Abandonware DOS title

The best beat 'em up games

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.

Most popular beat 'em up games

Robocop
shooterDOS
Golden Axe
actionDOS
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Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone

DOS19924.2/5 East Technology Corp.
goldenaxe-3

Golden Axe

DOS19914.2/5 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 characters: a barbarian, a dwarf, or an amazon, each with their own strengths and abilities.The game follows the quest of these heroes to rescue the King and Princess of Yuria fr...
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Double Dragon II: The Revenge

DOS19884.2/5 Technos Japan
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Comix Zone

Windows XP/98/9519954.2/5 Sega
Comix Zone is a peculiar science fiction and superhero themed action game.It was developed and released by Sega in 1995 for Windows and other platforms. What makes Comix Zone different from other similare titles is that the game world is framed like a comic book.
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Altered Beast

DOS19904.1/5 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 consoles, including the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.Players control a resurrected centurion who battles through five levels filled with undead creatures and other mythical beas...
karateka-2

Karateka

DOS19864.1/5 Broderbund
Karateka is a martial arts themed action / fighting game released by Broderbund in 1986 for DOS. Karateka is the first game designed by Jordan Mechner, the father of the Prince of Persia franchise. Karateka was also published for Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, C64, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum.
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Axe of Rage

DOS19894.1/5 Palace Software
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Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja

DOS1988protected4.1/5 Data East
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Robocop

DOS19894/5 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 from an arcade game released by Data East in 1988 and it was based on the movie of the same name, Robocop, by Paul Verhoeven. Your goal is to get to the final boss by shoot...
terminator2judgement-1

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

DOS19914/5 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 to critics. Terminator 2 is an action game developed by Syntetic Dimensions and released by Ocean Software in 1991 for DOS. It was also published for C64, ZX Spectrum, A...
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Double Dragon

DOS19884/5 Technos Japan
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Onslaught

DOS19904/5 Arc Developments
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Shinobi

DOS19894/5 Sega
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Bad Street Brawler

DOS19874/5 Beam Software
Bad Street Brawler is a beat 'em up video game developed by Beam Software and published by Mindscape. Originally released for the Commodore 64 in 1987 and later for other platforms. The game features Duke Davis, a former punk rocker turned vigilante, as the protagonist. In "Bad Street Brawler," players guide Duke through various urban environm...
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Lorna

DOS1990NSFW3.9/5 Topo Soft
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Cougar Force

DOS19903.9/5 Coktel Vision
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Beats of Rage

DOS2003freeware3.9/5
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The Simpsons

DOS19913.8/5 Konami
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Batman Returns

DOS19923.8/5 Spirit of discovery
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Renegade

DOS19883.8/5 Technos Japan
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Sword of Honour

DOS19933.8/5 Dynafield Systems International
bushido-03

Bushido

DOS19833.7/5 Ebenel enterprises
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Ninja Gaiden

DOS19903.7/5 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 story of Ryu Hayabusa, a skilled ninja on a quest for vengeance and justice.In the game, players control Ryu as he battles through six acts, each divided into several stage...
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Crime Wave

DOS19903.7/5 Access Software
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions

DOS19913.6/5 Distinctive Software
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International Ninja Rabbits

DOS19913.6/5 Flair Software
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Ninja Rabbits

DOS19923.6/5 Villa Crespo Software
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Last Action Hero

DOS19933.5/5 Psygnosis
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Zyclunt

DOS19953.5/5 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 activities have brought society to the brink of collapse. In this setting, advanced genetic engineering has led to the creation of cybernetic organisms, or cyborgs, which have b...