The King of Fighters '98
The dream match: no story, just everybody, three-on-three, all night long.
Coming soon to UsuArcade
Votes to bring it to the arcade: 0
In the meantime, head into the arcade and play the cabinets that are already there
- Year
- 1998
- Manufacturer
- SNK
- Players
- 2 players at once
- Genres
- Fighting games
- Decade
- '90s arcade games
For a lot of fighting game fans, The King of Fighters '98 is the definitive KOF. No plot, no story boss: SNK pulled together nearly every fighter from the earlier games, fine-tuned the system and built the whole thing around one idea, fighting. At late-90s arcades it was the cabinet that always had a crowd.
The hook is the team format: you pick three fighters and send them in one at a time against your opponent's three. Lose your first one and the next steps up, until one side runs out of fighters.
History
SNK released The King of Fighters '98 in 1998 on the Neo Geo, as the yearly installment of a series that started in 1994. This time they ditched the storyline and pitched it as a dream match, bringing together characters who no longer crossed paths in the plot, including some who had been written out.
The result was a tight, polished, well-balanced game that still shows up at tournaments, and years later it got an expanded remake known as Ultimate Match.
How to play
Before the fight you pick three fighters and the order they go in. It plays with a joystick and four buttons: light and heavy punch, light and heavy kick. Special moves come from stick motions like quarter-circles and half-circles followed by a button.
At the start you choose a fighting style. In Advanced you build a power meter that stocks up in multiple levels for supers, and you can run and roll. In Extra you charge power by holding buttons, an old-school style borrowed from the earlier games. Picking the right mode is part of the strategy.
Fun facts
- It has no storyline: it's a dream match of fighters from across the series.
- It offers two play styles, Advanced and Extra, that change how your power meter works.
- It's still one of the most played KOF games at tournaments.
In the arcade
The King of Fighters '98 isn't on the UsuArcade floor yet, but it's on our wish list. If you want three-on-three fights in the arcade, hit Want to Play on this page. The games with the most votes get added first.
Meanwhile, you can play Street Fighter II, the game that kicked off the arcade fighting craze, team up for a brawl in Final Fight, or check out another Neo Geo classic like Metal Slug X.
Once The King of Fighters '98 lands in the arcade, you'll be able to play it online two-player, each on your own phone or PC, in the same game.
FAQ
Can I play The King of Fighters '98 on UsuArcade?
Not yet. It's on the wish list and you can vote for it with Want to Play. In the meantime, try Street Fighter II or Final Fight in the arcade.
What year did The King of Fighters '98 come out?
The arcade game came out in 1998, made by SNK for its Neo Geo system.
How many players is KOF 98?
Two players at once, head-to-head, each with a team of three fighters.
What's the difference between Advanced and Extra mode?
In Advanced your power meter fills as you fight and stocks up; in Extra you charge it by holding buttons, like the early games in the series.
