Games Like Golden Axe
Quick Answer
The closest games to Golden Axe are Streets of Rage 4, Streets of Rage 2, Dragon's Crown, Castle Crashers and Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder. Below are 9 picks with the reason for each — what carries over from Golden Axe, and what does not.
What Made Golden Axe Work
Golden Axe is a beat-em-up you can finish in forty minutes, with three characters, a magic meter you choose when to spend, and creatures you can steal and ride. The reason it still gets asked about is the two-player couch run — the answer is other arcade brawlers, ideally ones still being made.
Golden Axe is Sega's 1989 arcade beat-em-up, ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis the same year. You pick a barbarian, an amazon or a dwarf, walk right through a fantasy world, knock gnomes over for magic potions and ride the bizarre creatures enemies leave behind. A run lasts well under an hour. People who ask for games like it usually want a side-scrolling brawler they can finish with a friend on the same sofa.
9 Games Like Golden Axe
1.Streets of Rage 4(2020)
The best modern beat-em-up, and it honours the Sega originals directly.
Why it fits: Developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games and released in 2020 on PC and consoles, it continues Sega's other classic brawler series with hand-drawn art and up to four-player local co-op.
What is different: City streets and fists rather than swords and magic, with a much deeper combo system.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →2.Streets of Rage 2(1992)
The Genesis high point of the genre.
Why it fits: Sega's 1992 Mega Drive brawler, from the same console and era as Golden Axe's home port, is widely regarded as the genre's 16-bit high point, with four playable characters and two-player co-op.
What is different: No magic pots or mounts; it is a pure street brawler.
Where to play it: Mega Drive/Genesis; Nintendo Switch Online and Sega's Genesis collections.
Games like this →3.Dragon's Crown(2013)
Fantasy brawling with RPG depth and gorgeous art.
Why it fits: Vanillaware's 2013 fantasy brawler for PS3 and PS Vita (Pro version on PS4) adds loot, levelling and six classes to the Golden Axe formula, with up to four players.
What is different: Loot, levels and long stages — far more RPG than Golden Axe ever was.
Where to play it: PS3 and PS Vita; Pro edition on PS4.
More about this game →4.Castle Crashers(2008)
Four-player fantasy brawling built for a sofa.
Why it fits: The Behemoth's 2008 Xbox 360 game (now on most platforms) is a four-player side-scrolling brawler with knights, magic, animal companions and light RPG levelling — the closest fantasy match in tone.
What is different: Cartoon comedy tone and light RPG stats.
Where to play it: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →5.Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder(1992)
The arcade sequel, and far better than the console follow-ups.
Why it fits: Sega's 1992 arcade sequel supports up to four players, with a new cast and branching routes. It stayed an arcade release, which is why many people have never played it.
What is different: Four players and new characters, but it never left arcades, so it is hard to play legally.
Where to play it: Arcade.
More about this game →6.Fight'N Rage(2017)
An indie brawler made by people who studied the classics closely.
Why it fits: An indie brawler by Uruguayan developer SebaGamesDev, released on PC in 2017 and later on consoles, with pixel art, branching paths and up to three-player local co-op.
What is different: Anthropomorphic fighters and a more technical combat system than Golden Axe's simple slashes.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →7.TMNT: Shredder's Revenge(2022)
The most fun four-player brawler in years.
Why it fits: Tribute Games' 2022 brawler, published by Dotemu, supports local and online co-op and recreates the look of Konami's arcade Turtles games.
What is different: Six-player co-op and a Saturday-morning cartoon tone; no fantasy.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch.
More about this game →8.Battle Axe(2020)
Top-down arcade fantasy action, explicitly retro.
Why it fits: Bitmap Bureau's 2020 arcade-style game for PC and consoles is a top-down fantasy action game with local co-op, pixel art by Henk Nieborg and music by Manami Matsumae, inspired by 1980s and 1990s arcade adventures.
What is different: Top-down rather than side-on, closer to Gauntlet than to a brawler.
Where to play it: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox and Switch.
More about this game →9.Guardian Heroes(1996)
Saturn brawler with branching paths and a huge cast.
Why it fits: Treasure's 1996 Sega Saturn brawler (re-released on Xbox 360 in 2011) adds branching story routes, levelling and a large cast, while keeping the magic-and-melee fantasy setting.
What is different: Three planes to jump between and RPG-style levelling; chaotic rather than simple.
Where to play it: Saturn; remade for Xbox 360 (plays on Xbox One).
Games like this →
Where to Start
Streets of Rage 4 is the best way to play a Sega brawler today. For the fantasy side, Dragon's Crown is the deepest and Castle Crashers the most fun on a sofa with three friends.
How We Picked These Games
We only kept side-scrolling or lane-based brawlers built for local co-op, with a preference for ones still sold on current consoles. A fantasy setting was a bonus, not a rule, because the two-player couch run is what people remember. Beat-em-ups that are mainly online or mainly single-player were left out.
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Games Like Golden Axe Compared
Year is each game's first release anywhere, on the platform in the next column. "Play it now" is where it can be bought or played today.
| Game | Year | First released on | Play it now | Closest to Golden Axe in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streets of Rage 4 | 2020 | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. | Sega's other brawler series, revived |
| Streets of Rage 2 | 1992 | Mega Drive | Mega Drive/Genesis; Nintendo Switch Online and Sega's Genesis collections. | Sega's 16-bit brawler peak |
| Dragon's Crown | 2013 | PS3, PS Vita | PS3 and PS Vita; Pro edition on PS4. | Fantasy brawling with loot |
| Castle Crashers | 2008 | Xbox 360 | Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. | Four-player fantasy brawler |
| Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder | 1992 | Arcade | Arcade. | The arcade-only sequel |
| Fight'N Rage | 2017 | PC | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. | Pixel-art brawling with branching paths |
| TMNT: Shredder's Revenge | 2022 | PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch | PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch. | Arcade co-op |
| Battle Axe | 2020 | PC, PS4, Xbox, Switch | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox and Switch. | Fantasy arcade action |
| Guardian Heroes | 1996 | Saturn | Saturn; remade for Xbox 360 (plays on Xbox One). | Magic and melee with branching routes |
Which One to Play, by What You Liked
If you liked Golden Axe for swords and sorcery, try Dragon's Crown, Castle Crashers and Guardian Heroes. Fantasy brawlers with magic, levelling and co-op.
If you liked Golden Axe for the magic pots and the beasts, try Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder. The series' own best entry, which most people never played because it stayed in arcades.
If you liked Golden Axe for Sega's arcade brawlers, try Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 4. Sega's other great beat 'em up, then and now.
If you liked Golden Axe for playing with a friend, try TMNT: Shredder's Revenge and Fight'N Rage. Modern brawlers built for co-op.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Related Lists
- Games like God of War — Action games about carving through crowds with a blade and a little magic.
- Games like Dragon Force — Sega fantasy games: Golden Axe in the arcade, Dragon Force on the Saturn.
- Games like Power Stone — Arcade games where you grab weapons and magic in the middle of the fight.
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