Virtua Fighter 5 is a single-player and multiplayer 3D fighting game. The game revolves around the fifth World Fighting Tournament, an international competition that draws together seventeen martial artists. Fifteen veterans return from earlier tournaments, joined by two newcomers: Eileen, a young woman who practices a fast, acrobatic style of monkey kung fu, and El Blaze, a masked luchador who incorporates professional wrestling techniques into his moveset. Unknown to the participants, the tournament’s sponsor, the shadowy J6 organization, is using the competition to test its next generation of experimental fighters. Having previously captured data from Vanessa Lewis, J6 develops a new prototype known as V-Dural, and the new tournament is intended to expose a traitor within the group while evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

Combat retains the series’ one-on-one arena structure, built around three basic inputs: punch, kick, and guard. Players chain these into combinations, counters, and throws while managing positioning in a 3D space. Movement includes circling around opponents, closing distance with dashes, and retreating to avoid danger. Matches are won by reducing an opponent’s health to zero or by knocking them out of the ring.

New mechanics expand the tactical depth of this installment. The “offensive move” system allows fighters to sidestep into the foreground or background while launching an attack, creating opportunities to evade and punish linear strikes. The clash system lets a well-timed throw and attack cancel each other out, forcing players to adapt quickly in close-range exchanges. Throws have also been slowed slightly, making their execution easier to counter. As in prior entries, ring positioning and awareness are critical, since an opponent can be defeated instantly by being forced out of bounds.

Virtua Fighter 5 also introduces expanded customization. Players can earn and equip a wide variety of items, clothing pieces, and accessories that alter a character’s appearance, from simple color changes to elaborate costumes. The ranking system has been refined, allowing players to track progress through titles earned in competitive play. In single-player modes, the Quest system places the player in a circuit of virtual arcades, challenging AI opponents of varying difficulty, each with distinct fighting styles and customized appearances.

Alongside offline play, the game features training and practice modes where players can study move lists, rehearse techniques, and adjust AI behavior to simulate match scenarios. Later releases added online multiplayer, enabling ranked and player matches over the internet.