Update 30 December 2023: PixelJunk Scrappers Deluxe added at rank #16.
Here are our 10 Best Beat-em-up Games for Nintendo Switch: 1River City Girls 2 (2022)
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Review score
Play Video: River City Girls 2 
Nintendo Switch PC Windows Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox One Xbox Series X Android IOS iPhone
Get ready for an all-new adventure with River City Girls 2! Team up with friends for local or online co-op and pound punks with new abilities including guard-crush attacks and lift-off combos. Level up to earn new moves, buy items, and recruit defeated foes and hired heavies to help you along the way. With enhanced combat, bigger areas to explore, surprise cameos, and an epic soundtrack, you'll be brawling until your enemies yell "BARF!"
What we like:- Side quests include mini-games for diversity
- Multiplayer options available for local and online play
- Destructible background objects for added fun
- Offers solid beat 'em up mechanics with light RPG mechanics
- Unique enemy recruitment system that allows players to personalize their play style
- Unbalanced boss battles
- Lack of enemy variety
- Technical issues with FPS and multiplayer
- beat-em-up
- cooperative
- anime
- brawler
- pixel
- fight
- boss
- rpg
- local
- em-up
- collectathon
- boss-fight
- comic
- action
- arts
Good match + 63 Bad match - 79
2The friends of Ringo Ishikawa (2018)
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Review score
Play Video: The friends of Ringo Ishikawa 
Xbox One Mac OS Nintendo Switch PC Windows
The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa is a unique and inscrutable narrative-brawler that explores the lives of high school seniors contemplating their future after graduation. You play as Ringo and take part in 2D brawler-style combat, buy food and books to replenish your health and stamina, attend classes, study, work part-time jobs and train at the gym.
What we like:- Unique experience full of freedom
- Cool pixelated graphical style
- Atmospheric soundtrack
- Discover routines in the town
- Follow them and learn different actions you can take
- No tutorials or hints provided
- No world map or quest markers given
- Combat could feel more responsive
- beat-em-up
- brawler
- 1980s
- martial
- arts
- rpg
- open-world
- pixel
- scroller
- atmospheric
- drama
- sandbox
- anime
- brawler-type
- 2d
Good match + 74 Bad match - 94
3Final Vendetta (2022)
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Review score
Play Video: Final Vendetta 
Playstation 5 Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox Series X Xbox One PC Windows Mac OS Linux
Final Vendetta is an arcade-style throwback inspired by the 16 and 32-bit-era of gaming. It features large, gorgeously animated character sprites, true-to-the-era hand-drawn pixel art backgrounds and timeless old school flourishes. Perfectly combining elements from Final Fight and Streets of Rage 2 with generous dashes of NEO GEO style, Final Vendetta is a master class in kicking ass!
What we like:- Classic visuals and gameplay
- Coop play for up to two players
- Challenging bosses
- Limited lives on Easy or Hard mode
- Some cheap enemy attacks and grabs
- beat-em-up
- arcade
- boss
- pixel
- classic
- brawler
- old-school
- soundtrack
- fight
- side-scrolling
- retro
- combo
- cooperative
- scroller
- arts
Good match + 44 Bad match - 45
4BROK the InvestiGator (2022)
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Review score
Play Video: BROK the InvestiGator 
PC Windows Playstation 5 Playstation 4 Xbox Series X Xbox One Nintendo Switch Linux Mac OS
BROK the InvestiGator is an adventure game set in a futuristic cyberpunk city where humans have been replaced by animals and robots. Join Brok, a former boxer turned private detective, as he attempts to uncover a sinister plot while struggling with parenthood and providing for his deceased wife's son. Experience the fusion of point-and-click adventure and beat 'em up gameplay styles as you explore your surroundings, talk to NPCs and solve puzzles.
What we like:- Fully voiced cast
- Seamless fusion of point-and-click and beat 'em up genres
- Relatable story with heartfelt moments
- Sherlock Holmes-esque interrogation sequences
- Multiple endings for replayability
- Some puzzles are too simple to work out
- Some sequences drag on too long serving little purpose outside of padding out the runtime
- point-and-click
- detective
- beat-em-up
- cyberpunk
- dystopian
- adventure
- soundtrack
- choices
- investigation
- futuristic
- fight
- mystery
- cartoony
- puzzle
- post-apocalyptic
Good match + 7 Bad match - 15
5River City: Rival Showdown (2023)
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Review score
Play Video: River City: Rival Showdown 
arcade l famicom game boy mega drive x68000 PC Windows-engine super famicom Game Boy Advanced (GBA) ds virtual console ps2 wiiware Nintendo 3DS Playstation 3 Playstation 4 Playstation 5 Xbox Series X/s Nintendo Switch PC Windows Linux Mac OS
River City Ransom is back, rebuilt from the ground up! Rekindle old rivalries and relive past rumbles through a completely revamped story!
- beat-em-up
- brawler
- fight
- 2d
- scroller
- metroidvania
- 1980s
- cooperative
- pixel
- old-school
- action-adventure
- multiplayer
- remake
- retro
- hack-and-slash
Good match + 3 Bad match
6River City Saga: Three Kingdoms (2022)
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Review score
Play Video: River City Saga: Three Kingdoms 
Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch PC Windows
River City Saga: Three Kingdoms is a modern take on the classic River City Ransom series, combining it with Romance of the Three Kindgoms to create an exciting beat-em-up adventure. Fight your way through hordes of enemies and upgrade your character with weapons, food, armor or special moves by visiting stores in towns. Interact with NPCs and progress through a six chapter story full of dialogue and comedic timing. Enjoy local or online co-op for up to two players and bonus modes like China Heroes.
What we like:- Fun beat-em-up gameplay
- Upgradeable characters
- Local or online co-op for up to two players
- Bonus modes like China Heroes
- Full gallery with character bios and music gallery
- Clunky controls
- Difficult platforming levels in some areas
- Very long story dialogue
- beat-em-up
- spectacle
- 2d
- historical
- old-school
- destruction
- brawler
- fight
- platform
- comedy
- retro
- pve
- family-friendly
- anime
- controller-support
Good match + 47 Bad match - 67
79 Monkeys of Shaolin (2020)
View Similar Games78
Review score
Play Video: 9 Monkeys of Shaolin 
Xbox One Nintendo Switch Linux PC Windows
9 Monkeys of Shaolin is a beat-em-up game with deep combat mechanics and varied level designs. The story follows Daokong, a man who joins a Shaolin order to seek revenge on the Japanese pirates that attacked his village. With generous parries, special attacks, seal moves and skill points to customize your abilities, you will feel like an unstoppable warrior!
What we like:- Deep combat mechanics
- Varied level design
- Generous parries and special attacks
- Plenty of voice acting options
- Relatively short runtime
- By-the-numbers plot
- cooperative
- beat-em-up
- martial
- fight
- pirates
- side-scrolling
- local
- brawler
- online
- ninja
- arts
- combat
- old-school
- hack-and-slash
- action
Good match + 76 Bad match - 109
8River City Girls Zero (2022)
View Similar Games73
Review score
Play Video: River City Girls Zero 
Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 Playstation 4 Xbox One Xbox Series X PC Windows
River City Girls Zero is a spin-off of the Kunio-kun franchise where you play as Misako and Kyoko, fighting their way to rescue Kunio and Riki. Featuring great visuals, superb character designs, and a fantastic soundtrack, River City Girls Zero offers local co-op support with extras like manga-style animated self-aware cutscenes, an opening video, new music and more.
What we like:- Great visuals
- Superb character designs
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Local co-op support
- Extras like manga-style animated cutscenes
- New music
- No difficulty modes
- No online play
- Limited display options for aspect ratios
- beat-em-up
- cooperative
- brawler
- anime
- action-translated
- spin-kicking
- pixel
- fight
- local
- motorbike
- crime
- boss
- retro
- combat
- classic
Good match + 69 Bad match - 102
9Dawn of the Monsters (2022)
View Similar Games80
Review score
Play Video: Dawn of the Monsters 
stadia Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 PC Windows Xbox Series X Xbox One Playstation 4
Dawn of the Monsters is an action-packed kaiju game that puts you in control of powerful fighters to battle a horde of giant monsters known as Nephilim. Customize your fighter with Augments and unlock devastating Rage Attacks and Cataclysm attacks. Face off against challenging bosses, appreciate beautiful visuals and captivating music, and embark on a riveting story with interesting characters.
What we like:- Complex combat system
- Unique characters with different playstyles
- Rich story with interesting characters
- Beautiful visuals and captivating music
- Stages start to feel similar after a while
- Lack of clarity in the ranking system
- Training room could use more options
- cooperative
- 2-player
- beat-em-up
- side-scrolling
- two-player
- action
- scroller
- fight
- beat'em
- brawler
- boss
- action-adventure
- combo
- local
- 2d
Good match + 4 Bad match - 2
10ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 (2020)
View Similar Games91
Review score
Nintendo Switch PC Windows Playstation 4
ONE PIECE: PIRATE WARRIORS 4 is the latest evolution of PIRATE WARRIORS action! Based on the concept of "experiencing a real ONE PIECE battlefield," buildings will come crashing down during the action and attacks will throw up smoke and dust, placing you in the thick of the ONE PIECE world!
- beat-em-up
- anime
- pirates
- hack-and-slash
- split-screen
- pvp
- fight
- cooperative
- musou
Good match + 28 Bad match - 26
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