Critical reception for the game's fighting system has been mostly positive. "GameSpot" said SNK improved most of the problems of its predecessor "The King of Fighters '99" by adding more gameplay features such as new attacks and new additions to the Striker system. The reviewer said fans might either like or dislike the new characters based on the differences between them and the characters from "The King of Fighters '99", and said the boss Zero is less overpowered than Krizalid but lacks his appeal. "IGN" agreed with "GameSpot" in terms of the Striker system and liked the additional characters, making it one of the best games of the franchise. In another review, "IGN" stated that the game offered many good new characters, particularly Lin. "Nintendo Life" also liked the addition of the Striker system because of the newly possible combos but said the game did not live up to the previous games. "Pure Nintendo" compared it negatively with Capcom's fighting game "Street Fighter II" but still said "The King of Fighters 2000" provided enough depth thanks to its character roster and gameplay mechanics, making it a good addition to Nintendo Switch's games. "Bonus Stage" regarded it as one of the best games from SNK, saying it might appeal to gamers who previously enjoyed the predecessor and "".