Back in 2017, it seemed like the Nintendo Switch would only get a handful of good fighting games with ARMS leading the charge. There were some middling or overpriced releases like Ultra Street Fighter II, but I never expected to see multiple fighting games from beloved franchises all make their way to Nintendo’s hybrid system years later with Guilty Gear Strive being the most notable recent release.
Street Fighter 6 was my personal Game of the Year for 2023, and I regularly play it on every platform. With it debuting on Nintendo Switch 2 as a launch title, I’ve decided to revisit all the Switch fighting games I own to help you build up a collection to play solo, with a friend, or online. This list is in no particular order. I’ve also avoided including games that have sub-par Switch ports to focus on the ones that actually are good to play on Nintendo’s hybrid console.
GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Nintendo Switch Edition
Arc System Works’ flagship fighting game seemed like something that would arrive on Nintendo Switch 2, but the publisher surprised me with an excellent Nintendo Switch port packed with a lot of free DLC. Guilty Gear Strive is visually stunning, chock full of varied characters, and it also happens to have one of the best soundtracks in the genre right now. The only downside to the Switch release is no cross platform play with other consoles and PC. On its own though, it plays great both offline and online. The wait for a modern Arc System Works fighter to Switch was long, but Guilty Gear Strive made it worth it.
UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes
French Bread’s gorgeous 2D fighter franchise with pixel art returned last year on Switch, PlayStation, and PC simultaneously as UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH II Sys:Celes. The Under Night franchise has always played great on all platforms, but it is great to see a new fighting game ship with all features and online modes intact on Switch from day one. The game’s aesthetic also looks perfect on the Switch’s screen in handheld mode. If you’re new to this series or just want a superb and deep fighting game to play on Switch, Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes is worth your time and money.
MELTY BLOOD: TYPE LUMINA
Melty Blood Type Lumina, like Under Night, is also French Bread-developed and excellent to play on Nintendo Switch. If you played the recent Tsukihime Remake (link to review), you will feel right at home with the roster. As someone who played Melty Blood before Tsukihime, it was funny finally seeing how some characters are supposed to be in the actual source material. The original Melty Blood always felt like something people spoke highly of and played, but it wasn’t really accessible enough. Melty Blood Type Lumina on the other hand is on every platform with rollback netcode.
When a franchise you never expect to return for licensing or other reasons makes a grand comeback in a superb package with tons of extras, you can’t help but support it. With MARVEL vs. CAPCOM Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, Capcom went above and beyond with the release ensuring great offline and online play. With its newest update, it is even better. Marvel vs Capcom 2’s soundtrack is legendary as well, and that game itself justifies this complete bundle. This is one of the essential collections to buy on Switch across any genre as far as I’m concerned.
Capcom Fighting Collection 1 + 2 Bundle
Including this bundle is kind of cheating since I’ve included a bundle of two collections, but trust me on this. Just like the Marvel collection above, Capcom Fighting Collection and Capcom Fighting Collection 2 make for great purchases on their own thanks to solid online play, emulation, and bonus content, but having both bundles together with a discounted package price makes it even easier to recommend. Even if you’ve never played Power Stone 2, Capcom vs SNK 2, or Darkstalkers, Capcom Fighting Collection 1 + 2 Bundle is worth your time for a giant piece of fighting game history.
ARMS
ARMS remains one of my favorite Nintendo first-party releases of the Switch generation with over a hundred hours played within a year of release., My only real complaint with it is not even related to the game itself. I wish Nintendo would release a soundtrack and artbook for it. That aside, ARMS excels with its superb aesthetic, great soundtrack, solid gameplay, and it even plays well online, something I can’t say for many fighting and party games on the system. ARMS is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 free update, and I can’t wait to keep playing it on Nintendo’s next-generation system soon.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Arc System Works’ Persona spin-off fighting game featuring characters from Persona 3 and Persona 4 plays brilliantly on Switch handheld and docked across its many modes and single player content, but it sadly is held back by a subpar online experience compared to the PlayStation and Steam versions. If you’re ok focusing on it offline, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax offers incredible value with its depth. It is worth grabbing even if you don’t care about Persona or are a Persona fan looking to dip your toes into the world of anime fighters. If you do plan on getting this one, I recommend not using the Joy-Cons as inputs are harder on the directional buttons compared to a controller with a real d-pad.
BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition
Just like Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition was a late port to Nintendo Switch arriving years after the original console release. What makes BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition special (couldn’t resist that one), is that it includes all prior DLC and some bonus colors exclusive to this version for the characters. It doesn’t look like we will get a new BLAZBLUE game anytime soon, and this is the best the series has to offer. Just keep in mind that the online experience on Switch for this one isn’t great. If you do plan on getting this one, I recommend not using the Joy-Cons as inputs are harder on the directional buttons compared to a controller with a real d-pad.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore
Skullgirls originally caught my attention for its gorgeous design and animation work, but discovering how it is a great fighter for not only newcomers to the genre, but also veterans made me give it a shot on PC. Skullgirls didn’t have the best Switch port initially, but a recent update made it a fantastic experience on Nintendo’s hybrid console. Skullgirls’ solid gameplay and gorgeous aesthetic shine on the Switch’s OLED screen as well making it one of the best portable fighting experiences out there.
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
I considered not including Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection because it is just awful to play online, but the offline experience is mostly great and it includes Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. 3rd Strike itself is worth a full price purchase as far as I’m concerned on Switch, but the overall package with all extras and game versions included makes it worth your time. Hopefully Capcom will eventually give 3rd Strike a proper Switch 2 version with rollback netcode because one of the best fighting games of all time deserves to have a great online experience.
ACA NeoGeo Games
This entry is basically cheating because it isn’t one game or a collection, but just recommending you check out Hamster’s ACA NeoGeo series with The King of Fighters 98, 2002, Samurai Shodown, and even Garou: Mark of the Wolves. These are priced well and give you a solid arcade experience for the games included.
Those are my picks across all the fighting games and collections I’ve played since 2017 on Nintendo Switch. I’ve enjoyed discovering how much I love arcade sticks as well, thanks to some shoot ’em ups and fighting games here.
