River City Girls (Switch eShop)

WayForward's spin-off from the Kunio-kun series is absolutely fantastic; a modern game that's a perfect accompaniment to the Double Dragon & Kunio-kun collection we looked at earlier. River City Girls layers the accessible gameplay of the original games with a subtly complex RPG-style experience system which rewards you with stats boosts and new moves as you move around a non-linear game world that pays homage to the past beautifully.

Like many of the games here, the onus is on you to experiment with different moves, different characters, and different friends to get the most out of it, but WayForward did remarkable work capturing the spirit of this classic brawling franchise and River City Girls is a delight that you should definitely have ready and waiting on your Switch.

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There's also a sequel and a prequel (sort of) to investigate if you play this and want more.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition (Switch eShop)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a great beat ‘em up for your Switch. Available to purchase once again after years in purgatory, its bombastic presentation and crunchy combat gameplay make it enjoyable from start to finish.

Though it can feel like it runs a bit short, and the difficulty spikes can be rather intense, anybody looking for a fun, short game to play in co-op is in for a treat. Let's just hope it sticks around for longer than four years this time.

SEGA Mega Drive Classics (Switch)

What's a 16-bit console compilation doing on a beat 'em up list? Well, when this particular compilation includes both the Mega Drive Golden Axe and Streets of Rage trilogies, it would be rude to exclude it.

The SEGA Mega Drive Classics collection gives you access to regional variants of the games (which means you can play the brilliant Bare Knuckle III and not the butchered Streets of Rage 3 we got in the West) and some basic visual settings to play with, but having access to all of these in one place — not to mention all the other classics included — is the real draw here.

We're big fans of the Streets of Rage series, and if you want to experience the full classic trilogy before playing the excellent Streets of Rage 4, the SEGA Mega Drive Classics offers the perfect way to do so on Switch. You'll have to keep an eye out for a physical version now, mind - SEGA delisted this one from the eShop, unfortunately. (Also, you can play several of these via NSO.)

Sengoku 3 (Neo Geo)

Just one of many Neo Geo brawlers available as part of the Hamster's extensive Arcade Archives ACA Neo Geo range, Sengoku 3 released in 2001 and with lovely visuals and particularly great music, it's a blast to run through whether you're on your lonesome or playing with a friend.

With all the usual extras you've come to expect from Hamster's releases, this is a great option if you're after beautiful brawler action circa the turn of the millennium.

Streets of Rage 4 (Switch eShop)

Streets of Rage 4 is the very best the series has ever been. Its hand-drawn graphics breathe new life into Wood Oak City and its inhabitants, the soundtrack is outstanding, and the combat feels better than ever.

Lizardcube, Guard Crush Games, and Dotemu have managed to completely modernise the look and feel of Streets of Rage, expanding on the experience without losing sight of what made the original games so popular to begin with – and the handful of additions made to the action here serve only to enhance the classic core gameplay, resulting in one of the best side-scrolling beat 'em ups we've played in a long time.

And the Mr X Nightmare DLC is pretty tasty, too. A truly fantastic brawler.

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Streets of Red - Devil's Dare Deluxe (Switch eShop)

Looking back to 8-bit brawlers for graphical inspiration, Streets of Red riffs on its references in a charming way without turning into a repetitive round of nudge-nudge-wink-wink. With a range of modes to keep you occupied, it's in four-player mode where the game really comes into its own. If you can put up with things getting very hectic on screen, Streets of Red is definitely worth a punt.

Super Punch Patrol (Switch eShop)

Super Punch Patrol feels like a greatest hits package, but that's the thing about the greatest hits – they're great. And so is Super Punch Patrol, in the end. For the price you'll pay, it's nothing short of spectacularly generous; there are only five stages, but they're tough as old boots and it'll take time to master the challenge and see those credits roll.

With costumes and characters to unlock, there's reason to keep playing even after you surmount this beastly little brawler, and at its low asking price it's a bit of a no-brainer.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome multiplayer the experience evolves again and again.

Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that’s more a fault of the concept than the game. Shredder’s Revenge really is an unprecedented shell-ebration. Ahem

The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors (Switch)

A fantastic modern entry in the Ninja Warriors series, The Ninja Saviors: Return of the Warriors might restrict movement to a single plane, but it gives this side-scroller a special flavour that's particularly delicious.

This game plays like how you remember the classics, except with silky animation, incredible visuals and a host of effects that wouldn't have been possible on vintage hardware. The Ninja Saviors is a nostalgia trip of the very best kind and well worth a download whether you played the original Warriors games back in the day or want to find out how it felt to play them back in the day.

The TakeOver (Switch eShop)

Given its proximity of release to Streets of Rage 4, comparisons between that game and this one were inevitable and entirely justified. Fortunately, The TakeOver is just as worthy of your time and money, even if it lacks online play and some of the extra polish that Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games' title possesses.

Some players will no doubt take issue with the CG-style sprites, but every other aspect of this package feels spot-on and we especially appreciate the two bonus stages, which feel like love letters to other Sega classics.

The TakeOver offers an engaging and addictive alternative to Streets of Rage 4, and any self-respecting fan of the side-scrolling fighting genre shouldn't hesitate to pick up both.

Wulverblade (Switch eShop)

If you're after a challenge, Wulverblade is a great modern take on a brutal beat 'em up in the Golden Axe vein. The beautiful presentation disguises a particularly unforgiving game, though, so we'd recommend even veterans of the genre prepare themselves and make sure they have a friend handy to liberate Britannia.

If you like your beat 'em ups bloody and teetering on the edge of 'sadistic', grab a large weapon and get acquainted with Wulverblade.

Young Souls (Switch eShop)

Those of you who were big fans of the aforementioned Castle Crashers or Streets of Rage 4 will find plenty to love here. Young Souls smartly mixes RPG-lite elements with a compelling story, non-linear structure, and some impressively satisfying beat-'em-up combat to make for an experience that you won’t want to miss.

Despite some rare performance hiccups which tarnish the Switch version slightly compared to the more powerful platforms, Young Souls still proves itself to be one of the best beat-‘em-up titles on the system, and we’d give this one a high recommendation to anyone who enjoys a good brawler, co-op or solo.

Not a bad collection of fisticuff-lovin' misfits, hmm? Think we've missed one? Put 'em up in the comments below and perhaps we'll add it to this fluid, ever-changing list.

This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.

Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!

If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.