The 27 most amazing fighting game backgrounds (without the fighting)

There's pixel art, and then there's pixel art. You might not realise it--understandable given how they're never the player's main focus--but fighting game backgrounds comprise some of the most impressive, most technically accomplished, and flat-out most artistically imaginative work in all of games. But no-one ever gets to appreciate how good they are, because of all the HUD gauges, health bars and actual fighting going on in front of them.

That's the ironic thing. A lot of this stuff is good enough to work as visual art entirely on its own, but the very nature of its existence means that that potential is always buried. Well no more. I've collated a gallery of some of my favourite fighting game background art, completely free of clutter, so click through, take your time over each one, and get a real look and feel for these places for the first time. And for the love of all that's scared and holy, please click on the 'expand' icon in the top-right of each image for the full-screen versions.

Because apocalyptic, skull-strewn wastelands can be picturesque too.

Creepy, yet cozy, and altogether, er, rosey? Look, I know they look more like poppies, but I had a contrived Addams Family gag to squeeze in. And I did. So move on.

Admit it. Wherever you live, Orient Town looks cooler.

Being on Bishamon's stage is like inhabiting the warmest, most festive Christmas card ever drawn. And then beating monsters' heads in on it.

You think that's nightmarishly vile, just wait 'til you see it move.

"Red desert at night, camel's delight. Until the moon crushes everyone, because they were all too occupied with how pretty it was to notice the impending danger."

Seven slides in and I'm already losing my ability to write amusing captions. Look, I've got 27 of these to do. But anyway, isn't this one lovely?

We have found what war is good for.

The municipal park of MC Escher's outdoor survivalist cheese-dreams.

The municipal planning meeting of Hieronymus Bosch's k-holes.

This probably took longer to design than the rest of the game. And Guilty Gear is a Hell of a deep game.

I was in the real London twice last week. This is far better than the real London. Far, far better. Real London, look upon this in shame. Think about what you could be if you made the effort.

I presume there's a Japanese journalist making similar comparisons to the real Osaka right now. But alas, I can't do that myself. I have not been to the real Osaka.

You have to see this animated. You just have to see this animated. You won't be able to die happy until you have.

I'm usually against stereotypical foreign representations of the UK in video games. But this one is so deliriously overloaded with sugar-rushing, cartoon Britishness that it gets a free pass. Also, it is better than the real London.

A spokesperson for NASA said, "This is the one thing we didn't want to happen."

Never has wretched urban decay been so damn beautiful.

Oh Mike Haggar. Always consigned to the background in Street Fighter games. It's the same in this year's Ultra Street Fighter IV. Guy and Cody are already in the roster. Get of your pampered local-government arse in gear and join them.

You're hearing the sound of roaring elephants right now, aren't you? Don't worry, I am too.

Moody and enigmatic as it is, the design of Ryu's stage has always confused me. Just why is this the only house with a flat roof? It couldn't have been designed just for fighting, could it?

However many times I've fought on this stage, I've never noticed how disapprovingly the Buddha seems to be looking down upon the fight. Makes sense though, I suppose.

I'm going to get this one blown up and put on my wall. I'm not even joking.

Gloomily ethereal, black-skied woodland setting? Ominous. Gloomily ethereal, black-skied woodland setting with subliminally oppressive fisheye-lens effect? You are definitely going to die.

Again, you need to see this one animated

This one too.

War. It is also good for this.

This Buddha looks a lot happier. Presumably because it's snowed. The deer look pretty cool with it too. Everyone's happier in the snow. Even people getting punched in the face.

Of course not. This is just the tip of what's out there. As follow-up ogling, I'd implore you to check out Slateman.net, for a look at some lovely re-creations of some of the best backgrounds in the business (a far trickier process than you think, when you take parallax art into account). And definitely look at RudeBootie's glorious, 125-slide gallery of fully-animated fighting art GIFs. This feature wouldn't have been possible without either of those sources.

And while you're here, check out some of our related stuff. Try the GamesRadar quiz: Concept or classic art?, and then maybe check out our gallery of the best video game fan art.