Are you a fan of beat ’em up classics such as Streets of Rage and Final Fight and yearn for something like like them? Do you simply love action-packed games that task you with beating up enemies and nothing more? Well, you’ve come to the right place, as we’ve put together a list of the best beat ’em up games on PS5, all tried and tested by us to ensure that they’ll provide you with hours of fun.
We’ve got a bit of everything on our list: the latest entry in a side-scrolling beat ’em up series that is truly phenomenal, a 3D beat ’em up with roguelike elements that will truly test your skills, and even a classic from yesteryear that’s finally playable on PS5 thanks to a new collection. And so, whatever floats your boat, chances are you’ll find something here with which to while the hours away.
1. Streets of Rage 4
Okay, so Streets of Rage 4 is technically a PS4 game, but when it comes to beat ’em ups, it’s undoubtedly the best there is right now. And of course, it plays perfectly on PS5 thanks to backwards compatibility, and its stunning art style means it still looks great years after its launch.
When it comes to the best beat ’em ups available on PS5, Streets of Rage 4 tops the list mainly thanks to its brilliant gameplay. The combat here is phenomenal, with a wealth of abilities available to each playable character that skilled players will work into impressive combos. Throw in a brilliant soundtrack and a wealth of unlockables, and you have a genuine must-have. An expansion is available that introduces a fantastic roguelike survival mode into the mix, too.
Read our review of Streets of Rage 4
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Hot on the heels of Streets of Rage 4 is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, which thankfully does have a native PS5 version. And whether you’re a fan of the heroes in a half-shell or not, this beat ’em up is more than worthy of your time and money.
The action here isn’t the deepest, but whichever character you choose to play as there are enough moves available to keep it feeling fun. In any case, what will really win you over when it comes to Shredder’s Revenge is its brilliant retro-styled visuals as well as its frantic pace. Throw in some lashings of humour and you’ll find that it has so much character.
Like Streets of Rage 4, a roguelike survival mode is also available as DLC, and there are some additional characters to pick up, too. Though the base game already has plenty.
Read our review of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
3. Sifu
Forget beat ’em ups of the side-scrolling nature for now: Sifu offers the same kind of action-packed experience but in 3D. And while it was a fun but tough cookie to crack at launch, it’s since got even better and more accessible.
Revenge is at the heart of Sifu. With your family assassinated, you bide your time until you’re ready to take on their killers. Springing into action, you’ll need to make your way through multiple locations to locate your targets and take them down with your impressive kung fu skills, but it won’t be easy.
Thankfully you have a magical medallion that allows you to fight on when defeated, but you’ll grow older each time you use it. And if you do succumb to old age, you’re able to unlock new skills that might help you achieve your goal the next time you play. Needless to say, if you’re after the best beat ’em ups on PS5, you really should give this a go.
Read our review of Sifu
4. River City Girls 2
We quite liked the original River City Girls when it released, but River City Girls 2 is improved in every possible way. And so, if you want some traditional side-scrolling beat ’em action with added exploration and RPG elements, you’d be wise to give it a look.
River City Girls 2 find its protagonists Misoko and Kyoko falling foul of some Yakuza. And so they find themselves battling across the streets of River City once again in order to save it. They’re not alone this time, though; their boyfriends Kunio and Riki are also playable, and there are a duo of guest characters as well.
What makes this title stand out is that you’re free to explore River City as you see fit, and that as you defeat enemies and level up new moves and upgrades become available. Overall, there’s plenty of fun to be had.
Read our review of River City Girls 2
5. Lost Judgment
If you’re into beat ’em ups, any of the more action-focused Yakuza games are likely to entertain you with their frequent bouts of combat. Our favourite, though, is Lost Judgment, the sequel to the Yakuza spin-off Judgment.
Putting you in control of a private investigator who’s also pretty skilled at martial arts, Lost Judgment will give you plenty of opportunities to beat your enemies down. But’s that’s not all you’ll be doing; with a case to solve you’ll also be following up leads, engaging in espionage, and more.
Having landed a job at a school to get closer to the case, there are even side activities to get involved in, such as dance classes. Engaging beat ’em up action remains at the heart of this adventure, however, and with three fighting stances to switch between during battle – four if you buy the School Stories DLC – it’s a hell of a lot of fun.
Read our review of Lost Judgment
6. The Punisher (in Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics)
Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics bundles up multiple fighting games from Capcom’s extensive library – all featuring Marvel super heroes, of course. But also among them is side-scrolling beat ’em up The Punisher, which is pretty much worth the price of admission alone.
Released in arcades in 1993, The Punisher understandably looks rather dated now. It’s still impressively animated, though, and while its gameplay is relatively basic by today’s standards it remains a great amount of fun to play. What’s really notable here is that when encountering an enemy that’s armed with a gun, you can raise your own and blast away in defence. There are many other weapons for you to pick up and employ, too.
In any case, if you’re not a fan of fighting games, you might want to wait for Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics to get discounted a little, but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye on for The Punisher.
Read our review of Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
7. Mayhem Brawler
Developed by Hero Concept, Mayhem Brawler is a side-scrolling beat ’em up in a similar vein to Streets of Rage 4. It’s certainly similar mechanically, only not quite on the same level. But while it’s not quite as good gameplay-wise as Streets of Rage 4, it has another thing going for it: a branching story.
Making your way through Mayhem Brawler as one of multiple playable characters, you’ll frequently find yourself with choices to make. They’re pretty impactful. Depending on what you choose you might find the story going in a totally different direction, taking you to new locations filled with enemies that you’ve not faced off against before.
So, while it might not the best beat ’em up from a gameplay standpoint, it’s still lots of fun to play. And you’ll have a great time making different choices on subsequent playthroughs so that you can discover new locations, enemies and endings.
Read our review of Mayhem Brawler
