This is my list of which Street Fighter games are fun and balanced for casual players such as myself in single-player. Since these games are generally very difficult for casual players, in this context 'better' usually means 'easier'.
Highly recommended:
- Street Fighter Alpha 2 - diff 2/8 - 8 rounds
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 - diff 1/8 - less cool than Alpha 2, but has extra characters. Final M. Bison fight is optional.
- Street Fighter 6 (PS5) - Arcade mode CPU normal diff
- Street Fighter: The Movie (PSX) - Street Battle default diff - 12 rounds
Recommended:
- Street Fighter II': SCE (Genesis) - Champion Mode diff 4/8 - 12 rounds - a bit too hard, try easier
- Super Street Fighter II - diff 1/8 - 12 rounds
- Super Street Fighter II (SNES) - diff 4/8
- Street Fighter Alpha - diff 2/8 - Great, but maybe just play SFA2 instead
- Street Fighter Alpha 2 (SNES) - diff 8/8
- Street Fighter EX3 - diff 3/3
- Super Street Fighter IV - Arcade Mode Medium diff
- Street Fighter V (PS4) - Arcade mode diff 2/3
- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike - diff 1/8 - 10 rounds - seems easier than SF3:NG
The jury's out:
- Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha - diff 3/8 - Seems OK
- Street Fighter EX2 Plus - Arcade mode normal diff - too hard, M. Bison took one hour to beat
Not recommended:
- Street Fighter - Bad game, and very difficult
- Street Fighter II - 8 rounds - Great game, but used 37 continues on diff 4/8, and even diff 1/8 is very hard
- Street Fighter II': Champion Edition - dif 1/8 - Good game, but too difficult
- Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting - Way too difficult
- Super Street Fighter II Turbo - Way too difficult
- Street Fighter III: New Generation - Good game, but unreasonably difficult
- Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact - Good game, but a bit too difficult
- Street Fighter IV - Great, but too hard
- Street Fighter Alpha 3 (PSX) - diff 1/8 - most fights are too easy and final M. Bison fight too hard. M. Bison fight is mandatory
Here's an overview of the original releases of Street Fighter games:
STREET FIGHTER
1987 Street Fighter
STREET FIGHTER II (CP System)
1991 Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
1992 Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (1992)
- Boss characters are now playable
- New playable: Balrog, Vega, Sagat, M. Bison
- JP: Street Fighter II ' / Street Fighter II Dash
1992 Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
- Faster and new moves
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II (CP System II)
1993 Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
- Adds 4 new characters
- New playable: T. Hawk, Fei Long, Dee Jay, Cammy
1994 Super Street Fighter II Turbo
- Super combo meter, air combos, Akuma appears
STREET FIGHTER ALPHA (CP System II)
1995 Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams
- New art style and fighting system
- New playable: Birdie, Adon, Guy, Sodom, Charlie, Rose
- Secret playable: Dan, M. Bison, Akuma
- JP: Street Fighter Zero
1996 Street Fighter Alpha 2
- New playable: Dan, M. Bison, Akuma, Gen, Rolento, Sakura, Dhalsim, Zangief,
- JP: Street Fighter Zero 2
1996 Street Fighter Alpha 3
- New playable: R. Mika, Karin, Cody, Juli, Juni,
Cammy, E. Honda, Blanka, Balrog, Vega
- JP: Street Fighter Zero 2
- PSX version adds Guile, Dee Jay, Fei Long, T. Hawk, Evil Ryu, Shin Akuma
STREET FIGHTER III (CP System III)
1997 Street Fighter III: New Generation
- New fighting system, parry
- New playable: Alex, Dudley, Elena, Ibuki, Necro, Oro, Sean, Yun, Yang
- New opponent: Gill
1997 Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact
- New playable: Hugo, Urien
- Secret playable: Akuma
1999 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
- New playable: Chun-Li, Makoto, Q, Remy, Twelve
STREET FIGHTER EX
STREET FIGHTER IV
2008 Street Fighter IV (Arcade)
2010 Super Street Fighter IV
2011 Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
2014 Ultra Street Fighter IV
STREET FIGHTER V
2016 Street Fighter V
2020 Street Fighter V: Champion Edition
STREET FIGHTER 6
2023 Street Fighter 6
Street Fighter Capcom Arcade 1987 2 videos C x 2 9 logs Fighting Street PCECD 1988 3 logs Street Fighter II Capcom CPS 1991 Feb 2 videos C x 3 7 logs Street Fighter II: CE Capcom CPS 1992 1 video C 7 logs Street Fighter II Capcom Amiga 1992 1 logs Street Fighter II Turbo Capcom CPS 1992 Dec 2 logs Street Fighter II Turbo Capcom SNES 1993 C 2 logs Super Street Fighter II Capcom CPS2 1993 Sep 1 video C x 3 7 logs Street Fighter II: SCE Capcom GEN 1993 C x 5 10 logs Street Fighter II: CE PCE 1993 1 logs Street Fighter II Premier Technology Pinball 1993 2 logs Super Street Fighter II Capcom SNES 1994 C x 6 7 logs Super SF2 Turbo Capcom CPS2 1994 2 videos 4 logs Street Fighter Alpha Capcom CPS2 1995 2 videos C x 4 4 logs Street Fighter: The Movie Capcom PS 1995 2 videos C x 2 6 logs Street Fighter Alpha 2 Capcom CPS2 1996 12 videos C x 23 40 logs Puzzle Fighter Capcom CPS2 1996 1 video C 3 logs Street Fighter Alpha 2 Capcom SNES 1996 C x 7 8 logs Street Fighter III Capcom CPS3 1997 C 4 logs SF III: 2nd Impact Capcom CPS3 1997 1 video C x 2 2 logs SF EX Plus Alpha Arika PS 1997 C 2 logs Street Fighter Alpha 3 Capcom CPS2 1998 2 videos C x 5 9 logs Street Fighter Alpha 3 PS 1998 1 video C x 2 6 logs SF III: 3rd Strike Capcom CPS3 1999 3 videos C x 7 7 logs Street Fighter EX2 Plus Arika PS 1999 3 videos C x 3 11 logs Street Fighter EX3 Arika PS2 2000 C x 2 3 logs Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX PSP 2006 1 logs Super Street Fighter II T.HDR 360 2008 C x 2 4 logs Street Fighter IV Dimps 360 2009 C x 2 10 logs Super Street Fighter IV Dimps 360 2010 C x 47 66 logs Super Street Fighter IV: AE Dimps Win 2010 C 4 logs SF III: 3rd Strike Capcom 360 2011 C x 5 7 logs Street Fighter X Tekken Capcom 360 2012 C x 5 11 logs Ultra Street Fighter IV Dimps 360 2014 C 4 logs Ultra Street Fighter IV Capcom Win 2014 C x 2 7 logs Street Fighter V Capcom Win 2016 C x 2 4 logs Street Fighter V Capcom PS4 2016 14 videos C x 11 23 logs SF 30th Anniv. Coll. Digital Eclipse PS4 2018 2 logs Street Fighter V: CE PS4 2020 4 videos C x 7 11 logs Street Fighter 6 Capcom PS5 2023 22 videos C x 20 52 logs