Abandonware DOS title

Beat 'em ups (aka brawlers) sorted by year, newest first

A beat 'em up video game, also known as a brawler, is a genre of action video games that focuses on close combat fighting against multiple enemies. In these games, players control a character who must battle through hordes of enemies using hand-to-hand combat or melee weapons.

Beat 'em up games often feature side-scrolling or 2D gameplay. Players move across the screen, progressing through levels or stages, while encountering waves of enemies. The primary objective is to defeat all the enemies and progress further in the game.

These games usually provide a variety of moves and attacks, including punches, kicks, throws, and special abilities or power-ups. Sometimes, beat 'em ups allow cooperative multiplayer, where two or more players can join forces to fight enemies together. Classic examples of beat 'em up games include Double Dragon, Golden Axe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Beat 'em up: most popular games

Hulk
Hulk
actionWindows XP/98/95
Golden Axe
Golden Axe
actionDOS
Robocop
Robocop
shooterDOS
Double Dragon
Double Dragon
actionDOS
beats-of-rage-03

Beats of Rage

DOS2003freeware
Beats of Rage is what happens when fans of Streets of Rage decide to stop waiting for Sega and just build their own game—with a side of King of Fighters for flavor. This DOS ...
hulk-01

Hulk

Windows XP/98/952003 Radical Entertainment
comix-zone-95-04

Comix Zone

Windows XP/98/951995 Sega
Comix Zone (1995, Windows XP) is what happens when a comic book artist gets pulled into his own creation and reacts by roundhouse-kicking everything in sight. Stylized to the max, ...
zyclunt-01

Zyclunt

DOS1995 Phantagram
Zyclunt is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Phantagram in 1995. The game is set in a dystopian future where incurable diseases and a rise in criminal activit...
surf-ninjas-07

Surf Ninjas

DOS1994 Creative Edge Software
last-action-hero-01

Last Action Hero

DOS1993 Psygnosis
sword-of-honour-03

Sword of Honour

DOS1993 Dynafield Systems International
batmanreturns-3

Batman Returns

DOS1992 Spirit of discovery
Just like the movie, Batman Returns (1992) is dark, gritty, and full of dudes in clown makeup getting punched in the face. You play as the Caped Crusader in a beat-‘em-up sid...
double-dragon-3-02

Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone

DOS1992 East Technology Corp.
Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone (1992) is what happens when a simple beat-’em-up decides to go globetrotting. Instead of just brawling through alleys, Billy and Jimmy trav...
ninja-rabbits-4

Ninja Rabbits

DOS1992 Villa Crespo Software
blade-warrior-03

Blade Warrior

DOS1991 Image Works
Blade Warrior (1991) is a side-scrolling beat 'em up that looks like it was illustrated entirely in heavy metal album covers. You’re a silhouette of rage, cutting through dem...
goldenaxe-3

Golden Axe

DOS1991 Sega
Golden Axe is a classic arcade game developed by Sega and released in 1989. It's a side-scrolling beat 'em up game set in a fantasy world where players choose one of three characte...
ninja-rabbit-returns-02

International Ninja Rabbits

DOS1991 Flair Software
tmnt2-04

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions

DOS1991 Distinctive Software
Dark, moody, and surprisingly mature, Manhattan Missions takes the Turtles into gritty territory. The city is under siege, Shredder’s back, and the atmosphere feels more Batm...
terminator2judgement-1

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

DOS1991 Syntetic Dimensions
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is one of the many adaptations of the Terminator franchise. This one is based on the movie of the same name, but it's not as good as the movie, according...
the-simpsons-04

The Simpsons

DOS1991 Konami
The Simpsons Arcade Game, developed and published by Konami, is a classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up that became highly popular in arcades during the early '90s. Players take ...
alteredbeast-1

Altered Beast

DOS1990 Sega
Altered Beast is a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Sega. It was originally released in arcades in 1988 and later ported to various home co...
cougar-force-01

Cougar Force

DOS1990 Coktel Vision
Cougar Force feels like the ’80s exploded into a side-scrolling action game. Big guns, big hair, and bigger explosions define this run-and-gun romp where subtlety is for othe...
crime-wave-03

Crime Wave

DOS1990 Access Software
If you like your justice loud and messy, Crime Wave delivers. It’s a side-scrolling shooter set in a dystopian future where the only way to keep order is with a hail of bulle...
ikari-warriors-3-04

Ikari III: The Rescue

DOS1990 SNK Corporation
lorna-04

Lorna

DOS1990NSFW Topo Soft
If Lorna were a comic book, it would be the kind your parents warned you about. Based on the Spanish sci-fi heroine by Alfonso Azpiri, this 1990 action-platformer on DOS is a cockt...
ninjagaiden-splash

Ninja Gaiden

DOS1990 Tecmo
Ninja Gaiden, released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and later to other platforms, is a side-scrolling action-platformer developed by Tecmo. It follows the st...
onslaught-07

Onslaught

DOS1990 Arc Developments
Onslaught (1990, DOS) takes the classic top-down shoot-and-survive formula and injects it with an enthusiasm that borders on reckless. Hordes of enemies sprint at you like they&rsq...
barbarian2-1

Axe of Rage

DOS1989 Palace Software
If Conan had a bad day and took it out on a few dozen goblins, you'd get something close to Axe of Rage. This 1989 DOS hack-n-slash isn't exactly subtle—you're a barbarian, t...
corsarios-03

Corsarios

DOS1989 Opera Soft
fallen-angel-03

Fallen Angel

DOS1989 Emerald Software
robocop-2

Robocop

DOS1989 Data East
Robocop is an abandoned beat 'em up / run and gun shooter game developed and released by Data East in 1989 for a number of platforms, including DOS. Robocop is a conversion fr...
shinobi-splash

Shinobi

DOS1989 Sega
targhan-02

Targhan

DOS1989 Silmarils
Dark, brooding, and a little too serious for its own good, Targhan throws you into a side-scrolling world of swords, sorcery, and moody backgrounds. You play as a loincloth-clad wa...