Guilty Gear Strive

Guilty Gear Strive is the latest entry in Arc System Works' long-running fighting game series, known for its extremely stylized graphics reminiscent of hand-drawn anime animation, even though the characters are actually fully three-dimensional models rendered using cel-shading. Strive noticeably slowed the pace compared to the series' previous, extremely fast entries and simplified the control scheme and combo system, opening the door to newcomers without alienating longtime fans of the technical, combo-oriented gameplay built on precisely reading the opponent.

On PlayStation 5 the game excels above all visually — dynamic lighting, exaggeratedly expressive hit effects, and fluid character animation create the impression that the player is controlling characters straight out of a premium anime series' battle scene. Each character also has a markedly distinct archetype and rhythm of play, from slow heavy hitters to fast technical fighters with intricate combinations, so every player can find a character matching their own style. The music is no less important: composer Daisuke Ishiwatari's aggressive metal soundtrack is among the most distinctive in the entire genre and reinforces the energetic atmosphere of each match and character. The online infrastructure, with quality rollback netcode, also enables smooth long-distance matches, which had long been a problem for previous entries in the series and had noticeably held back the growth of its competitive scene.

Guilty Gear Strive was embraced by critics and the community alike as one of the most accessible and visually striking fighting titles of its generation, also praised for its striking gallery of charismatic characters and their elaborate personal stories. Thanks to regular seasonal updates with new fighters and a balanced yet still deep system, it has become a mainstay of the competitive scene and is still cited today as proof that a fighting game can be beautiful and deep at the same time.

Why play it: For players who want a fighting game that is beautiful and deep at the same time, Guilty Gear Strive is one of the most accessible and visually striking titles of its genre, with a charismatic gallery of characters.