The Greatest Fighting Game Stages Of All Time

The most important part of a fighting game is how fun the characters are, and while we’re not here to dispute that idea entirely, having cool-looking backgrounds is pretty important, too. If your backgrounds look boring, the game is going to look boring.

With that in mind, these are the best fighting game stages from across the length and breadth of fighting game history, though limited to one entry per franchise. Otherwise, there’d be like five Street Fighter entries. Let’s keep things interesting, hey?

10 Fetus Of God – Darkstalkers 3

“Wait Patiently For Your Journey To Death”

Capcom was really in their bag during the creation of Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers 3, as the stages in that game are truly memorable. Tower Of Arrogance is a vertigo-inducing bout taking place on the side of a skyscraper, while Iron Horse, Iron Terror depicts a nightmare train ride from hell, complete with a skeleton conductor.

Nothing quite matches up to the most notorious and memorable level from Darkstalkers 3: Fetus Of God. It’s exactly what it sounds like. The stage for the final boss, Jedah, characters do battle inside what looks like a giant uterus, complete with the demonic baby occasionally opening its creepy eyes in the background. In a fighting game series about horror, this is as extreme as it gets, and it’s admirable that Capcom just kind of went for it.

9 Danger Room – X-Men: Children Of The Atom

“Nice Try Bub, But I’m Still The Best There Is At What I Do”

One of the best parts of licensed fighting games is that it gives the developers a chance to really incorporate different aspects of the license’s history into the game. Just look at the amount of reference Arc System Works shoved into Dragon Ball FighterZ. Capcom was no different when given the Marvel license, as X-Men: Children Of The Atom’s Danger Room is a work of art.

At first glance, the Danger Room looks like a pretty sterile chamber, complete with a window where Professor X is getting his jollies watching people fight. The real magic is how Capcom incorporates the Danger Room’s real purpose as a holographic training room. The background will cycle between a few different environments, and you’ll even be fired at by off-screen lasers, which don’t hit but add to the training vibe. It’s simply remarkable.

“Dare To Believe You Can Survive”

The appeal of Marvel Vs Capcom as a franchise is that it feels like a celebration, or a festival almost. We’re taking two goliath properties and shoving them both together for your entertainment, and that’s awesome. Marvel Vs Capcom 3 embraced that vibe wholeheartedly, complete with CGI trailers, silly endings, and a beautiful stage in the form of Daily Bugle.

Far from being a fistfight in the middle of a newsroom while overworked journalists get screamed at by J. Jonah Jameson, the Daily Bugle stage has the player witness a Marvel and Capcom version of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, complete with giant Spider-Man floats. It’s hectic but happy and uplifting, giving you plenty to look at while your opponent combos you to death.

7 Stroheim Castle – Fatal Fury 2

“I’ll Chisel Your Gravestone, Sleep Well”

There’s something to be said about a villain or final boss who’s just that little bit extra. SNK understands this perfectly, with frequent big bad Geese Howard basically installing a Japanese Shrine on top of his American skyscraper, but nothing quite matches the level that Wolfgang Krauser reaches in the Stroheim Castle stage of Fatal Fury 2.

The final stage of Fatal Fury 2’s arcade mode, Krauser’s Stroheim Castle is as decadent and gold as you’d think, but the real kicker is the fact that Krauser’s hired a full orchestra to play the third section of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor, Dies Irae. You know, the musical shorthand for “you’re boned, mate.” Perfect, excellent, ten out of ten, with no notes.

“You See, It’s True Love We’re Makin'”

Capcom and SNK coming together to create fighting games has led to magic, both in terms of gameplay and stages. The first CVS game boasts stages like Highway and Alley that do some incredible things with lighting and shadows, respectively, while the background artwork for the SVC Chaos games is up there with the best. CVS 2’s stages are another level though, with the best being London.

Admittedly, the stage just looks like one of your basic “fighters on the street with stuff happening in the background stages,” though the background characters contain plenty of cool references for fans. If we’re being honest, it’s the music that’s doing the heavy lifting of this stage, with “It’s True Love We’re Making” being the catchiest music in fighting game history. One round on this stage, and you’ll be singing the song for the rest of your life.

5 Large Fire At Wadamoya – The Last Blade 2

“It Seems To Me You Seek Death”

Some of the hypest designs in fighting game stages come from characters settling their differences despite the world falling apart around them. Everything is descending into chaos, but nothing else matters beyond who’s going to win between these two combatants. Nothing encapsulates that idea more than the Large Fire At Wadamoya stage in The Last Blade 2.

A pretty self-describing stage, the Large Fire At Wadamoya stage sees the inside of a castle engulfed in flames, surrounding the two fighters. At any moment, it feels like a wooden beam is going to collapse on both fighters, rendering the match a stalemate, and yet, the inferno rages on. As far as fighting game stages go, the Wadamoya stage raises the tension and stakes more than any other.

4 Lost Cathedral – Soulcalibur 3

“Sorry To Keep You, You’re Up Next!”

It was only a matter of time before Soulcalibur got a mention, as Namco’s weapons-based fighting game has always pushed the boundaries of graphics and art direction, creating some beautiful stages in the process. Granted, a good percentage of them are floating platforms on water, but when Namco really gets cooking, they create absolute peak fighting game stages.

Soulcalibur 3 arguably has the best stage in the whole series with Lost Cathedral, which appears in the game’s Tales Of Souls mode as the site of a fated conflict between Siegfried and Nightmare. The architecture and the lighting stand among some of the best graphics on the PS2, but the stage’s track, Forsaken Sanctuary, seals the deal. An orchestra combined with someone going ham on an organ? Sign us up.

3 The Pit – Mortal Kombat (Various)

“Get Over Here!”

The Mortal Kombat series has its fair share of iconic stages, and while the reboot moved away from those legacy stages, longtime fans still prefer ripping spines and screaming “get over here” at classic haunts like Subway, Dead Pool, Evil Monastery, and more. One stage that the Mortal Kombat series has returned to again and again is The Pit.

Taking place on the most unsafe bridge this side of Takeshi’s Castle, two fighters duke it out on a bridge suspended above a huge spike pit, with the whole stage illuminated by this haunting moonlight. This being a Mortal Kombat game, of course you’re able to smack them into The Pit once you see the words “Finish Him,” while various references, easter eggs, and silly moments can often be spotted in the background. It’s the definitive MK stage and one of the best ever.

2 NYC Subway Station – Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

“Let’s Go Justin!”

Trying to find just one good Street Fighter stage is like trying to find one specific needle in a stack of needles. There are so many great options to choose from, like Alpha 2’s Field Of Fate, SF4’s Volcanic Rim, Cammy’s stage from Street Fighter 2, and countless others. There have been plenty of classic stages, but none quite have the same legacy as NYC Subway Station from SF3: Third Strike.

A beautiful-looking background in a game filled with them, NYC Subway Station is dirty, grimey, yet unmistakably gorgeous to look at, and the Jazzy NYC ‘99 track keeps everything upbeat and entertaining. Why it belongs among the best is due to how recognizable the stage has become, thanks to it being part of Evo Moment 37, one of the most famous feats in competitive fighting game history. Show a fighting game fan a picture of NYC Subway, and they’ll immediately think of Daigo parrying the hell out of Justin Wong. You can’t fake an impact like that.

1 Moonlit Wilderness – Tekken 5

“So You’ve Come”

The standard-bearer for creating stages that are meant to look and feel like fated battles, the Moonlit Wilderness stage of Tekken 5 is without question the best fighting game stage of all time. Tekken has had some highlights over the years, with Tekken 7’s Infinite Azure becoming the de facto stage that people remember or Tekken 4’s Arena becoming a mainstay throughout the series, but Moonlit Wilderness tops them all.

As the name implies, you and your opponent are fighting amidst a field of flowers that seemingly stretches on forever, with the moon looming large in the background. The lighting, the isolated nature of the stage, and the musical backing all contribute to making this stage an instant classic. If you want to experience the best of Tekken’s stages, or fighting games in general, have a few rounds in Moonlit Wilderness.