The Polygon recap of EVO 2026’s fighting-game showcase gave indie fighters more screen time than usual, and Skullgirls 2nd Encore’s adjustable team size still holds up against the genre’s modern entries. The Hidden Variable update cadence has slowed in recent years, and Skullgirls players who came in during the Annie or Marie character drops have been looking for the next fighter to absorb. We tested seven Skullgirls 2nd Encore alternatives on Steam that cover the range from indie tag-team fighters to character-dense anime fighters, all with rollback netcode where the genre still calls for it.
The picks below skip the pure 3D fighters and focus on the 2D space Skullgirls plays in.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Cost | Standout | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Them’s Fightin’ Herds | Indie tag-team fighter | $14.99 | Magic system + indie roster | Steam |
| BlazBlue Centralfiction | Character-dense anime fighter | $19.99 | 28-character roster | Steam |
| Melty Blood: Type Lumina | French Bread’s modern anime fighter | $29.99 | Magic Circuit rapid-beats | Steam |
| Under Night In-Birth | Defensive-system anime classic | $49.99 | GRD tug-of-war meter | Steam |
| Punch Planet | Pixel-art indie sci-fi fighter | $14.99 | Universal mechanics, hand-drawn art | Steam |
| DNF Duel | Class-based simplified-input fighter | $49.99 | One-button supers | Steam |
| The King of Fighters XV | 3v3 team fighter | $59.99 | MAX Mode + team-order strategy | Steam |
Why Skullgirls players cross over
The pattern on r/Skullgirls and the FGC indie-fighter Discords is consistent:
- Hidden Variable’s update cadence has slowed. Players who joined during the most recent character drops want fresh combat to study.
- Skullgirls’s adjustable team size (1v1, 2v2, or 3v3 with different stat scaling) is unique. Most other fighters lock the format.
- The 14-character roster is small by anime-fighter standards. Players want roster variety after a year on the same picks.
- Skullgirls’s rollback netcode is rock-solid. Any alternative without rollback is automatically off the list.
The picks below cover four directions Skullgirls players go: indie tag-team peers, character-dense anime fighters, defensive-system studies, and the team-fighter outliers.
The 7 best Skullgirls 2nd Encore alternatives on PC
Them's Fightin' Herds — best indie tag-team fighter
Them’s Fightin’ Herds is the Mane6 indie tag fighter that grew out of the Mane6 Skullgirls-engine fan project. The game’s roots in that lineage show: the rollback netcode, the input buffer feel, and the training mode are all built on the same DNA Skullgirls established. The Magic system gives every character a stance-change mechanic that adds the kind of strategic layer Skullgirls’ tag system covers.
For Skullgirls players who want the closest cousin in the indie tag fighter space, TFH is the most direct match.
Where it falls short: roster size is comparable to Skullgirls’s, but the season pass model has slowed. Animation quality is excellent but the art style is divisive. The active scene is smaller than Skullgirls’s.
Pricing:
- Free: No (Pixel Lobby is free to enter on a demo)
- Base: around $14.99
- vs Skullgirls: Same price tier, comparable indie polish, smaller roster
Switching from Skullgirls: the Magic stance is the new tag-call. Learn one character’s full stance set before going online.
Download: Them’s Fightin’ Herds on Steam
Bottom line: pick TFH when you want the closest indie cousin to Skullgirls.
BlazBlue Centralfiction — best character-dense anime fighter
BlazBlue Centralfiction is Arc System Works’ previous flagship and shares the philosophy of “every character is mechanically different” that Skullgirls embraces. The 28-character roster doubles Skullgirls’s size, the Drive specials per character add the kind of mechanical variety Skullgirls’s small-roster-deep-design philosophy aims for, and the tutorial mode is the best in the genre.
For Skullgirls players who want a denser roster with a similar design philosophy, Centralfiction is the strongest pick.
Where it falls short: the netcode lags behind Skullgirls’s rollback. Visual style is older. The story mode requires patience.
Pricing:
- Free: No (demo available)
- Base: around $19.99 (regularly discounted)
- vs Skullgirls: Cheaper, larger roster, older netcode
Switching from Skullgirls: Centralfiction’s tutorial is the best route in. Spend the first session in it.
Download: BlazBlue Centralfiction on Steam
Bottom line: pick Centralfiction when roster size matters more than rollback polish.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina — best French Bread anime fighter
Melty Blood: Type Lumina is French Bread’s modernised Tsukihime fighter with the Magic Circuit replacing the typical super meter and rapid-beat combos giving every character an auto-combo path. The rollback netcode matches Skullgirls’s bar. The roster is small (around 16 characters in the base game) but every fighter has the kind of mechanical depth Skullgirls fans look for.
For Skullgirls players who want a different studio’s take on a small roster, deep combat philosophy, Type Lumina is the strongest alternative.
Where it falls short: the Tsukihime story context is dense for newcomers. Some movement options take time to learn. Roster has stopped growing.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: around $29.99
- vs Skullgirls: More expensive, denser combat, similar netcode quality
Switching from Skullgirls: the rapid-beat auto-combo is the new IPS-blocking knowledge. Learn one character’s rapid-beat finisher before everything else.
Download: Melty Blood: Type Lumina on Steam
Bottom line: pick Type Lumina when a different studio’s take on the small-roster-deep-design formula is the goal.
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] — best defensive-system anime classic
Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] is French Bread’s classic with the GRD-bar system, a tug-of-war meter that rewards spacing decisions and discourages turtling. The defensive game is the deepest in the 2D anime fighter space. The 20-character roster is roughly double Skullgirls’s size and the netcode is rollback.
For Skullgirls players who want a deeper defensive layer in their fighter, Under Night is the genre’s reference.
Where it falls short: the cl-r release is older; the Sys:Celes sequel is the current tournament version (separate purchase). The art style divides players. Story content is thin.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: around $49.99 for Sys:Celes (cl-r is regularly discounted to single digits)
- vs Skullgirls: More expensive, deeper defensive system
Switching from Skullgirls: internalise the GRD meter before any combos. The meter is the entire game.
Download: Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late[cl-r] on Steam
Bottom line: pick Under Night when you want the genre’s most-respected defensive system.
Punch Planet — best pixel-art indie sci-fi fighter
Punch Planet is the indie pixel-art sci-fi fighter built on universal mechanics, every character has the same dash, the same jump arc, the same anti-air. The hand-drawn pixel-art roster is small but every character has a distinct visual identity. Rollback netcode shipped during Early Access.
For Skullgirls players who want a sci-fi tonal shift in the indie fighter space, Punch Planet is the deep-cut.
Where it falls short: the player base is the smallest on this list. Updates are slow; the game is still in Early Access. The roster is around 8 characters.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: around $14.99
- vs Skullgirls: Same price tier, smaller scene, sci-fi tone
Switching from Skullgirls: universal mechanics mean character choice is about visual identity more than systems. Pick a character whose look you like and commit.
Download: Punch Planet on Steam
Bottom line: pick Punch Planet when you want the indie scene’s deepest cut.
DNF Duel — best class-based simplified-input fighter
DNF Duel is Arc System Works’ fighter built on the Dungeon and Fighter Online roster. The class system gives every character a clear archetype (Berserker, Inquisitor, Striker), and the simplified inputs make execution far more forgiving than Skullgirls’s combo-heavy demands.
For Skullgirls players who want an anime fighter without the execution barrier, DNF Duel is the entry-friendly pick.
Where it falls short: roster balance is uneven. Online population has thinned. DLC roadmap has slowed.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: around $49.99 (regularly discounted)
- vs Skullgirls: More expensive, simpler execution, smaller community
Switching from Skullgirls: pick a class that maps to a Skullgirls archetype (Berserker for rushdown, Inquisitor for zoning) and treat the first day as muscle-memory relearning.
Download: DNF Duel on Steam
Bottom line: pick DNF Duel when execution is the Skullgirls layer you want gone.
The King of Fighters XV — best 3v3 team fighter
The King of Fighters XV is SNK’s modern team fighter that scales Skullgirls’s adjustable team size into a fixed 3v3 format. Every match is three character matchups; team composition matters more than any individual fighter’s strength. The MAX Mode resource gives the active character a temporary buff, the rollback netcode patch corrected the launch issues, and the 38-character roster covers every classic SNK archetype.
For Skullgirls players who use the 3v3 team size most often, KOF XV is the genre’s modern answer.
Where it falls short: the netcode reputation took time to recover after launch. Roster knowledge is steep at 38 characters. Tournament participation is smaller than Tekken or Strive.
Pricing:
- Free: No
- Base: around $59.99 (regularly discounted)
- vs Skullgirls: More expensive, larger roster, fixed 3v3 format
Switching from Skullgirls: pick one team of three before learning any combos. The team order matters more than any individual character’s combo route.
Download: The King of Fighters XV on Steam
Bottom line: pick KOF XV when 3v3 team composition is the layer you want at full scale.
How to choose
- Pick Them’s Fightin’ Herds when the closest indie cousin to Skullgirls is the goal.
- Pick BlazBlue Centralfiction when roster size matters more than rollback polish.
- Pick Melty Blood: Type Lumina when a different studio’s small-roster-deep-design take is what you want.
- Pick Under Night when the defensive game is the layer to study next.
- Pick Punch Planet when you want the deepest cut in the indie scene.
- Pick DNF Duel when execution is the Skullgirls barrier you want gone.
- Pick KOF XV when 3v3 team play at scale is the goal.
FAQ
Is there a free Skullgirls alternative on Steam? Not at full scope. Some entries on this list (Them’s Fightin’ Herds, BlazBlue Centralfiction) offer demos or have been bundled in Humble offerings periodically. There is no full-feature free anime fighter equivalent to Skullgirls.
Which Skullgirls alternative has the largest online community? On Steam, Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 dominate. Among 2D anime fighters specifically that align with Skullgirls’s design philosophy, BlazBlue Centralfiction and Melty Blood Type Lumina hold the most active communities.
Can I play these fighters with Skullgirls’s adjustable team size? No. Skullgirls’s 1v1/2v2/3v3 with stat-scaling is unique. KOF XV uses a fixed 3v3 format; Them’s Fightin’ Herds is 1v1 with Magic stance-changes; the rest are 1v1.
Are these games on Steam Deck? Yes. Skullgirls, Them’s Fightin’ Herds, BlazBlue Centralfiction, Melty Blood Type Lumina, Under Night, Punch Planet, DNF Duel, and KOF XV all run on the Deck. Some require minor frame rate tweaks for stable 60Hz play.
Which game has rollback netcode? All seven on this list have rollback netcode. BlazBlue Centralfiction was retroactively upgraded. Under Night and Melty Blood Type Lumina shipped with rollback. The newer fighters (DNF Duel, KOF XV, Type Lumina, Sys:Celes) all shipped rollback at launch.
