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 ', developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Atari.
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:
THQ is the only publisher with back-to-back wins with different developers:
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:
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.