The Best Street Fighter Games Ever Released, Ranked by Fans

The third and final main installment in the Street Fighter Alpha sub-series, Street Fighter Alpha 3 was the perfect culmination of the previous games, fine tuning every aspect and making it the best it possibly could be. On top of the tightened gameplay and fighting mechanics, the series also introduced the “isms” fighting style and showcased a massive 18-character roster. While the game didn't redefine the wheel, it damn near perfected it and created what many believe to be the best sub-series Street Fighter game.

The ultimate way to play one of the best fighting games of all time, Ultra Street Fighter IV may have had only minor improvements from the previous iterations of Street Fighter IV, but combining these small updates to the base game and the overwhelming care it received over the previous 8 years and suddenly players had one of the best fighting games of all time in their hands. With 6 new stages, 5 new characters, crossover characters from Tekken, and new gameplay mechanics and modes, this was the ultimate way to play Street Fighter 4, and is still widely played across gaming tournaments around the world.

Regarded as one of the best, if not the best, fighting games of all time, Street Fighter III: Third Strike was the perfect culmination of every Street Fighter game that came before it. Showcasing the largest and most diverse roster of any Street Fighter game, Third Strike had the widest variety of combat styles and ideas of any game in the series. While it may have simply been an upgraded patch to the base Street Fighter III game, it nearly perfected every element that the game presented, and is not only considered a quintessential fighting game but one of the quintessential games of all time.

The second updated version of Street Fighter II, Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting saw the biggest and most radical changes from the base game to date, as suddenly an incredible new pace was implemented into the game. The faster playing speed made the game more frantic, and in turn, forced players to learn a whole new method of playing. This was made exponentially easier by every character in the game getting a new special move set, as well as further balancing the combat.  The game was a smash hit, as players were able to find new life once again in the Street Fighter franchise.

A remake of Street Fighter Alpha, Street Fighter Alpha 2 sought to improve on every element of the previous game, while keeping the newfound love that it inspired. Showcasing a massive setlist of new attacks, brand new stages to fight on, new ending and gameplay features, while keeping the new additions to the franchise such as the Super Combo gauge, Alpha Counters, and Air Blocking, the game looked to be the best of both worlds for Alpha, and it was that and more. The game was universally beloved and was the cause of an uptick in fighting tournaments around the globe.

The third upgraded version of Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II, may not have had the massive changes that Street Fighter II' Turbo: Hyper Fighting had at first glance, but behind the scenes, major changes had just happened for the franchise. Brand new hardware was featured for the first time in Super Street Fighter II, the introduction of CP System II, which allowed for better graphics, sound, and gameplay. In addition to the overall quality jump, the game also saw 4 fan favorites introduced to the game, T. Hawk, Fei Long, Dee Jay, and Cammy.