The King of Fighters '97 cover art for Arcade

Arcade · 1997

The King of Fighters '97

The King of Fighters ’97 offers Advanced and Extra styles, changing how your team moves and uses its power gauge.

Platform
Arcade
Genre
Action
Release year
1997
Developer
SNK
Players
1-2 Players

Play The King of Fighters '97

Arcade

🕹️

The King of Fighters '97

Click the button below to launch the Arcade emulator and start playing instantly in your browser.

Having trouble starting?

Wait for larger games to download. If loading stalls, reload and try again. Check your connection and allow this site's player files if a browser extension blocked them. Once the screen appears, click inside it before using the keyboard.

Read the playing help

Control panel

Arcade controls

Arrow keys move · V inserts a coin in coin-operated games · Enter starts · Z / X / A / S are action keys.

A compatible gamepad can be used after launch.

Keyboard layoutOpen / close
MOVE
Up arrowLeft arrowRight arrowDown arrow
Action
AXZS

Start a coin-operated game

  1. Launch the player and click inside the game screen.
  2. Press V to insert a coin, then Enter to start.
  3. If the game has its own selection menu, follow the on-screen prompts.

Default Player 1 keys are shown. If you changed them or use a gamepad, check the player’s control settings.

System: Move the pointer over the game screen to reveal the player toolbar, or tap its menu button on touch devices. Use the toolbar for save and load states, fullscreen, and control settings.

Save or load game progress

Launch the game to check save-state support.

Save progress keeps one emulator snapshot for this game on this browser. Saving again replaces that snapshot. Download a backup before clearing site data or changing devices. No account or cloud sync is provided.

Import an OLDGAMES backup on this same game page, then launch and choose Resume saved game. Older .state files use the player’s Load State menu.

Favorites bookmark this page; they do not save progress.

  1. After launching, reveal the player toolbar by moving the pointer over the game screen or tapping its menu button.
  2. Choose the save-state download option when available and keep the file.
  3. To restore it, launch the same game and choose the load-state option. Check the restored progress before replacing an older backup.

In-game saves and emulator states are different. Availability varies by game and player. Browser storage can be cleared; a downloaded backup is not cloud sync.

More about controls and backups

About The King of Fighters '97

The King of Fighters '97 — Arcade edition
The King of Fighters '97 · Arcade · 1997

The King of Fighters ’97 offers Advanced and Extra styles, changing how your team moves and uses its power gauge.

Choose Advanced or Extra before your team

Before choosing a three-character team, select Advanced or Extra. These styles use different movement, evasion and power-gauge rules. The choice affects the whole match, not just a special attack, and the game closes the main Orochi storyline.

How the two gauges differ

In Advanced, attacking and using special moves builds a gauge you can store. Extra uses charging and defensive play, with different rules for when supers become available. Check the selected style if a guide tells you to charge or roll and the command does something else.

The next dream match

The King of Fighters ’98 brings back both styles in a larger reunion roster, with further changes to the gauge rules.

Background and mechanics: Wikipedia game reference.

Secret Codes & Cheats

Check the edition and timing requirements before entering a code. Button names refer to the emulated controller; use your assigned keyboard or controller inputs.

Unlock Orochi Iori
Hold Start, press Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right + A + C

On the character selection screen, highlight Iori Yagami, hold the Start button, and input Left, Right, Left, Right, Left, Right, then tap A + C together. Wild Iori will appear at the bottom of the roster.

Unlock Orochi Leona
Hold Start, press Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down + B + D

Highlight Leona, hold the Start button, and input Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down, then tap B + D together to unlock Awakened Orochi Leona.

Unlock Awakened Orochi Team (Chris, Shermie, Yashiro)
Hold Start, press Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Down + B + C

After unlocking Orochi Iori or Leona, highlight the standard team, hold Start, and enter Up, Left, Down, Right, Up, Down, then tap B + C to play as the Awakened Orochi versions of Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris.

Playing this edition

Where are the controls?

The control panel below the game screen shows this edition’s keys. Click inside the game before using your keyboard.

How do I save or change controls?

Open the player menu for the options available in this emulator. Save support varies by game and player; see the playing help for more guidance.

Where can I find more games like this?

Browse Action games across systems, or stay with the Arcade catalogue. Related picks below explain how each game connects.