# Beat 'em up
**Beat 'em up**, also known as a **brawler** or, in some markets, beat 'em all (and called belt scroll for the classic scrolling format), is a video game genre in which players battle numerous opponents at once, distinguishing it from one-on-one fighting games.[2](https://mmi-basel.ch/MA/2008_KellerP.pdf) • [3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/) • [4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) The classic form is a side-scrolling arcade game in which players walk from one end of the game world to the other, fighting waves of enemies along the way.[1](https://dinogame.gg/blog/what-is-a-beat-em-up/) Irem's Kung-Fu Master (1984) established the genre template, and Technos Japan's Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (1986), released in the West as Renegade, introduced the belt scroll format.[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) The genre reached its peak of global popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, declined after [Street Fighter II](https://www.edgepedia.org/street-fighter-ii): The World Warrior (1991), and saw a revival beginning with [Streets of Rage 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/streets-of-rage-4) (2020).[5](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843) • [4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) • [6](https://www.dotemu.com/games/streets-of-rage-4/) • [7](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/rushing-beat-x-review-a-90s-retro-game-revamp-thats-surprisingly-deep)
The genre is distinct from fighting games, which are one-on-one contests; a beat 'em up instead requires the player to battle numerous opponents at once[2](https://mmi-basel.ch/MA/2008_KellerP.pdf) • [3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre names | Beat 'em up, brawler, and in some markets beat 'em all; also called belt scroll for the classic scrolling format[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) |
| First game | Kung-Fu Master (1984, Irem), based on Hong Kong martial arts films[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) |
| Format-defining game | Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (1986, Technos Japan), released in the West as Renegade, introduced the belt scroll format and urban settings[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) |
| Golden age | Late 1980s and early 1990s, when the side-scrolling beat 'em up reached its peak of global popularity[5](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843) |
| Decline | After Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991), gamers shifted toward one-on-one fighting games[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) |
| Revival | Streets of Rage 4 (2020), the first core-series entry in 25 years, helped open a wave of new titles[6](https://www.dotemu.com/games/streets-of-rage-4/) • [7](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/rushing-beat-x-review-a-90s-retro-game-revamp-thats-surprisingly-deep) |
## Gameplay
In the classic form, the player advances through horizontally scrolling stages by defeating waves of melee enemies[1](https://dinogame.gg/blog/what-is-a-beat-em-up/). Encounters are structured around crowd control: the player is outnumbered, and success depends on coordinating attacks, throws, and positioning against groups[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) • [3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/). The genre follows arcade conventions of being simple to learn but difficult to master, and its combat systems tend to be more developed than those of other side-scrolling action games[8](https://graphsearch.epfl.ch/en/concept/3552022).
Common combat features include combo strings, throwing enemies, and 360-degree attacks that knock down nearby enemies at a cost in health[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide). Games in the genre are also known for a variety of weapons and health-restoring food items[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide).
## History
**Origins.** Irem released Kung-Fu Master in 1984 (called Spartan X in Japan), a single-plane game with only two attacks, but its side-scrolling fight progression with boss encounters at the end of each floor established the genre template in primitive form[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide) • [1](https://dinogame.gg/blog/what-is-a-beat-em-up/). The game was loosely based on the [Jackie Chan](https://www.edgepedia.org/jackie-chan) film 快餐車, known as [Meals on Wheels](https://www.edgepedia.org/meals-on-wheels) in the US[3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/).
**The belt scroll era.** The game is also credited with adding the Z-axis to the playing field, letting players dodge by moving toward the foreground or background rather than only left, right, and up[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide). With [Double Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/double-dragon) (1987), the belt-scroll format was polished, two-player cooperation became a genre staple, and the uninterrupted side-scrolling framework was firmly established[9](https://codexery.com/beat-em-ups/e/beat-em-ups/beat-em-up/). Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari ([River City Ransom](https://www.edgepedia.org/river-city-ransom), 1989) added RPG elements, including the ability to pick up and use weapons[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide).
**Golden age.** The side-scrolling beat 'em up reached its peak of global popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s[5](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843). Key titles of the period include The Ninja Warriors (1987), [Altered Beast](https://www.edgepedia.org/altered-beast) (1988), [Golden Axe](https://www.edgepedia.org/golden-axe) (1989), [Final Fight](https://www.edgepedia.org/final-fight) (1989), and Streets of Rage (1991)[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide). Final Fight, set in a contemporary urban setting, has three playable heroes rescuing a young woman from a criminal gang; it began development as a sequel to Street Fighter before becoming a side-scrolling brawler, and drew on the 1984 action film Streets of Fire for its plot and the character Cody[5](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843) • [3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/). Licensed arcade games such as Konami's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles titles, along with X-Men and The Simpsons, were major arcade draws[1](https://dinogame.gg/blog/what-is-a-beat-em-up/) • [10](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/streets-of-rage-4-ps-plus-rec).
Scholarship on the genre notes that classic Japanese beat 'em ups remediated (reworked one medium's content into another medium) a largely foreign cinematic canon, including Hollywood action films and transnational imaginaries of street violence and vigilantism in large modern American cities, into the video game medium[5](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843).
**Decline and transition.** After Street Fighter II: The World Warrior appeared in 1991, the genre saw a downturn as gamers were drawn to one-on-one fighting games, and the late 1990s emergence of 3D polygon technology changed aesthetic tastes[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide). By the 2000s, character-action games such as [God of War](https://www.edgepedia.org/god-of-war-2005-video-game) (2005) and [Bayonetta](https://www.edgepedia.org/bayonetta) (2009) applied the beat 'em up formula to larger 3D environments[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide).
**Revival.** Since 2010, 2D beat 'em ups have become popular again, with [Dragon's Crown](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragons-crown) (2013), [Dungeon Fighter Online](https://www.edgepedia.org/dungeon-fighter-online) (released worldwide in 2015), and Streets of Rage 4 (2020) paving the way[4](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide). Streets of Rage 4, developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games, was the first core-series entry in 25 years[6](https://www.dotemu.com/games/streets-of-rage-4/). It kicked off a revival continued by titles such as [Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge](https://www.edgepedia.org/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-shredders-revenge), River City Girls, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and Absolum[7](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/rushing-beat-x-review-a-90s-retro-game-revamp-thats-surprisingly-deep) • [10](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/streets-of-rage-4-ps-plus-rec).
## Modern developments
**Genre fusion.** Recent titles fuse the beat 'em up with other genres. Absolum, developed by Guard Crush Games with LizardCube, applies roguelite innovations inspired by Supergiant Games' Hades to the classic format; it received glowing reviews and reached half a million players within weeks of release[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/absolums-first-update-dares-you-to-unravel-the-threads-of-fate-introducing-rule-modifiers-corrupted-biomes-and-improved-mounts-into-2025s-best-beat-em-up/) • [12](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/absolum-interview-beat-em-up-roguelite-arcade-streets-of-rage-4-guard-crush). [Scott Pilgrim EX](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-pilgrim-ex) (2026) adds blocks, spot dodges, invincible throws, and super moves drawn from fighting games, and its campaign runs about five hours, long compared with coin-op beat 'em ups designed to take about five dollars from a player in 45 minutes[13](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/scott-pilgrim-ex-review/).
**Design practice.** Newer games add progression mechanics, plot, and both high-skill challenges and low-skill cinematics to reach a wider audience[3](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/).
## Distinctions from related genres
Beat 'em ups are a distinct genre separate from fighting games, which are one-on-one contests[2](https://mmi-basel.ch/MA/2008_KellerP.pdf). Unlike shoot 'em ups, where firearms are the main means of progress, beat 'em ups center on hand-to-hand fighting even when guns appear[2](https://mmi-basel.ch/MA/2008_KellerP.pdf).
## References
1. [What Is a Beat-Em-Up? The Side-Scrolling Brawler, Explained, DinoGame](https://dinogame.gg/blog/what-is-a-beat-em-up/)
2. [Profiling Video Gamers (Keller, 2008), University of Basel](https://mmi-basel.ch/MA/2008_KellerP.pdf)
3. [The Origin of Brawlers, The Digital Game Museum](https://www.digitalgamemuseum.org/brawlers/)
4. [Beat 'Em Up Video Games: 8 Notable Beat 'Em Up Video Games, MasterClass](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/beat-em-up-games-guide)
5. [Playing the (International) Movie: Intermediality and the Appropriation of Symbolic Capital in Final Fight and the Beat 'em up Genre (Zanotti, 2018), ELUDAMOS](https://iris.unive.it/handle/10278/3706843)
6. [Streets of Rage 4, Dotemu](https://www.dotemu.com/games/streets-of-rage-4/)
7. [Rushing Beat X review, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/entertainment/gaming/rushing-beat-x-review-a-90s-retro-game-revamp-thats-surprisingly-deep)
8. [Beat 'em up, EPFL Graph Search](https://graphsearch.epfl.ch/en/concept/3552022)
9. [Beat 'em up, Beat 'em Ups Codexery](https://codexery.com/beat-em-ups/e/beat-em-ups/beat-em-up/)
10. [PlayStation Plus Just Quietly Added the Best Retro Beat 'Em Up Game In Years, Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/streets-of-rage-4-ps-plus-rec)
11. [Absolum's first update introduces rule modifiers, corrupted biomes and improved mounts, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/absolums-first-update-dares-you-to-unravel-the-threads-of-fate-introducing-rule-modifiers-corrupted-biomes-and-improved-mounts-into-2025s-best-beat-em-up/)
12. [Absolum Devs On Why Beat 'Em Ups And Roguelikes Are A Match Made In Heaven, Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/gaming/absolum-interview-beat-em-up-roguelite-arcade-streets-of-rage-4-guard-crush)
13. [Scott Pilgrim EX review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/scott-pilgrim-ex-review/)
14. [What are the differences between a "Hack & Slash" and a "Beat 'em up"?, Arqade](https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/69173/what-are-the-differences-between-an-hack-slash-and-a-beat-em-up)
15. [Important Distinctions Within Combat Heavy Games, Game Developer](https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/important-distinctions-within-combat-heavy-games)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Action, adventure, and role-playing games › Beat 'em up (brawler) games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license