The King of Fighters '98 is a 1998 fighting game by SNK for the Neo Geo. It has no story: SNK promoted it as a 'Dream Match' and brought back most of the characters from earlier entries, including some who had died in the plot. Rugal Bernstein returns as a playable fighter, with Omega Rugal as the final boss. It was also the first KOF game with four color palettes per character and introduced a random select option.
The subtitle changed by region: Dream Match Never Ends in Japan, The Slugfest in the United States. The Dreamcast version became The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999.
SNK later remade the game as Ultimate Match, which debuted in Japanese arcades in March 2008 with an expanded roster and new stages. Its Final Edition reached Steam on 16 December 2014.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | The King of Fighters '98Neo Geo; also released on Neo Geo AES cartridge and Neo Geo CD. Exact date not confirmed. | Arcade | 1998 | SNK | 1 |
| JP | The King of Fighters '98Region not stated in the source. | PlayStation | 1999 | SNK | 2 |
| JP | The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate MatchUpdated version on the Taito Type X board. | Arcade | March 2008 | SNK Playmore | 2 |
| JP | The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate MatchUltimate Match, about three months after the arcade release; released worldwide in 2009. | PlayStation 2 | 2008 | SNK Playmore | 2 |
| WW | THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITIONSteam; includes a port of the original Neo Geo version. | Windows | Dec 16, 2014 | SNK | 3 |
Also known as: The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends JP2The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest NA2The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 JP1KOF '98 WW2
Version differences
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ContentPlayStation
The 1999 PlayStation version has loading times and is missing some animations because of the hardware's limits.2
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GraphicsDreamcast
The Dreamcast version, renamed The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999, adds a cel-animated intro and 3D backgrounds.1
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ContentUltimate Match
Ultimate Match (2008) expands the roster with fighters such as Eiji Kisaragi, Kasumi Todoh, Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser, Mr. Big, Goenitz and Orochi, and adds new stages and an Ultimate mode that mixes the Advanced and Extra styles.2
Where to play legally today
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GOG Purchase
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Steam Purchase
THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION
Ultimate Match Final Edition, with the original Neo Geo version included
Checked: 2026-10-133store.steampowered.com
Reception
Critics often rank it as the best entry in the series and one of the greatest fighting games, with Time Extension, Hardcore Gaming 101 and Nintendo Life among those cited. Many SNK staff consider it and KOF 2002 the best games in the franchise.1
Sources
- 1en.wikipedia.org
- 2es.wikipedia.org
- 3store.steampowered.com
- 4catalog.gog.com
- 5store.steampowered.com
- 6gog.com
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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