Get ready to brawl in these awesome multiplayer fighting games

There is nothing quite as exciting in gaming as sitting down with friends to play some multiplayer games. What if you wanted to turn that experience into something more competitive, though? Then multiplayer fighting games are exactly the kind of game you’re looking for as they can offer the same amount of fun you would get from any typical party game while also giving you the intense competition you crave. So many multiplayer fighters have come out over the past few years that it can be difficult to narrow down what to invest in, though. With this list we hope to be able to narrow down your choices and give you something that will keep you entertained for hours.

10. Absolver

Absolver gameplay

It somewhat pains me to say this, but Absolver is the Dark Souls of multiplayer fighters. Now that the cliche is out of the way, Absolver is a multiplayer fighter like no other and offers a very unique experience. The game attempts to blend together an open world RPG with an online fighter and it pulls this off surprisingly well.

The main appeal of Absolver is how the game allows you to customize your character’s moveset to your liking. By progressing through the game you will learn and discover many new moves to add to your arsenal and increase your capabilities. The combat flows very naturally and becomes a true test of skill as you battle your way to the top.

The combat in Absolver feels very dynamic and constantly changing

The seamless nature you go from exploring the world to fighting is one of the highlights of the game

9. Street Warriors Online

Street Warriors Online gameplay

Many multiplayer fighters portray a cartoony or stylized form of violence, but Street Warriors Online attempts to give you a realistic version of combat. In the game you will progress over time as you participate in up to 8v8 battles. With a realistic and brutal style of hand-to-hand combat, Street Warriors will give you an experience like no other multiplayer fighter.

Street Warriors Online hangs its hat on realistic hand-to-hand combat which allows the game to give you a visceral feeling when you’re engaging in combat. The game also features progression to build your stats up as well as develop new moves so you will always find a new way to play. With multiple game modes and with a variety of team sizes, Street Warriors Online should keep you engaged for a while.

All the fights in Street Warrior Online feel brutal and visceral

The ability to use improvised weapons adds a lot of options to the combat

8. Blade and Soul

Blade and Soul gameplay

There are many games that one could describe as being flashy, but Blade and Soul manages to somehow outshine them with its flashiness. Blade and Soul is an MMO that puts a heavy emphasis on its combat and it really shows as each fight is very dynamic. With a very active PvP community, you’ll never find yourself wanting for competition during your time with the game.

Blade and Soul offers 10 different classes to choose from which each allows you customize how you play within that class. With a heavy emphasis on martial arts, the combat of Blade and Soul shines as you will find yourself weaving your skills together seamlessly as you move in and out of your enemy’s range. Since the game is an MMO that also means there is plenty of single player and co-op content to experience in addition to the PvP so you will never feel a lack of things to do with your time in Blade and Soul.

When you’re not fighting in Blade and Soul there’s a lot of fun side activities to engage your time with

The PvP feels very strategic and skill-intensive as you take on the enemy team

7. Lost Saga

Lost Saga gameplay

Oftentimes in a fighting game you will find you will have to limit yourself to one character, but with Lost Saga switching characters is the norm to the point that you can even do it mid-combo. Lost Saga takes many inspirations from beat em up games but expands upon the combat of those games by adding intricate combos to each of the characters. Each character also has their own progression so even if you find yourself stuck with one character, switch to another to find a whole new experience.

I mentioned at the top that Lost Saga encourages you to switch characters and this is really the meat of the game. In addition to each character having their own solo combos, the game allows you switch to other characters mid-combo to add to the possibilities. With many different modes ranging from an 8-player free-for-all, 4v4 team matches, and even several co-op modes, the depth of the combat and cast of Lost Saga will keep you coming back to it for a while yet.

The number of heroes in Lost Saga will always leave you with something new to learn

There are also co-op modes to engage your time with when you’re done with PvP

6. Gang Beasts

Gang Beasts gameplay

While many games hang their hats on intricate combos, flash visuals, or in-depth systems, Gang Beast just tries to be just straight-up fun and does an outstanding job at it. In any match of Gang Beasts you have one goal: to throw your opponents off the stage. The simplicity of Gang Beasts makes it and easy game to jump into and have a good time and never feel like you’re far behind your friends.

Gang Beasts is a very simple game on the surface but hides a surprising amount of depth if you look into it enough. Even though your only attacks fall into the categories of right punch, left punch, or headbutt, the way you can manipulate these with your movement and combining them with the grab mechanic can actually give you something to sink your teeth into. In the end, though, Gang Beasts is a simple, brutal, and fun multiplayer fighter game that you can enjoy with your friends for hours and hours.

The simplicity of Gang Beast’s graphics really adds to the fun of the game

No other game will emulate the ridiculous situations you will find yourself in

5. Brawlhalla

Brawlhalla gameplay

The Super Smash Bros. series were designed to be fun party games and evolved into competitive fighting games, so it should be no surprised that the developers of Brawlhalla took that formula and flipped it. Inspired by the Super Smash Bros. series, Brawlhalla is a very competitive multiplayer fighter that is designed from the ground up for high levels of play. On top of this, though, they still look towards their roots and have implemented many modes for when you want to leave the competition aside.

Brawlhalla features over 35 characters each with their own unique skills and attributes and will each offer their own unique way to play. However, unlike other games inspired by the Smash series Brawlhalla has put its focus on something the Smash community has scoffed at: items. Brawlhalla puts an emphasis on making item-based gameplay competitive and manages to do this by balancing them and making their randomness heavily reduced to the point that they are predictable by high level players. You can take a friend and compete in ranked doubles or just grab four friends be in a for a hell of a fun time with Brawlhalla.

Brawlhalla’s multiplayer modes range from fun asides to intense competition

The competitive nature of the game means that you will always be discovering new strategies

4. For Honor

For Honor gameplay

Many modern games attempt to implement styles of gameplay into games you wouldn’t expect them, so it’s interesting to see a game like For Honor that manages to introduce intricate fighting game elements into an objective-based multiplayer game. For Honor allows you to play as warriors from different regions as you engage in armed combat for supremacy. Finding a way to implement the mind games and intensity from a 2 player fighter into a hectic team-based game should have been impossible, but For Honor manages to do this very well.

In For Honor you can play as either a Viking, a Knight, or a Samurai each with unique classes within those factions. Each class has their own unique weapons and gameplay that require a heavy amount of learning to master. You will either be spending your time in the point-capture mode or in the straightforward deathmatch modes to truly test your skill and find out once and for all who would win in a fight.

For Honor’s battlefields can become very hectic and it really adds to the atmosphere

When you engage with the enemy the encounters become very intense and any mistake could mean your death

3. Rumble Fighter

Rumble Fighter gameplay

Many multiplayer fighters have their characters use wacky or exaggerated techniques with no basis in reality, but Rumble Fighter has decided to go against the grain and has its characters use actual martial arts. Using a combination of real martial arts techniques and hectic multiplayer gameplay, Rumble Fighter manages to captivate its players with the surprising depth that the game offers.

In Rumble Fighter you will be able to choose from 6 different classes and master each of them as you take on enemies in multiplayer arena battles. As you play matches you will start building up your character and gaining new items to increase their stats and give them access to new techniques. With many different competitive and cooperative modes to choose from, Rumble Fighter offers a wide variety of gameplay to experience during your time with it.

You can play up to 8 players in a match of Rumble Fighter to make for some crazy matches

The combat takes inspirations from actual martial arts and it shows

2. Mordhau

Mordhau gameplay

So many games will try to drag you in and capture your attention with flash skills or dazzling spectacle, but Mordhau isn’t here to play around with any of that as it is here for just raw melee combat action. Mordhau is a multiple medieval combat game where you will engage with opponents in epic skill-based confrontations to the death.

In Mordhau you will be able to choose from a variety of weapons to fit your playstyle as you see fit and each one will take a lot of time to truly master. Each fight in the game is hard fought and no victory feels shallow as you stand over your opponent’s body, beaten and bloodied. A variety of maps and variable team sizes will keep things fresh every time you load the game up and you will always be in for a good time.

The intensity of the combat in Mordhau can be very exhilarating

Your mistakes can be heavily punished and that means your skill is constantly being tested

1. Rivals of Aether

Rivals of Aether gameplay

A lot of people would point at Super Smash Bros. as the premiere multiplayer fighter, but I would argue that Rivals of Aether manages to take all the elements from those games and enhance them significantly. In Rivals of Aether you will be playing one of a variety of different characters with the simple goal of knocking your opponents off the stage until they run out of lives. The gameplay is inspired by Smash, but it manages to evolve and create something that is captivating, skill-intensive, and just plain fun.

Rivals of Aether allows you to pick from 13 different characters each with a varied and distinct moveset. The moment to moment gameplay of the game is incredibly fast-pace with your brain moving a million miles a minute as you try to figure out what the optimal play is. The game will provide intense amounts of real competition as you and your friends battle for supremacy. With all the depth of a traditional 2 player fighter and all the fun of any multiplayer fighting game, Rivals of Aether is definitely worth your time.

Rivals of Aether improves on many aspects of the Super Smash Bros formula to make something unique

Each character in the game will provide something different and give you hours of new things to learn

You may also be interested in:

• Top 10 Best Fighting Games to Play in 2015, Ranked Best to Worst

• Mordhau vs For Honor: 3 Big Differences

• The 15 Best Sword Fighting Games to Play Right Now on PC