mention the fantastic graphics and animation that make it feel like you’re controlling the anime.

Instead of your traditional head-to-head scenario, FighterZ has three fighter teams tag out on the fly. The special moves are cinematic enough to keep players engaged while they get the mechanics down. Above all, it captures the fun experience that defines fighting games. Unfortunately, some fighters trap themselves in heavy technical cages. Luckily, FighterZ is not one of them.

2 Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix/Pocket Fighter

Capcom launched plenty of fighting games in the nineties, including multiple Street Fighter series, Darkstalkers, Cyberbots, and Red Earth. However, one of the company’s most peculiar entries is a Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo spin-off, Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix (more commonly known as Pocket Fighter).

Pocket Fighter was Capcom’s effort to entice younger players into the fighting game genre. In turn, while the game has some deep mechanics, its foundation is straightforward. For instance, the game features auto combos, power-ups, and simplified move inputs with no drawbacks. So, if you like Capcom’s colorful characters but fighting games are not your forte, this funny button-masher is for you!

1 Skullgirls

Skullgirls is the indie game that has taken the fighting game community by storm. So it makes sense that a minor scale game would be a good start for a beginner. For instance, a smaller roster of characters and less overwhelming mechanics make for an excellent start for the newer player.

Skullgirls also has a tutorial covering more than most fighting games. Does every fighting tutorial answer how to throw a punch or kick? Yes. But none answered when or why until now. Skullgirls is the perfect introduction to a more complex fighting game while giving you all the tools to succeed.

NEXT: Last Bosses In Fighting Games Ranked By How Cheap They Are