Street Fighter II: The World Warrior is a 1991 fighting game produced by Capcom for arcades, and their fourteenth game to use the CP System arcade system board. It is the second installment in the Street Fighter series and the sequel to 1987’s Street Fighter. Street Fighter II vastly improved many of the concepts introduced in the first game, including the use of special command-based moves, a combo system, a six-button configuration, and a wider selection of playable characters, each with a unique fighting style.

Designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and Akira Yasuda, who had previously worked on Final Fight, Street Fighter II is regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time and the most important and influential fighting game ever made. Its launch is seen as a revolutionary moment within its genre, credited with popularizing the fighting genre during the 1990s and inspiring other producers to create their own fighting series. Additionally, it prolonged the survival of the declining video-game arcade business market by stimulating business and driving the fighter genre. It prominently features a popular two-player mode that obligates direct, human-to-human competitive play, inspiring grassroots tournament events, culminating in Evolution Championship Series (EVO). Street Fighter II shifted the arcade competitive dynamic from achieving personal-best high scores to head-to-head competition, including large groups.