This year has seen some pretty great games come out, with even more expected in the coming months. It feels like nearly everyone is being served, with fighting game fans having plenty to be excited about.
Even though the absolute biggest franchises in the genre are working with DLC or potentially new entries in the background, the second half of this year is set to see some creative indie titles as well as the return of major IPs to the fighting game space. Here are some upcoming fighting games to look out for in 2026.
Poly Fighter
Fighting games come in many different forms. What might be the best example of that on this list is Poly Fighter. While the choice to be a single-player game is already unique, the roguelike elements help it stand out further.
Poly Fighter has you go on runs against different enemies, with each victory letting you add one of their moves to your moveset. When you mix in each character's base moveset along with the option to upgrade moves into stronger variants, you end up with a fighting game that has a roguelike's replay value.
Hyperfight 2
Poly Fighter isn't the only indie fighting game to try out. The original Hyperfight is a free game where characters are defeated in one hit and every KO charges your meter. Fully charging it earns a victory, but you can wager your meter to throw out stronger moves and earn more points. Hyperfight 2 expands upon these ideas in major ways.
The one-hit KO is gone to allow for combos, but every initial hit still charges a meter pip. Combos are used to reposition or to fulfill the newly added victory condition of knocking an opponent out of bounds. Bigger movesets and rollback netcode online play make this a deeper title that's still very approachable.
Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered
Sometimes a fighting game is about two martial artists on a 2D plane, and sometimes it's kaijus battling in a destructible city. If you played the two decade-old Toho kaiju brawlers, you'll want to check out Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered.
Fans will be happy to know that this will be the game they remember through rose-tinted glasses. It's prettier, has an improved unlock system, and features online multiplayer. The only caveat is that it won't include the roster of later entries. I guess online play is a worthy trade-off for no SpaceGodzilla.
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game
Avatar: The Last Airbender first debuted a little over two decades ago, and it's remained a notable franchise since. It's hard to believe that it's only now receiving a fighting game, considering that it is a fantastical martial arts type of series.
Thankfully, Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game seems to be an ideal take on this dream title. On top of playable fan-favorites from both series, many more serve as Support Characters that provide your fighter with exclusive abilities. Between how unique everyone plays and the perfect visual style, this is great whether you're a fan or not.
Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls
The many characters from Marvel comics are no strangers to fighting games. This is mainly thanks to Capcom, who developed games like X-Men: Children of the Atom and, more notably, the Marvel vs Capcom series. This year Arc System Works will launch their spin on the heroic characters with Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls.
It's difficult to not be at least somewhat interested. Not only is it a new spin on familiar characters, along with some having their fighting game debut, it's also a unique 4 vs 4 tag game. Between these huge fights and a diverse set of fighting styles, this really could be the next great Marvel fighting game.
Spend some time navigating the Steam store and you’ll find plenty more indie fighting games set to come out this year. Between those and 2027’s Virtua Fighter Crossroads, it’s a great time to be a fighting game fan.
