N/A

A very basic japanese RPG made in RPG Maker 2003 that has a “showdown” mode with traditional fighting game inputs.

Ayu-chan Punch!

あゆちゃんパンチ！

Watanabe Seisakujo

2000 (??/??)

Windows

N/A

Doujin

Commercial

N/A

Party's Breaker: The Queen of Heart 2001

N/A

Parsec

Inside the CD of this Mario Bros doujin clone with Kanon characters there’s a demo/early beta of “Queen of Heart 2001”. It was the only way to get this demo legally, there’s no official physical or downloadable standalone version. Two characters

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance

ビートダウン (Beat Down)

Cavia / Capcom

2005 (08/23)

PlayStation 2, Xbox

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2 (PS2), Xemu (Xbox)

N/A

Parsec

N/A

Inside this 3D beat ‘em up there’s a 1v1 3D versus mode. According to GameFAQs: “This mode can only be played by loading a saved game file and using the characters one has unlocked. Roster available depends on who the player has recruited in their particular save-file”. Save file available at GameFAQs

Beavis and Butt-Head

Realtime Associates

1994 (10/??)

Super Nintendo

Cartridge (12Mbit)

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Ares

N/A

Fightcade

N/A

At Level 4 (Mall) there’s an arcade where you can play “Butt Fighters”, a 1v1 2D fighter starring Beavis and Butt-Head that is extremely simple but it’s a cool extra. Password for the stage is “YEA - HAH - YAH - HEE - YAH - YEA - YAH - WOA”. It’s on Fightcade!

Big Fight: Big Trouble in the Atlantic Ocean

ビッグファイト (Big Fight)

Tatsumi

1992 (??/??)

Arcade

ROM board

N/A

Retail

Commercial

MAME

N/A

Parsec / RetroArch rollback (untested) / MAME32K (Kaillera, delay based, untested)

N/A

SP Moves (in chinese)

This traditional 2D beat ‘em up and the last game made by Tatsumi has an alternative 1v1 2 players versus mode. It's still a beat ‘em up at heart like the NES Double Dragon versus mode, but has some (few) command inputs!

Bouncer, The

バウンサー (BounceR)

DreamFactory

2000 (12/23)

PlayStation 2

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2

N/A

Parsec

N/A

This “””classic””” beat’em up has a 4 players 3D versus mode. Save file with everything unlocked available at GameFAQs

Captain America and the Avengers (Genesis/SNES ports)

Data East / ISCO (Gen) / Realtime Associates (SNES)

1992 (12/??)

Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo

Cartridge (different sizes?)

Genesis port on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch via “Marvel MaXimum Collection“

Retail

Commercial

BlastEm (Genesis), Ares (SNES)

N/A

Fightcade

N/A

The console ports of this classic beat ‘em up has a 2 players versus mode. The SNES version sucks ass (in general), play the Genesis one that also has more stages in the versus mode. Both versions are on Fightcade

Chippoke Ralph no Daibouken: The Adventure of Little Ralph

ちっぽけラルフの大冒険 The Adventure of Little Ralph

New Corporation

1999 (06/03)

PlayStation

PS3, PSP, PSV

Retail

Commercial

Duckstation / Mednafen

N/A

Duckstation Netplay / Arkadyzja

When you finish this (FUCKING AMAZING) game you unlock a hidden 1v1 versus mode based on the boss battles that it’s actually really good. Was re-released for Game Archives on PS3/PSP/PSV. Save file available at GameFAQs and It’s on Arkadyzja with rollback and the versus mode unlocked!

Dino Crisis 2

ディノクライシス2

Capcom Production Studio 4

2000 (09/13)

PlayStation

Win

Retail

Commercial

Duckstation / Mednafen

N/A

Duckstation Netplay / Arkadyzja

N/A

Inside this classic there’s a “Dino Coliseum” mode that is basically a 1v1 3D fighter with the dinosaurs. It’s super janky and kinda stupid but in an amusing way. Save file available at GameFAQs. It’s also on Arkadyzja with the Dino Coliseum mode unlocked from the start

Double Dragon (NES port)

ダブルドラゴン

Technōs Japan

1988 (04/22)

Nintendo Entertainment System

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Mesen

N/A

Fightcade

N/A

The NES port of this classic beat ‘em up has a 2 players versus mode with not only the Lee brothers but also four enemies (Rowper, Linda, Chin and Abobo). Super simple yet this was one of my first 1v1 PVP experiences of my life before SFII so I have A LOT of nostalgia for it

Dragon Ball Advance Adventure

ドラゴンボールアドバンスアドベンチャー

Dimps

2004 (11/18)

Game Boy Advance

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

mGBA

N/A

Parsec for mGBA (use two instances of the emulator opened), VBA-M (netplay)

N/A

The best Dragon Ball game ever made (sorry FighterZ fans) has a 2 players versus mode that is AMAZING, with air launcher combos in the style of Marvel. Save file with all characters unlocked available at GameFAQs. Great stuff

Enter the Matrix

Shiny Entertainment

2003 (05/15)

PlayStation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Windows

DVD (PS2, Xbox, Win), Gamecube Game Disc

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2 (PS2), Dolphin (GC), Xemu (Xbox)

N/A

Dolphin (GC), Parsec (all the rest)

N/A

According to GameFAQs: “Succesfully complete the hacking minigame to have sparks unlock the multiplayer sparring levels for you. Load the game you hacked on and scroll all the way over to the left in the level select screen to find the multiplayer levels”. 1v1 3D fighter. It’s BAD, feels like a shitty mod

First Kiss Monogatari (PC-FX version)

ファーストKiss☆物語

HuneX

1998 (04/24)

PC-FX

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Mednafen

HuneX Fighters ’98 Ver. 2 for Windows 95/98

N/A

Mednafen

N/A

Makapy (in japanese)

Inside this visual novel there’s a minigame called “HuneX Fighters '98” that is a 1v1 2D fighter… and a surprisingly decent one (the only one on PC-FX!). Playable online via Mednafen. The PS1 port doesn’t have this. See this guide for more info. Has an update for Win9x

First Kiss Monogatari Desktop Accessory Collection - Chapter 3

ファーストKiss☆物語デスクトップアクセサリーコレクション

HuneX

1999 (11/26)

Windows

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCEm

N/A

Parsec

N/A

Inside the CD of this desktop accessories based on First Kiss Monogatari there’s an update of the PC-FX minigame now called “HuneX Fighters ’98 Ver. 2 for Windows 95/98”. Almost impossible to run on modern OSs but seems to work on PCEm using a japanese Windows 95 ISO

Fist II - The Legend Continues

Krome Studios

1986 (??/??)

Commodore 64 / ZX Spectrum

Floppy disk

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Denise / VICE (C64), EightyOne (ZX Spectrum)

N/A

Parsec

N/A

A 2D action/platformer title that has a 1v1 “tournament” mode in the style of Karate Champ. C64 version is better imho

Flying Warriors

Culture Brain

1991 (02/01)

Nintendo Entertainment System

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Mesen

N/A

A mix of Hiryu no Ken 2 and 5 released exclusively in the US. The game is a big, story mode focused action game yet still has a “tournament” mode that is more like a traditional 1v1 2D fighter, but it's for 1 player only

Idolmaster: Million Live! Theater Days, The

アイドルマスターミリオンライブ！シアターデイズ

Bandai Namco

2017 (06/29)

Android, iOS

Download

N/A

Retail

Freeware

Untested (need more info)

N/A

N/A

This rhythm game based on The Idolmaster received an unexpected 3v3 2.5D fighter as a minigame. It was supervised by the Tekken team and Harada was very enthusiastic about it. Haven’t tested if it can be played on iOS/Android emulators on Windows

Īgā-kōtei no Gyakushū: Yie Ar Kung-Fu II

イーガー皇帝の逆襲　～イー・アル・カンフー・２～

Konami

1985 (12/??)

MSX

Cartridge

Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Thomson MO5/707/70, ZX Spectrum, Wii, MS-DOS (unofficial)

Retail

Freeware

openMSX

N/A

Parsec (MSX)

N/A

Honestly I have trouble categorizing this title as a fighting game: the single-player mode is closer to an action/beat 'em up, but it also has a two-player mode where player 1 controls the hero and player 2 controls the enemies. I'd rather leave it here for now. Has a surprisingly decent homebrew DOS port

Jikuu Sasatsukan Hayate INSPECTOR

時空査察官ハヤテＩＮＳＰＥＣＴＯＲ

Altacia

1994 (06/09)

PC-98

Floppy Disk

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Neko Project II

Hayate: The Battle

N/A

SP Moves (in chinese)

A mix of a visual novel with some short 1v1 2D fighting scenes, but the visual novel stuff is way more prominent. it's slow and bad, also 1 player only. The sequel “Hayate: The Battle” is a true fighting game and has two players mode, so go there. Warning: hentai stuff here too

Kakutou Bijin Wulong

格闘美神武龍

DreamFactory

2006 (06/22)

PlayStation 2

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2

N/A

Parsec

N/A

A beat ‘em up based on the manga of the same name. The normal “story mode” is a long beat ‘em up but it also has a 2 players VS mode that plays totally different, more close to a traditional 1v1 3D fighter, but with items

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

星のカービィトリプルデラックス (Hoshi no Kirby Triple Deluxe)

HAL Laboratory

2014 (01/11)

Nintendo 3DS

Game card

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Citra

Kirby Fighters Deluxe

N/A

Citra

There’s a subgame on this Kirby title called “Kirby Fighters”, which plays like Smash Bros but only with Kirby. Four players support. Has an update that was released as a standalone version called “Kirby Fighters Deluxe” (see letter K)

Kogitsune Collon: Yousei no Ring 2

こぎつねコロン～妖精のリング2～

Kyubitei

2008 (06/10)

Windows

Download (exe file)

N/A

Doujin

Freeware

N/A

LilithPort / Parsec

Vector download site

N/A

A 2D action game made in 2D Fighter Maker 2nd, which is impressive. This sequel has a “Battle Mode” that is a 1v1 fighter with lots of characters (every enemy is selectable). It's cute. The same dev made a real fighting game called “Kogitsune Collon: Megami no Tsubasa”

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

龍が如く8 (Ryū ga Gotoku 8)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

024 (01/26)

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam

Blu Ray (consoles), Download (Steam)

N/A

Retail

Commercial

N/A

Parsec / Steam Remote

See entry on the respective game

Inside the game centers of this title you can play “Virtua Fighter 3tb”. You still need to “play” the full game so I don’t consider this a compilation or a legit release

Lost Judgment

LOST JUDGMENT 裁かれざる記憶 (Lost Judgment Sabaka Rezaru Kioku)

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

2021 (09/24)

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Blu Ray

Amazon Luna, Steam

Retail

Commercial

N/A

Parsec / Steam Remote

See entries on the respective games

Inside the game centers of this title you can play “Sonic the Fighters” and “Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown”, the last one shocked some people because at that time there was no Windows port of VF5 in any capacity. You still need to “play” Judgment so I don’t consider this a compilation or a legit release

Lucky☆Star Troopers

らき☆すとω (Lucky☆Sutoω, SU for Star, TO for Troopers, ω is Konata’s mouth lol)

GATLING CAT

2007 (??/??)

Windows

N/A

Doujin

Commercial

N/A

Lucky☆Star Troopers OMEGA

N/A

LilithPort / Parsec

N/A

2D Fighter Maker 2nd game. A clone of sorts of Guardian Heroes with Lucky Star characters. The normal mode is a beat ‘em up, but it has a 2 players versus mode almost as a bonus

Lucky☆Star Troopers OMEGA

らき☆すとωOMEGA

GATLING CAT

2008 (??/??)

Windows

N/A

Doujin

Commercial

N/A

LilithPort / Parsec

N/A

Update with more stuff and the easiest to find on internet

Magical Date: Doki Doki Kokuhaku Daisakusen

まじかるで～とドキドキ告白大作戦

Taito

1997 (11/20)

PlayStation

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Duckstation / Mednafen

N/A

Duckstation Netplay / Mednafen

N/A

Inside this minigame/dating sim title there’s a 2.5D fighting game with two toads. This mode is a cult classic in Japan and they've even held a couple of offline tournaments there. There’s NO save file at GameFAQs and it’s not on Arkadyzja

Mega Man 7

ロックマン7 宿命の対決! (Rock Man 7 Shukumei no Taiketsu!)

Capcom

1995 (03/24)

Super Nintendo

Cartridge (16MBit)

PS2, GC, Xbox, 3DS, Wii U, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Steam

Retail

Commercial

Ares (SNES)

N/A

Fightcade

N/A

According to GameFAQs: “Enter the following password: 1415 5585 7823 6251 then press and hold R & L, and push the start button. After doing so you'll be taken to the Versus Mode character select screen”. Is this a “true” fighting game? who cares, this mode is amazing so I put it here

Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks

Midway Studios Los Angeles

2005 (09/19)

PlayStation 2, Xbox

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2 (PS2), Xemu (Xbox)

N/A

Parsec

You probably already know this but I'll leave the reminder just in case. It’s the versus mode with a fighting game inside the spin-off of the fighting game (?). Save file with everything unlocked available at GameFAQs

New LovePlus

NEWラブプラス

Konami

2012 (02/14)

Nintendo 3DS

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Citra

N/A

Nothing

N/A

Inside this dating sim there’s a minigame where you can play the arcade version of “Yie Ar Kung-Fu”. The most interesting thing about this mode is that lives are shared with your girlfriend, where her turn is controlled by the CPU. 1P only. This is also available on “New LovePlus+”. Video

P.W. Project Witch

プロジェクトウィッチ

HuneX

2009 (07/23)

PlayStation Portable

UMD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PPSSPP

N/A

PPSSPP

N/A

Inside this visual novel there’s a minigame called “Fighting Witch”, unlocked in “Omake” after completing the game. Three characters. Plays a little like Art of Fighting 2. It’s playable but “HuneX Fighters ‘98” is better imho. Save file with the mode unlocked available at GameFAQs

River City Super Sports Challenge ~All Stars Special~

ダウンタウン熱血行進曲それゆけ大運動会オールスタースペシャル (Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku: Soreyuke Daiundōkai All-Star Special)

Arc System Works

2015 (03/05)

PlayStation 3

Download (PSN)

Steam

Retail

Commercial

RPCS3 (PS3)

N/A

Parsec

N/A

A remake of sorts of the Famicom Kunio-kun sports games. There’s an event called “Battle Royal” that is a 4 players arena fighter of sorts. This specific mode was the main source for “River City Melee: Battle Royal Special” and “River City Melee Mach!!”

River City: Rival Showdown (Nintendo 3DS version)

ダウンタウン熱血物語SP (Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari SP)

Aplus Co., Ltd. / A+ games

2016 (10/27)

Nintendo 3DS

Game card

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Citra

River City: Rival Showdown (PS4, Switch and Steam version)

N/A

Citra

N/A

A 1v1 2D fighter called “Double Dragon Duel” is included as a bonus for this game on Nintendo 3DS. Known in Japan as “Fighting of Double Dragon 2016”. Can be played online via Citra using Local Play mode

River City: Rival Showdown (PS4, Switch and Steam version)

ダウンタウン熱血物語SP (Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari SP)

Aplus Co., Ltd. / A+ games

2023 (10/12)

PS4, Switch, Steam

Blu Ray, Game card, download

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Yuzu / Ryujinx (Switch)

N/A

1.0.2

Parsec / Steam Remote

N/A

The devs consider those versions not a port of the 3DS game but basically “a remake of the remake”. Bonus game name is now “Double Dragon Duel 2023”. Engine is in 2.5D and has several balance changes. There is -NO- online, so you need Parsec or Steam Remote on PC

Shadow Tower

シャドウタワー

FROM Software

1998 (06/25)

PlayStation

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Duckstation / Mednafen

N/A

Duckstation Netplay / Arkadyzja?

N/A

When you defeat a monster in this ARPG you unlocked that character for a bonus 1v1 3D fighting game. There’s no save file at GameFAQs -BUT- it’s on Arkadyzja… and I don’t know if it has everything unlocked (if you play this there please contact me)

Shinseiki Ultraman Densetsu

新世紀ウルトラマン伝説

Arc System Works / Bandai

2002 (09/??)

Sega Pico

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

MAME

N/A

Parsec?

N/A

Developed by Arcsys, every stage is a different genre, one of them is a 1v1 2D fighting game that is surprisingly more advanced than most fighting games on this platform (but just barely!). Supposedly has 2 players mode? it didn’t work on MAME for me (need more info)

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (Director's Cut)

スターオーシャン Till the End of Time

tri-Ace

2004 (01/22)

PlayStation 2

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2

N/A

Parsec

N/A

The “Director’s Cut” version of this JRPG has a two players versus mode that is a mix of 3D battle with some platform elements (and some stages has hazards)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

The Collective

2005 (05/05)

PlayStation 2, Xbox

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2 (PS2), Xemu (Xbox)

N/A

Parsec

N/A

The PS2 and Xbox versions of this game has a (kinda?) hidden 2 players mode. At some point this mode even had an online community in the US in early 2020’s but I don’t know if that exist now. Save file with all characters unlocked available at GameFAQs

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES port)

ティーンエージミュータントニンジャタートルズタートルズインタイム

Konami

1992 (07/24)

Super Nintendo

Cartridge (8Mbit)

PS4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Steam (all via “ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection”)

Retail

Commercial

Ares

N/A

Fightcade

N/A

This classic beat ‘em up has a two players versus mode in the style of the NES Double Dragon port (but only with the turtles). Simple, but fun (also you can block!). The SNES port is also on the Cowabunga Collection

Urban Reign

アーバンレイン

Namco

2005 (09/13)

PlayStation 2

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2

N/A

Parsec

N/A

Inside this 3D beat ‘em up there’s a 4 players 3D fighting game. Has Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix from Tekken as guest characters. It’s actually a fun time. Save file with everything unlocked available at GameFAQs

Urusei Yatsura: Dear My Friends

うる星やつら〜ディアマイフレンズ〜

Game Arts

1994 (04/15)

Sega CD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

Genesis Plus GX or Ares

N/A

Fightcade / Mednafen / RetroArch (Fightcade doesn’t support Sega CD games, the rest does)

N/A

Inside this point and click game based on the anime of the same name there’s a very simple 1v1 2D fighting game called “Subspace Fighter’ ∞ Nitro”. A dev called “ezekiel000” made an unofficial port of this game for Windows and in english. It’s on Archive.org (I know, grey area but oh well)

Xenogears

ゼノギアス

Square Product Development Division 3

1998 (02/11)

PlayStation

PS3, PSP, PSV

Retail

Commercial

Duckstation / Mednafen

N/A

Duckstation Netplay / Arkadyzja

N/A

Inside this classic RPG there’s a “Gear Battling Arena” mode that is a 1v1 3D fighter… and even has training mode! (...and FRAME DATA!?!?!). Was re-released for Game Archives on PS3/PSP/PSV. Save file available at GameFAQs and It’s on Arkadyzja with rollback right in this mode!

Yū Yū Hakusho Dai-Ni-Dan: Ankoku Bujutsu Kai Hen

幽☆遊☆白書第2弾暗黒武術会編

Tomy

1993 (12/10)

Game Boy

Cartridge

N/A

Retail

Commercial

BGB

N/A

Parsec for BGB (use two instances of the emulator opened)

N/A

The first game was a 1v1 2D fighting game but this one is more close to a minigame collection. Still has a 1v1 fighting mode in the style of the first title but feels less polished. Doesn’t have Super Game Boy support. The third game is NOT a fighting game, the fourth is (see letter Y)

ZDog Hero

Hummer Team

2006 (??/??)

ZDog

Internal memory

N/A

Retail

Commercial

MAME

N/A

Parsec

N/A

A 1v1 2D fighter with animals that is part of a dedicated “44 in 1” console released in the 2000s, with hardware based on the NES. It’s obviously shitty but it’s also very silly and charming. The hardware is emulated in MAME. ROM name is “zdog”. According to BootlegGames Wiki only 300 units were made

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

アヌビス：ゾーン・オブ・エンダーズ (Anubis: Zone of the Enders)

Konami

2003 (02/13)

PlayStation 2

DVD

N/A

Retail

Commercial

PCSX2

N/A

Parsec