Fans of classic fighting games would take delight asCapcombrings fans a blast to the past with its newCapcom Fighting Collection.Released last July 19, 2025, theCapcom Fighting Collectionis a set of ten of the most popular arcade fighting games from the video game publisher. These include the likes ofDarkstalkers,and evenStreet Fightertitles!
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However, in the context of fighting games today, it’s no question that not a lot of games in the collection would hold a candle to present superstars in the genre. Thankfully, someCapcomtitles in theCollectionstill hold up today despite their age, courtesy of innovative mechanics, gorgeous design, and captivating stories.
9Vampire Hunter 2, Vampire Savior 2
Two of the more confusing titles within theCollectioncome in the form ofVampire Hunter 2: Darkstalkers’ RevengeandVampire Savior 2: The Lord of Vampire. However, they’re much less full titles and more “upgrades” and distinct variations ofDarkstalkers 3.
At its core,Vampire Hunter 2simply addsthe full roster ofDarkstalkers’ Revengeto its version ofDarkstalkers 3. Meanwhile,Vampire Savior 2removes the likes of J. Talbain, Sasquatch, and Rikuo from the roster and instead adds Pyron, Huitzil, and Donovan. With these in mind, players don’t necessarily need to focus on these two titles unless they specifically want to playDarkstalkers 3as specific characters.
8Cyberbots: Full Metal Madness
When fans think of a “mecha fighting game,” they will likely think of either the tactical-orientedSuper Robot Warsor the intensity of 3D battles inArmored CoreandmodernGundamtitles. However, Capcom already made an attempt to add a mecha twist to the intensity of fighting games at the time. This came in the form ofCyberbots: Full Metal Madness, set in the near future where mech pilots ride awesome mecha to represent space colonies away from a crowded Earth.
Boasting vibrant backgrounds and rather uniquely-designed mechs, each bot inCyberbotshas different dashes, specials, and explosive combos tied to rather basic keypad-based gameplay. While this game is relatively easy to pick up and play for casuals, its lack of expansive content makes it fare less compared to other games at the time.
7Super Gem Fighter Mini Mix
It’s one thing to enjoy the likes of Ryu and his friends duke it out against M. Bison inStreet Fighter, and another thing entirely to see them do it as cute chibi-fied mini-fighters. This is exactly whatSuper Gem Fighter Mini Mixprovides, as players can dish out devastatingly-quick and powerful signature moves with the added twist of blasting gems off opponents to power up their special moves.
However, players shouldn’t let the game’s rather cute animations fool them. After all,Super Gem Fighter Mini Mixis afighting game in the arcadethrough and through. Granted, the game doesn’t have a lot of technical components compared to other games, but the fighting game essentials remain the same in terms of having dedicated punch, kick, specials, and taunt buttons. Players who want a more casual fighting game or a more “chill” but stylishly quick experience definitely need to give this game a shot.
6Red Earth
Despite its rather mysterious name,Red Earthholds a special place in the hearts of a lot of retro fighting game fans. After all, back when the era of 3D Fighting was just starting to bloom, Capcom took a final shot at introducing an entirely unique fighting game to fans. This came in the form ofRed Earth, a game where there were only four playable characters and eight unplayable boss characters.
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Each of the four playable characters onRed Earthboasts unique moves andplaystyles like in other fighting games: the frontline fighter Leo, the stealthy Mukuro, the long-ranged Tabasa, and the fast-paced Tao. However,Red Earthshines the most with its mechanics, featuring six-button controls that make way for extremely fast combos, experience points that give players more combos as they “level up,” food and orbs that restore health and supers, and even password options that save the character’s current experience progress. Not only that, but the game also boasts a rather steep difficulty, making it a 2D equivalent of aDark Soulsexperience.
5Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge
Serving as the first sequel totheDarkstalkersgame,Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ RevengeorVampire Hunter: Darkstalkers RevengeandDarkstalkers 2, will have the original cast ofDarkstalkersreturn with a new threat on the loose. This time around, the villain Pyron has begun his invasion of Earth and wants to add the planet to his “collection,” having this time hired the likes of newcomers Donovan Baine and Hsien-Ko to hunt the Darkstalkers, serving as the planet’s last defense.
What makesDarkstalkers 2stand out is not just its visuals, but also its rather “dark” take on the fighting game genre. Unique to the game itself are Special Gauges that players can hold onto throughout the entire match, as well as a playstyle that offers Auto-Blocking. While the six-button layout of the game feels similar to the originalDarkstalkersgame,Darkstalkers 2offers a more seamless fighting experience for characters, making their movements more fluid and more appealing to look at.
4Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo
Players who want a more tactical take on their fighting game would likely appreciateSuper Puzzle Fighter 2 Turboamongthe titles ofCapcom Fighting Collection. The game resembles a typicalTetrisclone with aStreet Fighteraesthetic, as after all the game does play like the block game. Players need to drop patterns of colored cubes on the screen and clear them to “attack” the opponent with blocks that they have to eliminate. Like inTetris, players lose if their side of the screen is filled with blocks.
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While this in itself already makes for a suspenseful game, the presence ofStreet Fightercharacters on the screen isn’t for show. Each character chosen has a special “counter-block” they can unleash at opponents, making theTetrisbattle game a bit more suspenseful and a lot more times more engaging. Despite not being a fighting game, the extremely accessible nature ofPuzzle Fighter 2 Turbodefinitely makes it a timeless title.
3Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors
At first glance, Capcom’sDarkstalkers: The Night Warriorshave always seemed like aStreet Fighterknock-off, but this time with monsters. Despite having a small roster of ten characters, players who love arcade machines did have a blast - after all, each character not only had a unique appearance, but also unique gameplay and flashy movement options.
Similar toStreet Fighter 2and2 Turbo,Darkstalkersfeatures a six-button layout as well as a Special Gauge where they can perform fast and loose supers. Unique to the game exclusively is called the “Chain Combo,” where players can combine all attack buttons to create various combos and super moves, allowing players to approach their attacks in a much faster and intuitive manner. The phrase “the first is always the most memorable” applies here, as players will definitely have a blast studying the mechanics that madeDarkstalkersa niche game in the fighting game scene.
2Vampire Savior: The Lord Of Vampire
Fans of the fighting game genre may have looked atDarkstalkersas just the “edgier”Street Fighterfrom Capcom, butVampire Savior: The Lord Of Vampire-essentiallyDarkstalkers 3- changes the equation. A lot of what makesDarkstalkers 3shine isn’t exactly with its story, but rather more with how it plays with its mechanics.
Instead of the usual best-two-out-of-three mechanic in most fighting games,Darkstalkers 3instead uses two life bars that are used seamlessly throughout the match. It also features a unique Dark Force power-up that buffs characters in different ways, as well as attack-boosting ES Moves and insanely-animated EX Moves. What’s more impressive are special modes within the game, such as an original character mode that lets players “create” a new character by renaming an existing character and fighting to slowly “build” a unique arsenal of attacks. In terms of uniqueness and innovative features,Darkstalkers 3definitely takes the cake.
1Hyper Street Fighter 2: The Anniversary Edition
Of allStreet Fightergames, it’s perhapsStreet Fighter 2that has the most number of spinoffs that introduce both new characters and intuitive mechanics, makingStreet Fighterextremely fit for competitive play. For the confused newcomers,Hyper Street Fighter 2is a modified port of theSuper Street Fighter 2 Turbo, which is the game that allows players to control all characters across the five iterations ofSF2that existed in the arcade at the time.
This time around, theHyper Street Fighter 2: The Anniversary Editionis a PS2 port of the title, and it remains a solid conversion through and through. Being an “upgrade” ofSF2in terms of more fluid and faster gameplay,HSF2remains both brutal and engrossing. Not only that, but outside its arcade mode, the game features a customizable training mode, and even the ability to switch character versions in a match. In terms of replayability,HSF2: The Anniversary Editiontakes the cake from theCollection.
TheCapcom Fighting Collectionis available on the PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
