The Top 10 Beat 'Em Ups To Play Right Now

Few genres provide the simple pleasure of a good old-fashioned beat ‘em up. After all, these arcade-style games let you and your buddies punch and kick dozens of often colorful enemies in the face. What’s not to love? Double-teaming mobs of enemies or a sturdy boss strengthens bonds. Conversely, repeatedly grabbing health pick-ups “on accident” with a full health bar while your friend hangs on by a thread can reveal cracks in a relationship. Whatever side of the fence you’re on, we’ve all likely played these sorts of games, and the last decade has seen modernized takes on the winning formula. Here are 10 of the best contemporary beat ‘em ups (in no particular order) that you can play right now. No quarters necessary. 

Streets of Rage 4

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia, PC

Developer Dotemu successfully resurrected the Streets of Rage series from decades of dormancy with this stellar fourth entry. Players control old favorites like Axel and Blaze and newcomers Cherry and Floyd to dish out hard-hitting, combo-heavy street justice that feels satisfying. An eye-catching comic-inspired art direction replaces the pixelated sprites, and a bumping soundtrack featuring tracks by original SoR composer Yuzo Koshiro completes this entertaining package. Streets of Rage 4 proved itself a worthy entry in the series at launch. Still, DLC updates such as this year’s Mr. X Nightmare expansion sweetened the deal by adding new playable characters, a survival mode, and music tracks by beloved retro composer Tee Lopes.

Young Souls

Stadia

Young Souls’ winning formula combines beat ‘em up-style action with a dungeon-crawling progression and exploration. As two troubled, orphaned teenagers, your adoptive father has been kidnapped by underground goblins. During the day, you’ll explore your suburban town to pump stat-boosting weights at the gym and buy armor and weapons in order to complete evening runs through the goblin kingdom. Double-teaming these monsters alongside a friend rocks, but Young Souls makes playing solo just as fun by letting players tag the twins in and out, adding a fighting game-like strategy to combat. With a killer art direction and an unexpectedly touching story, this timed-Stadia exclusive can’t spread its joy to more platforms soon enough.

Fight'N Rage

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

Prefer a more traditional arcade experience that still feels like it launched this generation? Fight’N Rage is a little-known gem that rules the school. It boasts charming pixel art enhanced by a CRT-style presentation. You’ll feel like you’re sitting in front of that old TV (set to channel 3, of course) fighting bad guys with two other buddies. Fight’N Rage boasts smooth combat and a killer combo system, letting you air juggle foes with dozens of hits before they explode into a humorous pile of bones. Don't let this one pass you by if you’re searching for a good, simple, fun brawler.


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