King of Fighters Games – Play Every KOF Online

The King of Fighters in a nutshell

In 1994 SNK had an idea nobody else had tried: take the heroes of its own fighting games – Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Ikari Warriors, Psycho Soldier – put them in teams of three and let them fight in one tournament. The result, The King of Fighters '94, launched a series that got a new arcade release every year for a decade. In Latin America and Brazil the yearly KOF on the Neo Geo cabinet was the center of every arcade.

The rules are simple: you pick three fighters and an order. When your first fighter loses, the next one comes in with whatever health they have left. Each character has special moves, a super ("desperation move") and a power gauge – from KOF '97 on you can stock several bars and spend them on supers.

The sagas

• Orochi saga – KOF '95, '96, '97. Kyo Kusanagi meets his rival Iori Yagami, and the story builds to the ancient power of Orochi. KOF '97 ends the arc and is still the most beloved KOF in Brazil.
• Dream match – KOF '98. No story, just almost every fighter from '94 to '97 and a famously balanced system. Many players call it the best KOF ever made.
• NESTS saga – KOF '99, 2000, 2001. A new hero, K', a striker system that lets a teammate jump in for an assist, and the shadowy NESTS organization.
• Dream match – KOF 2002. The striker system is gone, the roster is huge, and MAX mode opens up long cancel combos. KOF 2002 is the most played KOF in Mexico and South America today.
• Ash saga – KOF 2003. Tag-team style switching, a new protagonist (Ash Crimson) and a leader system that gives each team captain an extra super.

Which KOF should you play first?

Not sure who to pick? Our King of Fighters characters guide explains every team and fighter, and the KOF 2002 move list gives you the commands and beginner combos.

Handheld and console spin-offs

The list above also includes the portable KOFs: the Game Boy Nettou versions of KOF '95 and '96, King of Fighters R2 for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, the Game Boy Advance EX games and the PlayStation adventure-fighter KOF Kyo. They are fun curiosities – but for online versus, stick to the arcade releases.