FGC 2025: Winners & Losers

The year 2025, as anticipated, proved significant for the fighting game community (FGC). Nevertheless, not all titles experienced the same level of seasonal achievement.

The past year saw numerous major FGC competitions, thrilling new releases, and unexpected failures. With 2026 approaching, Esports Insider reviews the fighting games that excelled in 2025 and those that failed to impress the FGC.

We begin by examining the fighting game arenas that achieved widespread success during the year, encompassing both promising fresh releases and the ongoing prevalence of legendary franchises.

The title **Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves** secured the Best Fighting award at The Game Awards 2025, an outcome unsurprising to the FGC. As the sole entirely new fighting game introduced in 2025 among those considered, its victory might have appeared almost certain. Nevertheless, Fatal Fury genuinely earned this distinction through its performance over the year.

**Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves** made a significant esports entrance at Evo 2025, where seasoned FGC players competed in one of the tournament’s most electrifying Top 8 encounters. Subsequently, it featured a $2.5 million (approximately £1.8 million) competition at the **SNK World Championship**.

As 2026 approaches, SNK seems poised to offer comprehensive backing for Fatal Fury’s expanding esports landscape, suggesting the FGC can anticipate additional elite competitions at Evo and other future events.

Riot Games’ 2v2 combat title is currently in Early Access, yet it has already demonstrated its capacity to profoundly disrupt the fighting game landscape. Given Riot’s commitment to exposing **2XKO** to broader audiences and a passionate community of fighting game enthusiasts captivated by its intricate mechanics, 2XKO is projected to emerge as a leading FGC game in 2026.

Throughout 2025, numerous high-profile 2XKO tournaments drew elite competitors aiming to establish themselves as premier players early in the game’s competitive circuit. Supported by a comprehensive esports infrastructure expected to be well-structured and feature engaging broadcasts, 2XKO has laid a robust groundwork entering the upcoming year.

Even with a widely disliked Season 2 patch that made the game feel overly simplistic for serious competition, Tekken 8 maintained its strong presence within the FGC. While its Evo viewership figures were noteworthy, the game’s standout characteristic in the FGC this year was its compelling narratives.

Arslan Ash, specifically, had an extraordinary 2025, augmenting his extensive list of triumphs with two additional Evo championships. A Red Bull documentary highlighted his unchallenged position at the apex of Tekken 8 esports, thereby generating numerous engaging narratives and fervent rivalries for the game’s subsequent season.

Regrettably, not all fighting game titles garnered equivalent levels of backing and enthusiasm this year. The following games seem to be grappling with maintaining their prominence amidst the shifting FGC environment.

Mortal Kombat, a venerable fighting game franchise, traces its origins to arcade cabinets. Although it has retained a degree of popularity, it has faced challenges in achieving widespread success in recent times, largely owing to **Mortal Kombat 1**’s poorly received alterations to its fundamental mechanics and character move lists.

Following **Mortal Kombat 1**’s difficulty in attracting participants for Evo 2025, enthusiasts were disappointed, though not astonished, by the game’s absence from the Evo 2026 roster. This exclusion served as a stark realization for the MK1 esports community, prompting fans to swiftly attribute fault to NetherRealm for its infrequent updates and questionable design decisions.

**Super Smash Bros.** has consistently faced difficulties, so 2025 brought no novel challenges. Modest prize funds and limited audience numbers are inherent hurdles for Smash, which lacks official backing from Nintendo. Nevertheless, the fervent commitment and resolve of its community, particularly for **Melee**, have sustained the scene’s vitality (perhaps even through defiance).

Smash’s inclusion here also stems from a regrettable conclusion to the year, marked by Nintendo’s exceedingly sluggish pace in granting Super Smash Bros. licenses to event organizers. Consequently, numerous prominent, long-established major tournaments, such as Battle Of BC, announced their competitive rosters for the next year devoid of either Melee or **Ultimate**.

This situation has certainly instilled little optimism among fans for 2026.

Previously touted as a potential “Smash killer,” MultiVersus ceased operations in May 2025. Its online servers have since been permanently deactivated.

MultiVersus experienced a brief presence in esports, frequently featuring in competitions alongside Super Smash Bros. as it endeavored to cultivate its competitive circuit and player base. A considerable portion of the FGC perceived its potential for greatness, with some criticizing developers for impeding the game’s expansion through debatable decisions, like character restrictions.