Fighting games have been booming these last few years, with eSports tournaments being held around the most iconic franchises like Tekken, Street Fighter, and King of Fighters. While most of these fighting games are paid, there are tons of free fighting games available on Steam, which will definitely scratch that combo-itch you have going on.
Fighting games aren’t that simple. Every character in a fighting game comes with their very own set of combos with different skill ceilings. You have to block, dodge, and predict incoming enemy throws correctly. You’ll also have to learn the ins and outs of the number of frames each move or step takes to really become good at any fighting game. Or maybe you’re looking for free light, fun co-op fun with friends on a Discord call. So here are our six top picks for the best free-fighting games on Steam.
1 – Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla tops the charts as one of the most fun platforming fighting games out there–akin to Super Smash Bros. But unlike Smash Bros., Brawlhalla is completely free. You pay zero-zilch to get into its gut-punching fighting grounds. You can use a roster of six free characters and unlock more by obtaining coins at the end of each match.
But you can still pay $20 to unlock all the characters in the game if you ever get bored by grinding. For the most part, Brawhalla excels at a combination of fighting and platforming. You’ll mostly be finding yourself mastering jumping and wall movements. And with that buff in mobility, you get some gut-wrenching, high-adrenaline fighting.
The stages are pretty much streamlined, with item drops throughout matches. Brawhalla is an exceptionally balanced and fair free fighting game, with a tight feel on combat mechanics paired with feel-good mobility.
2 – Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Free Edition
You might have heard of this game on the PSP, but it isn’t THAT game. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is the lovechild of Square Enix and Team Ninja as they make a comeback into the arena fighting series. The game features a bit of the verticality the original was known and loved for, minus the RPG elements.
Now, it’s a 3v3 fighter in contrast to the 1v1 nature of the original, and things can get extremely messy. You get some exquisite and jaw-dropping medium-sized arenas to battle it out. The addition of the bravery system is pretty intuitive, which chips away at your enemy’s bravery meter before you go for an onslaught of attacks. And the character selection is pretty robust at its best. You can choose from a fan-favorite roster of Final Fantasy characters, with Cloud Strife and Lightning returning and Noctis Lucis Caelum stepping into the limelight.
And you get all of this for free. Though Dissida Final Fantasy NT has its fair share of flaws, you can look past them and enamor yourself in its captivating charm and incredible fighting mechanics. But this isn’t the Dissidia you played on the PSP. Still, if you manage to get over that, you’re looking at a fighting game worth all the salt.
3 – Smash Legends
At number 3, we have Smash Legends–a game that’s a fine mix of multiplayer madness, fast-paced action, and some gorgeous soft graphics to tie the knot. You get to participate along with other players in a bunch of multiplayer modes that are rotated endlessly. You participate in a party of three, duking it out with enemies to rake in the highest number of points and kills before the timer inevitably hits zero. And interestingly enough, you can also relegate yourself to the fun mini battle royale mode, where you get to take on one-on-one duels.
But Smash Legends isn’t easy. You’ll have to keep up with enemies and learn the ropes before heading into multiplayer. It’s difficult and challenging in all the right ways; ultimately, you’re left satisfied. But if you can’t keep up, you’ll be left behind–which is pretty much the nature of all skill-based fighting games.
Smash Legends is pretty difficult on the surface, but its gameplay and regular progression keeps you engaged for hours. And at the end of the match, you get your occasional goodies. Even if you play a few matches occasionally, you’ll always get some items worth your time. And for the entry price of just $0, it’s definitely up there with our top free fighting games.
4 – Dead Or Alive 5 Last Round
Despite its decade-old debut, Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is still one of the most approachable serious fighting games. You get two attack buttons; one for punches and one for kicks. But these simple controls can be paired endlessly to create a variety of combos that can keep you engaged for hours. Instead of the half-circle movements of Street Fighter and cross-stick motions of King of Fighters, you’re related to stringing together combinations with great speed and precision.
And despite what we’ve said, the game is pretty complicated. Dead or Alive 5 Last Round features an extensive 42-step tutorial that guides players from the basics to more advanced gameplay sections. You also get a welcome selection of modes: Time Attack, Arcade, and Survival, all suited for solo play or tag-teaming. Story Mode is pretty riveting, too, taking players on a journey of each character making their way through the DOA tournament.
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round is marginally accessible compared to Tekken or Street Fighter. It doesn’t require you to master multiple special moves, making it pretty easy to get used to. Overall, it’s an incredibly engaging game that’s a fine amalgam of reaction times, dexterity and improves upon its predecessors tremendously. And best of all–it’s free on Steam.
5 – Toribash
Toribash is a strange amalgam of turn-based strategy mixed with fighting. It’s basically controlling chaos paired with a balance of luck and strategy. Unlike most traditional fighting games, Toribash takes things slowly. Normally, you’re supposed to respond quickly to incoming damage, whether to dodge, block, or parry. But in Toribash, you have to sit and plan things out. Even punching–something so simple involves two-four steps.
You’re tasked to either knock your opponent down or even tear their limbs off. You’re supposed to control each and every individual muscle group, including elbows, hips, pecs, and shoulders. You’re given a starting time of just 20 seconds to plan your first move, and your opponent will do the same. In the masses of fighting games, Toribash just feels different. And it’s a welcome change.
This free fighting game on Steam gives you a different perspective on the fighting game genre as a whole. Due to the intricacy of landing the most basic punches, even a single win in Toribash feels like a well-earned victory.
6 – Iron Snout
Moving to the bottom of the list, we have Iron Snout. Now, Iron Snout features you as a pig fighting wolves. You start with limited access to many features but keep defeating enemies and scoring wins, and you gain access to additional content. As for gameplay, you’re given control of a static pig that attacks based on directional inputs. Enemies will cave in on you from either the right or left side of the screen. They’ll drop weapons you can use to melee or fling at other incoming enemies.
Iron Snout features a few modes, such as classic, quick death, 2-player volleyball, and vs100. For the most part, most of these game modes play entirely the same. All-in-all, Iron Snout is a simplistic game with few glaring flaws to poke. But on the downside, it is simplistic. There are no loads of variety to keep you hooked for hours on end.
The bread and butter of this game is earning trophies. You can grind out and win most trophies without putting in much effort. The game isn’t very deep, and it’s fun to play for an hour or two to rake up trophies. But the gameplay loop can get monotonous and dull towards the end of the fun. Iron Snout is a decent free-fighting game on Steam if you’re looking for something straightforward and laid back.
Conclusion
If you want some fun without opening up your wallet, these free fighting games on Steam will certainly get the job done. Most of these games offer tons of gut-punching, button-mashing fun, and a deep emphasis on skill-based fighting, platforming, and learning new tricks. And some can get daunting with all the timing and precision-based moves you’ll have to master–making them challenging yet ultimately satisfying.
Or if you’re looking for some chill, laid-back fighting fun, then you get a kick of that, too, from some other fighting games on the list. Just don’t expect too much in terms of gameplay loop fun and content drops.
