What was the best and brightest of 2017? You help us decide.
2017 was a busy year for both new releases, existing titles, and glimpses of what lies ahead! As the year draws to a close, the time has come for us to decide what stood tall as the best of the best that the fighting game genre had to offer in 2017.
We’re choosing our own picks, of course — but you can help us select the winners from the many nominees below by participating in our reader survey. We’ll compile your choices with our own, and announce the winners in 2018. Vote for your own picks below!
Please make one selection in each category listed. Voting will close at midnight (Pacific) on December 31, 2017. If the survey doesn’t appear for you in the pane below, try following this link.
Create your own user feedback survey
SRK FIGHTING GAME AWARDS 2017 CATEGORIES/NOMINEES
BEST NEW GAME
- Absolver (multi-platform)
- ARMS (Switch)
- Brawlhalla (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Brawlout (Switch)
- Fight of Gods (PC)
- For Honor (multi-platform)
- Gundam Versus (PlayStation 4)
- GUTS (PC)
- Injustice 2 (multi-platform)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (multi-platform)
- Nidhogg 2 (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Rivals of Aether (PC)
- Slice, Dice & Rice (PC)
- Tekken 7 (multi-platform)
BEST GAME REVISION/UPDATE
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction [version 2.0] (multi-platform)
- Chaos Code -New Sign of Catastrophe- (multi-platform)
- Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 (multi-platform)
- Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
- Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (Switch)
BEST RE-RELEASE/PORT
- ADK Damashii (various)
- Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX SIX STARS!!!!!! (PC)
- Art of Fighting (various)
- Art of Fighting 2 (various)
- Fatal Fury (various)
- Fatal Fury Special (various)
- Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 (various)
- Fatal Fury 2 (various)
- Fatal Fury 3 (various)
- Real Bout Fatal Fury (various)
- Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors (various)
- Karnov’s Revenge (various)
- The King of Fighters ’95 (various)
- The King of Fighters ’96 (various)
- The King of Fighters ’97 (various)
- The Last Blade (various)
- Lethal League (multi-platform)
- Samurai Shodown II (various)
- Samurai Shodown V Special (various)
- Umineko: Golden Fantasia (PC)
- Windjammers (PlayStation 4)
BEST NEW (PLAYABLE) CHARACTER
[refers to a character making their first playable appearance in a home-release title for an existing series this year]
- Abigail (Street Fighter V)
- Ed (Street Fighter V)
- Kolin (Street Fighter V)
- Menat (Street Fighter V)
- Zeku (Street Fighter V)
- Black Panther (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Black Widow (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Captain Marvel (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Gamora (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Jedah (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Monster Hunter (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Rocket & Groot (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Sigma (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Thanos (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Ultron (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Winter Soldier (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- X (Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite)
- Jubei (BlazBlue: Central Fiction)
- Answer (Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2)
- Claudio Serafino (Tekken 7)
- Gigas (Tekken 7)
- Josie Rizal (Tekken 7)
- Katarina Alves (Tekken 7)
- Kazumi Mishima (Tekken 7)
- Lucky Chloe (Tekken 7)
- Master Raven (Tekken 7)
- Shaheen (Tekken 7)
- The Atom (Injustice 2)
- Atrocitus (Injustice 2)
- Black Canary (Injustice 2)
- Black Manta (Injustice 2)
- Blue Beetle (Injustice 2)
- Brainiac (Injustice 2)
- Captain Cold (Injustice 2)
- Cheetah (Injustice 2)
- Darkseid (Injustice 2)
- Deadshot (Injustice 2)
- Doctor Fate (Injustice 2)
- Firestorm (Injustice 2)
- Gorilla Grodd (Injustice 2)
- Hellboy (Injustice 2)
- Poison Ivy (Injustice 2)
- Red Hood (Injustice 2)
- Robin (Injustice 2)
- Scarecrow (Injustice 2)
- Starfire (Injustice 2)
- Supergirl (Injustice 2)
- Swamp Thing (Injustice 2)
- Eagle (Killer Instinct)
- Kilgore (Killer Instinct)
- Shin Hisako (Killer Instinct)
BEST GUEST CHARACTER
- Hyper Light Drifter (Brawlout)
- Juan Aguacate (Brawlout)
- Hellboy (Injustice 2)
- Raiden (Injustice 2)
- Sub-Zero (Injustice 2)
- Akuma (Tekken 7)
- Geese Howard (Tekken 7)
BEST ONLINE PLAY
- Absolver (multi-platform)
- ARMS (Switch)
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction [version 2.0] (multi-platform)
- Brawlhalla (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Brawlout (Switch)
- Dead or Alive 5 Final Round (multi-platform)
- For Honor (multi-platform)
- Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 (multi-platform)
- Gundam Versus (PlayStation 4)
- Injustice 2 (multi-platform)
- The King of Fighters XIV (multi-platform)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (multi-platform)
- Mortal Kombat X (multi-platform)
- Nidhogg 2 (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
- Street Fighter V (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)
- Tekken 7 (multi-platform)
- Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (Switch)
- Ultra Street Fighter IV (multi-platform)
BEST OVERALL GAMEPLAY EXPERIENCE
- Absolver (multi-platform)
- ARMS (Switch)
- BlazBlue: Central Fiction [version 2.0] (multi-platform)
- Brawlhalla (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Brawlout (Switch)
- Dead or Alive 5 Final Round (multi-platform)
- For Honor (multi-platform)
- Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 (multi-platform)
- Gundam Versus (PlayStation 4)
- Injustice 2 (multi-platform)
- The King of Fighters XIV (multi-platform)
- Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (multi-platform)
- Mortal Kombat X (multi-platform)
- Nidhogg 2 (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
- Sailor Moon S (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (various)
- Street Fighter V (PlayStation 4/PC)
- Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube)
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo (arcade)
- Tekken 7 (multi-platform)
- Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers (Switch)
- Ultra Street Fighter IV (multi-platform)
BEST COMPETITIVE CIRCUIT
- Arc System Works Fighting Game Award
- Battle for the Stones
- Capcom Pro Tour
- Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Battle Royal
- Injustice 2 Pro Series
- Tekken World Tour
- 2GG Championship Series
BEST BETA TEST/DEMO
- Dissidia Final Fantasy NT [closed beta]
- Fantasy Strike [Steam Early Access]
- Fighting EX Layer [open beta]
- Omen of Sorrow [demo]
- Punch Planet [Steam Early Access]
MOST ANTICIPATED FUTURE RELEASE
- BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle
- Catherine: Full Body
- Dissidia Final Fantasy NT
- Dragon Ball FighterZ
- Fantasy Strike
- Fighting EX Layer
- Lethal League Blaze
- Omen of Sorrow
- Punch Planet
- SoulCalibur VI
- Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
- Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
- Them’s Fightin’ Herds
- Under Night In-Birth Late[st]