The Best Beat 'Em Up Games of All Time, Ranked

The arcades were flooded with a lot of genres that are almost distinct in the modern gaming world today. There was a wide variety of vertical and horizontal shooters, fighting games, racing games, and brawlers. The brawler/beat ‘em up genre was largely successful thanks to two companies: Konami and Capcom.

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By  Tristan Jurkovich

They made some of the best brawlers in history and they are still fun today. Both classic and modern brawlers are a blast to play, with some titles being must-play brawlers that any fan of the genre should check out for themselves.

Updated November 4, 2024, by Hamza Haq: Despite the dwindling numbers, the Beat 'em up genre community is not out for the count just yet. While AAA studios have mostly given up on making new games for this niche, enthusiastic indie developers have taken up the torch in their stead, using their passion for keeping these games alive and introducing new twists to keep the new additions fresh and different from the classics. Even some old franchises that haven't seen an installment in years have re-entered the industry with new offerings, to mostly positive results. The nature of trends is ever-cyclical, and beat 'em up games may just return to the forefront in the coming years.

16 Battletoads

Notorious Difficulty, Timeless Fun

A game notorious for its immense difficulty, Battletoads combined a wealth of genres to make for a unique retro experience that showed Rare at its very best. The majority of its gameplay involved beating up goons, but the title didn't shy away from forcing players through various other gameplay loops, including a brutal speedboat section that has become notorious in the gaming community.

To this day, fans can't stop raving about the brilliance of Battletoads, despite its difficulty rendering it downright impossible to complete for all but the most dedicated video game players around. It may be a challenge, but two players up for the task can try pushing themselves to complete this fun retro game.

15 Mother Russia Bleeds

A Grim Tale With Bloody Action

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
• Developer: Le Cartel Studio
• Initial release date: September 5, 2016
• Genres: Beat 'em up, Fighting game, Indie

A violent beat 'em up game with excellent pixel artwork, some people felt that the sluggish gameplay of Mother Russia Bleeds took away a lot from what should've been a fun experience. While this is true to an extent, players willing to bear the slow pace of the game's combat will find themselves enjoying a pretty decent title.

It helps that the violence elevates the action to new heights, letting players wallop their enemies to smithereens and humiliate them with a dishonorable death. Mother Russia Bleeds has some rough kinks that players need to work around, but the game has the ability to keep players engaged with its numerous strengths.

14 Comix Zone

A Stylish, Art-Driven Beat 'Em Up Classic

Comix Zone

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Beat 'Em Up

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Released

March 11, 1995

Developer(s)

Sega, Sega Technical Institute, Atari, Sonic Team

Platform(s)

Nintendo Switch, Sega Genesis Mini, Linux, Microsoft Windows

Genre(s)

Beat 'Em Up

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A classic beat 'em up game with a riveting art style, Comix Zone is one of the most stylish games that players can check out. It's also one of the hardest, and players will struggle to get through certain stages because of the punishing difficulty.

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This is mainly because Comix Zone comes around a time when brutal arcade difficulty was the norm, with players getting frustrated at the sheer number of deaths in this title. However, most would argue that this repetition is part of the experience, and the fun gameplay more than makes up for a slightly unfair difficulty curve.

13 Double Dragon

Arcade Action With A Legendary Legacy

• Developers: Technōs Japan, Arc System Works, Mastertronic
• Platforms: Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Switch
• Initial release date: June 1987
• Genres: Beat 'em up, Fighting game

A legendary beat 'em up that needs no introduction, the premise of Double Dragon is as simple as they come. Players control two brothers, Billy and Jimmy Lee, who must save their love, Marian, from the Black Warriors gang. They must go through several stages and beat up numerous enemies on the way, only to be left bamboozled at the end when both players must battle against each other to secure the affection of the woman they saved once and for all.

The success of Double Dragon was legendary, prompting a wave of arcade beat 'em ups to become the norm. It takes something really special to change the landscape of gaming itself, and Double Dragon's fun gameplay loop was exactly what fans wanted at the time.

12 The Simpsons

Springfield’s Quirkiest Brawler Adventure

• Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Arcade video game, Commodore 64, DOS, MS-DOS
• Developers: Konami, Backbone Entertainment, Novotrade Software Kft.
• Initial release date: 1991
• Genres: Beat 'em up, Fighting game

The Simpsons has seen several games developed in its name, with the arcade beat 'em up being a fan favorite of many. The simple and fun goodness of controlling Homer and walloping enemies never ceases to be tiring.

Given how ridiculous The Simpsons can get at times, it's easy to see why this brawler fits with the series in such a fitting manner. Fans of unique beat 'em up titles should definitely give this arcade classic a shot.

11 Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game

A Comic Book Beat 'Em Up Adventure

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game is everything a fan could want in a modern brawler and as a tie-in to one of the nerdiest comics out there. The overall comic sees the titular Scott Pilgrim going after the evil ex-boyfriends of his girlfriend, Ramona Flowers so that they can finally be together. Going through the comic or movie is certainly not necessary to enjoy this game, but it helps, and they are both worthwhile anyway.

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The game references stuff from the comic along with games like Super Mario Bros., Mega Man, Guitar Hero, and many others. It is a treat for fans of the comic and brawler genre with four-player co-op waiting for any eager challenger.

10 River City Girls 2

Stylish Fights And A Funky Soundtrack

River City Girls was a reboot of the Kunio-kun franchise, and River City Ransom is part of that series. River City Ransom was unique on the NES because it was a brawler, but it also had forward-thinking ideas like an open city to explore, leveling up, a money system, and so much more.

The best brawlers, most of whom appear on this list, owe their lives to River City Ransom. That said, River City Girls 2 improves upon both its direct predecessor and River City Ransom in a myriad of ways. The gameplay is smooth, the art is gorgeous, and the soundtrack is pumping.

9 Sifu

Fight, Die, Repeat

Sifu combines old-school brawling action with a roguelike. Players assume the role of a martial artist who is seeking revenge for the death of their master. This hero can die, but every time they get resurrected a certain number of their overall life will be lifted from their body which is represented by age.

Players only have one human life to get their revenge, and it may not be enough. Thankfully, roguelike upgrade elements help keep the fight alive in this intense punch quest.

8 Castle Crashers

Colorful Knights With Quirky Powers

Castle Crashers was one of the earliest indie games to rock the Xbox 360 when they were bringing young developers to the spotlight. Players could choose to play as one of four colored knights and they all had unique elemental powers besides their various weapons. The Blue Knight could shoot ice whereas the Green Knight could spray poison.

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Knights leveled up, more characters could be collected along the way, and other secrets were hidden too. The four-player co-op was one of the best features then and it remains one of the best features now especially for brawler fans.

7 Dragon’s Crown

Heroes, Loot, And Legendary Battles

• Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
• Developers: Vanillaware, Atlus
• Initial release date: July 25, 2013
• Genres: Action role-playing game, Beat 'em up, Adventure, Fighting game

Dragon’s Crown, compared to the other brawlers on this list, is an RPG first and a brawler second. It still makes the list because it knows how to blend the two genres. Players can choose one of six characters to start as like a Fighter who is a strong melee fighter with high defense or an Elf who is speedy and shoots from a distance.

Go through a level, collect loot, and repeat. There are not that many levels, but each one has a branching path to keep players coming back. Also, like most good brawlers do, Dragon’s Crown has four-player co-op, and it is one of Vanillaware’s best.