The Best Beat 'Em Up Games for 2025
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Sometimes the best way to make a difference is to wrap your knuckles, step out onto a mob-filled street, and punch the enemy squarely in the snot box. With beat 'em ups, the gameplay goal is simple: Destroy the enemy waves before they destroy you. Although that description applies to many video game genres—including action , strategy , and shmup —beat 'em ups have their own flavor.
Thanks to pioneering titles like The Warriors -inspired Renegade and the post-apocalyptic Double Dragon, beat 'em ups typically feature street-level heroes who must rescue a girlfriend, save a president, exact cold revenge, or engage in some other B-movie trope. The games usually feature simple side-scrolling movement, which is why beat 'em ups are known as " belt scrollers " in Japan and some Western gaming circles. "Brawlers" is another term for the genre.
Though beat 'em ups aren't as buzzworthy as, say, battle royale games , they have a dedicated, hard-core following that loves the urban chaos. Fortunately, the PC is a platform with a growing library of high-quality belt scrollers. These are the best we've reviewed.
