Play Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended
0 / 15 playedEvery main tournament in release order, which is also story order. Dream matches are marked so story players can skip them.
Orochi Saga
- 1 The King of Fighters '94 SNK's crossover dream match that started the series.
- 2 The King of Fighters '95 Begins the Orochi Saga with Iori Yagami's debut.
- 3 The King of Fighters '96 Introduces the Sacred Treasures team dynamic.
- 4 The King of Fighters '97 Closes the Orochi Saga.
- 5 The King of Fighters '98 Non-canon dream match, skippable for story.
NESTS Chronicles
- 6 The King of Fighters '99 Begins the NESTS Saga with K' as the new lead.
- 7 The King of Fighters 2000 Continues the NESTS story.
- 8 The King of Fighters 2001 Closes the NESTS Saga.
- 9 The King of Fighters 2002 Non-canon dream match, skippable for story.
Tales of Ash
- 10 The King of Fighters 2003 Begins the Ash Saga with multi-round team fights.
- 11 The King of Fighters XI Continues Ash Crimson's story.
- 12 The King of Fighters XII A smaller roster reboot with hand-drawn sprites.
- 13 The King of Fighters XIII Closes the Ash Saga.
Shun'ei Saga
- 14 The King of Fighters XIV First 3D main entry, beginning the Shun'ei Saga.
- 15 The King of Fighters XV Latest entry and current competitive standard.
About The King of Fighters
The King of Fighters tells its sagas in release order, so one list covers the whole play order. Start with KOF '94 and play forward through the Orochi, NESTS, Ash, and Shun'ei sagas to KOF XV.
Good to know
KOF '98 and KOF 2002 are non-canon dream matches, so they are marked as spin-offs you can play any time. KOF XV got a balance update in July 2026 and SNK has not announced a sequel.
