25 years later, Virtua Fighter 3 is getting a new arcade version

More than 25 years after its initial release, Sega is bringing its classic fighting game Virtua Fighter 3 back to Japanese arcades.

The publisher announced on Saturday that Virtua Fighter 3tb Online will be released via its ALL.Net arcade download system on November 28.

Virtua Fighter 3tb Online builds on Virtua Fighter 3tb, which was released in 1997 as an upgraded version of Virtua Fighter 3. Online will keep the balance of the original game, but – as its name suggests – add online battles and rankings.

Alongside the game, Sega has launched a website where players can check their results and rankings in the new game.

Sega’s fighting series hasn’t seen a mainline instalment since 2010’s Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, which was later released for Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2012, and made available via a mini-game in 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life for PS4.

In 2021, Sega released a new version of that game, Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown, for PlayStation 4.

Ultimate Showdown includes updated graphics, new online features, with development being led by an “all-star team” from Sega AM2 and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.