Top 10 Beat-em-ups of All Time

Beat-em-ups are the ultimate couch co-op genre. Grab a friend, pick your fighter, and punch your way through waves of bad guys. Here are the 10 greatest beat-em-ups ever made.

1. Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

The king of beat-em-ups. Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Genesis perfected the formula with tight controls, an incredible soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro, and four playable characters. No beat-em-up has topped it in over 30 years.

2. Final Fight (Arcade, SNES)

Capcom's arcade classic that defined the genre. Mayor Mike Haggar piledriving thugs through Metro City is gaming perfection. The SNES port is solid, but the arcade original is the definitive version.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (SNES)

Four-player TMNT action at its best. Turtles in Time on the SNES is colorful, fast, and endlessly replayable. Throwing Foot Soldiers at the screen never gets old.

4. Golden Axe (Genesis)

Sega's fantasy beat-em-up features sword-swinging action, rideable beasts, and magic attacks. Golden Axe on the Genesis is a co-op classic that holds up remarkably well.

5. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (PS4, Switch, PC)

This pixel-art masterpiece blends beat-em-up combat with RPG leveling. The soundtrack by Anamanaguchi is phenomenal. Find it on Amazon and Epic Games.

6. Castle Crashers (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox)

The definitive modern beat-em-up. Castle Crashers is hilarious, has tons of unlockable characters, and supports 4-player co-op. Available on Steam, Humble Bundle, and GameStop.

7. Double Dragon (NES)

The original co-op beat-em-up. Double Dragon on the NES started it all, and the series continued with great sequels. A true classic.

8. River City Ransom (NES)

Way ahead of its time, River City Ransom combined beat-em-up combat with RPG elements like buying food to upgrade stats. The NES had some incredible hidden gems.

9. Battletoads (NES)

Brutally difficult but incredibly fun. Battletoads on the NES pushed the genre forward with varied gameplay and impressive visuals. The hover bike level is legendary.

10. Streets of Rage 4 (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox)

The modern revival that got it right. Streets of Rage 4 keeps the classic feel while adding gorgeous hand-drawn art. A must-play for fans of the original on Genesis. Grab it on Amazon, GOG, or Fanatical.

More Beat-em-up Recommendations

Love this genre? Check out our pages for games like Streets of Rage 2, games like Golden Axe, and games like Battletoads to find even more brawlers across every platform.