# D.I.C.E. Award for Fighting Game of the Year

The D.I.C.E. Award for Fighting Game of the Year is an award presented annually by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the D.I.C.E. Awards. This award recognizes "titles that offer the use the virtual experience of controlling a character engaging in individual combat with another character usually from a fixed camera perspective. The opponent can either be controlled by another player or by the game". All active creative/technical, business, and affiliate members of the Academy are qualified to vote for this category. It was originally titled Console Fighting Game of the Year, before it was simplified to just Fighting Game of the Year. It is one of two categories, the other being Online Game of the Year, that is not limited to release within the calendar year but must be supported by significant new content.
The award's most recent winner is Tekken 8, developed and published by Bandai Namco.

## Winners and nominees
### 1990s

Table key :
* Indicates the winner
| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | Asmik Ace Entertainment | THQ |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Bloody Roar | Hudson Soft | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Bushido Blade | Lightweight | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | Street Fighter EX Plus α | Arika | Capcom |
| 1997/1998 (1st) | WCW Nitro | Inland Productions | THQ |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | WCW/nWo Revenge | AKI Corporation | THQ |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | Bushido Blade 2 | Lightweight | Square Electronic Arts |
| 1998/1999 (2nd) | WWF War Zone | Iguana West | Acclaim Entertainment |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Soulcalibur | Namco | Namco |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Ready 2 Rumble Boxing | Midway Studios San Diego | Midway Games |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | Super Smash Bros. | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo |
| 1999/2000 (3rd) | WWF WrestleMania 2000 | AKI Corporation | THQ |

### 2000s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Ref. |
| 2000 (4th) | Dead or Alive 2 | Team Ninja | Tecmo, Acclaim Entertainment | |
| 2000 (4th) | Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2 | Midway Studios San Diego | Midway Games | |
| 2000 (4th) | Tekken Tag Tournament | Namco | Namco | |
| 2000 (4th) | Ultimate Fighting Championship | Anchor Inc. | Crave Entertainment | |
| 2000 (4th) | WWF No Mercy | AKI Corporation | THQ | |
| 2001 (5th) | Dead or Alive 3 | Team Ninja | Tecmo | [12][13] [14][15] |
| 2001 (5th) | Super Smash Bros. Melee | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | [12][13] [14][15] |
| 2001 (5th) | Victorious Boxers: Ippo's Road to Glory | New Corporation | Empire Interactive | [12][13] [14][15] |
| 2002 (6th) | Tekken 4 | Namco | Namco | |
| 2002 (6th) | Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO | Capcom | Capcom | |
| 2002 (6th) | Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee | Pipeworks Software | Infogrames, Atari | |
| 2002 (6th) | Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance | Midway Games | Midway Games | |
| 2002 (6th) | Virtua Fighter 4 | Sega AM2 | Sega | |
| 2003 (7th) | Soulcalibur II | Namco | Namco | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2003 (7th) | Def Jam Vendetta | EA Canada, AKI Corporation | Electronic Arts | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2003 (7th) | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 | Dimps | Atari | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2003 (7th) | Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution | Sega AM2 | Sega | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2003 (7th) | War of the Monsters | Incognito Entertainment | Sony Computer Entertainment | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2003 (7th) | WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain | Yuke's | THQ | [18][19] [20][21] |
| 2004 (8th) | Mortal Kombat: Deception | Midway Games | Midway Games | |
| 2004 (8th) | Def Jam: Fight for NY | EA Canada, AKI Corporation | Electronic Arts | |
| 2004 (8th) | Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 | Dimps | Atari | |
| 2005 (9th) | Soulcalibur III | Namco | Namco | [24][25] [26][27] |
| 2005 (9th) | Fight Night Round 2 | EA Chicago | EA Sports | [24][25] [26][27] |
| 2005 (9th) | Tekken 5 | Namco | Namco | [24][25] [26][27] |
| 2005 (9th) | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 | Yuke's | THQ | [24][25] [26][27] |
| 2006 (10th) | Fight Night Round 3 | EA Chicago | EA Sports | |
| 2006 (10th) | Mortal Kombat: Armageddon | Midway Games | Midway Games | |
| 2006 (10th) | Tekken: Dark Resurrection | Namco, Eighting | Namco Bandai Games | |
| 2006 (10th) | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2007 | Yuke's | THQ | |
| 2007 (11th) |
| No award given ||||
| 2008 (12th) | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Sora Ltd. | Nintendo | |
| 2008 (12th) | Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe | Midway Games | Midway Games | |
| 2008 (12th) | Soulcalibur IV | Namco Bandai Games | Namco Bandai Games | |
| 2008 (12th) | Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix | Backbone Entertainment | Capcom | |
| 2008 (12th) | WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2009 | Yuke's | THQ | |
| 2009 (13th) | Street Fighter IV | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom | |
| 2009 (13th) | Fight Night Round 4 | EA Canada | EA Sports | |
| 2009 (13th) | Punch-Out!! | Next Level Games | Nintendo | |
| 2009 (13th) | Tekken 6 | Namco Bandai Games | Namco Bandai Games | |
| 2009 (13th) | UFC 2009 Undisputed | Yuke's | THQ | |

### 2010s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) |
| 2010 (14th) | Super Street Fighter IV | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom |
| 2010 (14th) | BlazBlue: Continuum Shift | Arc System Works | Aksys Games |
| 2010 (14th) | EA Sports MMA | EA Tiburon | EA Sports |
| 2010 (14th) | UFC Undisputed 2010 | Yuke's | THQ |
| 2011 (15th) | Mortal Kombat | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2011 (15th) | Fight Night Champion | EA Canada | EA Sports |
| 2011 (15th) | The King of Fighters XIII | SNK | Atlus |
| 2011 (15th) | Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom |
| 2011 (15th) | Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 | Capcom, Eighting | Capcom |
| 2012 (16th) | PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale | SuperBot Entertainment | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 2012 (16th) | Persona 4 Arena | Arc System Works, P-Studio | Atlus |
| 2012 (16th) | Soulcalibur V | Namco Bandai Games | Namco Bandai Games |
| 2012 (16th) | Street Fighter X Tekken | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom |
| 2012 (16th) | Tekken Tag Tournament 2 | Namco Bandai Games | Namco Bandai Games |
| 2013 (17th) | Injustice: Gods Among Us | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2013 (17th) | Divekick | Iron Galaxy, One True Game Studios | Iron Galaxy |
| 2013 (17th) | Killer Instinct | Double Helix Games | Microsoft Studios |
| 2014 (18th) | Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Sora Ltd., Bandai Namco Studios | Nintendo |
| 2014 (18th) | Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- | Arc System Works | Aksys Games |
| 2014 (18th) | Nidhogg | Messhof | Messhof |
| 2014 (18th) | Ultra Street Fighter IV | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom |
| 2015 (19th) | Mortal Kombat X | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2015 (19th) | Dead or Alive 5 Last Round | Team Ninja | Koei Tecmo |
| 2015 (19th) | Rising Thunder | Radiant Entertainment | Riot Games |
| 2016 (20th) | Street Fighter V | Dimps, Capcom | Capcom |
| 2016 (20th) | EA Sports UFC 2 | EA Canada | EA Sports |
| 2016 (20th) | Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR- | Arc System Works | Aksys Games |
| 2016 (20th) | Killer Instinct Season 3 | Iron Galaxy | Microsoft Studios |
| 2016 (20th) | Pokkén Tournament | Bandai Namco Studios | Nintendo, The Pokémon Company |
| 2017 (21st) | Injustice 2 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2017 (21st) | Arms | Nintendo EPD | Nintendo |
| 2017 (21st) | Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite | Capcom | Capcom |
| 2017 (21st) | Nidhogg 2 | Messhof | Messhof |
| 2017 (21st) | Tekken 7 | Bandai Namco Studios | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2018 (22nd) | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Sora Ltd., Bandai Namco Studios | Nintendo |
| 2018 (22nd) | BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle | Arc System Works | Arc System Works |
| 2018 (22nd) | Dragon Ball FighterZ | Arc System Works | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2018 (22nd) | Soulcalibur VI | Bandai Namco Studios, Dimps | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2019 (23rd) | Mortal Kombat 11 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| 2019 (23rd) | Dead or Alive 6 | Team Ninja | Koei Tecmo |
| 2019 (23rd) | Jump Force | Spike Chunsoft | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| 2019 (23rd) | Samurai Shodown | SNK | Deep Silver |

### 2020s

| Year | Game | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Ref. |
| 2020 (24th) | Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment | |
| 2020 (24th) | EA Sports UFC 4 | EA Vancouver | EA Sports | |
| 2020 (24th) | Granblue Fantasy Versus | Arc System Works | Xseed Games, Cygames, Marvelous | |
| 2020 (24th) | Them's Fightin' Herds | Mane6 | Maximum Games | |
| 2021 (25th) | Guilty Gear Strive | Arc System Works | Arc System Works | |
| 2021 (25th) | Melty Blood: Type Lumina | French-Bread | Delightworks | |
| 2021 (25th) | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl | Ludosity, Fair Play Labs | GameMill Entertainment | |
| 2022 (26th) | MultiVersus | Player First Games | Warner Bros. Games | |
| 2022 (26th) | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle R | CyberConnect2 | Bandai Namco Entertainment | |
| 2022 (26th) | Rumbleverse | Iron Galaxy | Epic Games | |
| 2022 (26th) | Spiderheck | Neverjam | tinyBuild | |
| 2022 (26th) | The King of Fighters XV | SNK | SNK | |
| 2023 (27th) | Street Fighter 6 | Capcom | Capcom | [64][65] [66][67] |
| 2023 (27th) | Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising | Arc System Works | Cygames | [64][65] [66][67] |
| 2023 (27th) | Mortal Kombat 1 | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Games | [64][65] [66][67] |
| 2023 (27th) | Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 | Fair Play Labs | GameMill Entertainment | [64][65] [66][67] |
| 2023 (27th) | Pocket Bravery | Statera Studio | Pqube | [64][65] [66][67] |
| 2024 (28th) | Tekken 8 | Bandai Namco Studios | Bandai Namco Entertainment | |
| 2024 (28th) | Blazing Strike | RareBreed Makes Games | Aksys Games | |
| 2024 (28th) | Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero | Spike Chunsoft | Bandai Namco Entertainment | |
| 2024 (28th) | Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns | NetherRealm Studios | Warner Bros. Games | |
| 2024 (28th) | Underdogs | One Hamsa | One Hamsa | |

## Multiple nominations and wins
### Developers and publishers

The combined nominations of Namco and Bandai Namco makes them the most nominated and award-winning developer. As a publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Warner Bros. Games has won the most awards. There have been numerous developer/publishers with back-to-back wins:
* Team Ninja and Tecmo won in 2001 with Dead or Alive 2, and 2002 with Dead or Alive 3.
* Namco won in 2003 with Tekken 4, and 2004 with Soulcalibur II.
* Dimps and Capcom won in 2010 with Street Fighter IV, and 2011 with Super Street Fighter IV.
* NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment won in 2020 with Mortal Kombat 11, and 2021 with Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate.
THQ is the only publisher with back-to-back wins with different developers:
* 1998: WCW vs. nWo: World Tour developed by Asmik Ace Entertainment.
* 1999: WCW/nWo Revenge developed by AKI Corporation.
Developers :
| Developer | Nominations | Wins |
| Namco/Bandai Namco | 18 | 7 |
| NetherRealm Studios | 8 | 6 |
| Capcom | 10 | 4 |
| Dimps | 9 | 3 |
| Sora Ltd. | 3 | 3 |
| Team Ninja | 4 | 2 |
| Arc System Works | 9 | 1 |
| Midway Games | 6 | 1 |
| AKI Corporation | 5 | 1 |
| EA Chicago | 2 | 1 |
| Yuke's | 6 | 0 |
| EA Canada | 5 | 0 |
| Iron Galaxy | 3 | 0 |
| SNK | 3 | 0 |
| Eighting | 2 | 0 |
| Fair Play Labs | 2 | 0 |
| HAL Laboratory | 2 | 0 |
| Messhof | 2 | 0 |
| Sega AM2 | 2 | 0 |
Publishers :
| Publisher | Nominations | Wins |
| Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Warner Bros. Games | 9 | 7 |
| Namco/Bandai Namco | 18 | 5 |
| Capcom | 12 | 4 |
| Nintendo | 8 | 3 |
| THQ | 11 | 2 |
| Tecmo/Koei Tecmo | 4 | 2 |
| Electronic Arts | 10 | 1 |
| Midway Games | 5 | 1 |
| Sony Computer Entertainment | 4 | 1 |
| Acclaim Entertainment | 2 | 1 |
| Arc System Works | 2 | 1 |
| Aksys Games | 4 | 0 |
| Atari | 3 | 0 |
| Atlus | 2 | 0 |
| Cygames | 2 | 0 |
| GameMill Entertainment | 2 | 0 |
| Messhof | 2 | 0 |
| Microsoft Studios | 2 | 0 |
| Sega | 2 | 0 |

### Franchises

The most nominated franchises are Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Tekken. The Mortal Kombat franchise has won the most awards, with Street Fighter having the second-most wins. The WWE (formerly WWF) has garnered the most nominations without a win. There have been numerous franchises with back-to-back wins:
* WCW vs. nWo: World Tour in 1998, and WCW/nWo Revenge in 1999.
* Dead or Alive 2 in 2001, and Dead or Alive 3 in 2002.
* Street Fighter IV in 2010, and Super Street Fighter IV in 2011.
* Mortal Kombat 11 in 2020, and Mortal Kombat 11: Ultimate in 2021.
Street Fighter IV and Mortal Kombat 11 are two games with multiple wins with re-releases. Virtua Fighter 4, Tekken 5, Killer Instinct, Guilty Gear Xrd, and Mortal Kombat 1 have had multiple nominations with re-releases and DLC expansions.
Franchise :
| Franchise | Nominations | Wins |
| Mortal Kombat | 10 | 5 |
| Street Fighter | 9 | 4 |
| Soulcalibur | 6 | 3 |
| Super Smash Bros. | 5 | 3 |
| Tekken | 9 | 2 |
| Dead or Alive | 4 | 2 |
| WCW/nWo | 3 | 2 |
| Injustice | 2 | 2 |
| Fight Night | 4 | 1 |
| Guilty Gear | 3 | 1 |
| WWF/WWE | 7 | 0 |
| Ultimate Fighting Championship | 5 | 0 |
| Dragon Ball | 4 | 0 |
| BlazBlue | 2 | 0 |
| Bushido Blade | 2 | 0 |
| Def Jam | 2 | 0 |
| Granblue Fantasy | 2 | 0 |
| Killer Instinct | 2 | 0 |
| Marvel vs. Capcom | 2 | 0 |
| Nickelodeon Brawl | 2 | 0 |
| Nidhogg | 2 | 0 |
| Ready 2 Rumble | 2 | 0 |
| The King of Fighters | 2 | 0 |
| Virtua Fighter | 2 | 0 |