Bandai Namco’s Tekken has never been better in terms of hand to hand combat, but it is the Soul Calibur series that is the unquestioned king of the ring when it comes to crossing blades and spears. The Soul Calibur series has consistently delivered with each entry in a franchise that started in the arcades and has evolved into one of the premier fighting game titles in the world. A franchise that isn’t afraid to push boundaries and raise eyebrows, entries in the series have constantly featured jaw-dropping visuals and guest characters that are can’t miss attractions. Not all games in the series are created equal, so here are the best games in the Soul Calibur series, ranked.

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8 Soul Edge

Soul Edge was the predecessor to the series, but has been expanded upon to the point where the Soul Calibur series has just left it behind. Granted, Edge is not a bad game and served as a strong title in itself, but it is easy to forgive those who wrongly assume it is a separate game. Lauded on release in both Japan and the US, Edge felt like it was a step in the right direction as 3D fighters were beginning to threaten the stranglehold that 2D fighters had on the genre. While it was a strong game, it didn't make the impact that future entries would make and is often easy to forget as part of the series.

7 Soul Calibur: Broken Edge

This PSP exclusive was light on content and replayability, but it was the only way a Soul Calibur game could be played on a handheld. Though it was a commendable port of Soul Calibur IV, the game was severely limited due to the hardware constraints of the PSP. The customization options that became a boon for the series was dampened, and the big selling point of playing as Darth Vader or Yoda in IV was traded in for God of War’s Kratos. Without a story mode or any other single player options seen in previous titles, the game was a stripped down port of Soul Calibur IV that forced players to trade depth for portability.

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6 Soul Calibur V

The fifth entry of the series did not do too much to separate itself from the previous entry, but was positioned as a reinvention or evolution of the franchise. With 10 new characters to the series and a shift to new protagonist’s Patrolklos and Pyrrha, the game was a blast in terms of multiplayer but underwhelming for solo riders. Lacking an interesting story and with most of the newer characters being a bit bland, including guest character Ezio, this entry could have been so much more. Despite its shortcomings, the game’s sales encouraged Bandai Namco to continue a series they previously thought they put to bed.

5 Soul Calibur III

Character creation would be introduced in Soul Calibur III, a defining feature that has been in each subsequent entry. Not intending this to be a throwaway feature, the created characters could be leveled up through the game’s “Chronicles of the Sword” mode. As it also was the last game in the series before online multiplayer was normalized, the game’s additional modes added a tremendous amount of depth and replayability to go along with its traditionally strong gameplay. While a memorable entry for including features to be fleshed out in future games, the series was beginning to show signs of wear and tear.

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4 Soul Calibur IV

Featuring Darth Vader and Yoda as playable characters as well as being the first time the series introduced online play, Soul Calibur IV was a rousing success. Aside from the headline-grabbing additions from the Star Wars universe, the game’s character customization options were heavily praised as well as its soundtrack and modifications to the fighting system. The game was a huge step forward for the series and it came at a critical time. During its development, Namco designed this game as the last entry of the Soul Calibur series and they went all out to generate enough fan support to continue the series a few years later.

3 Soul Calibur

Though released a few years after Soul Edge, Soul Calibur was a remarkable game that did more than establish the series as a true contender in the fighting game genre. Showing the power of the Sega Dreamcast as well as being a practical arcade-perfect port, Soul Calibur was a premier game for the final Sega console and was one of only a small handful of games to get a perfect 10 from Gamespot. While key components of the series such as character creation and third party guests were absent here, the original Soul Calibur is still remembered as one of the best fighting games ever made.

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2 Soul Calibur VI

Hot off the heels of the continued success of Tekken 7, Bandai Namco release of Soul Calibur VI showed that the series still had plenty to offer. Featuring a deep single player experience and improved mechanics to the fighting engine, Soul Calibur VI is a complete experience for all levels of play and has enjoyed a commercially successful run since its release in 2018. Coupled with the release of Tekken 7 and Dragonball FighterZ, the game served as another win for Bandai Namco. With a strong tournament scene including the 2019 Evolution Fighting Games Championship and still-to-be-released content on the way, Soul Calibur VI has ensured there will be more combat to come in the future.

1 Soul Calibur II

The true darling of the franchise, Soul Calibur II was one of the deepest fighting games ever made and had such a loyal following that it was actually remade 10 years later. Improving on its legendary predecessor by adding additional weapons per player and practically eliminating the dreaded “ring-out” mechanics by adding walls. It also began the series tradition of including guest characters, starting with Link from The Legend of Zelda, Heihachi Mishima from Tekken, and comic book anti-hero Spawn. Soul Calibur II was a critical and commercial success and is lauded as the best game of the series.

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