Ready to let your fists do the talking? Here are a few upcoming beat ’em up style games that we can’t wait to play in 2025.
#8 Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
How about another twist on the beat ’em up style? Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate, yes, that’s a really long name, is an anime-style beat ’em up mixed with fighting game tactics.
In this case, you’ll choose a character and then wander through the various districts of Tokyo, attempting to defeat a phantom and his goons. Along the way, you’ll meet new characters, get to power up your moves, and even team up with friends!
The game has multiple modes to choose from, and there are plenty of ways to power up your characters so they can do what you want. Plus, be on the lookout for Easter Eggs!
#7 Breeze in the Clouds
Who said dogs can’t be protagonists in video games? There ain’t no rule that says a dog can’t be a protag! In Breeze in the Clouds, you’ll find that out in a rather unique way. In the title, you play Breeze, a dog who was just that, a dog, until a mysterious wind comes over the town he lives in and gives him powers. Then, poor Breeze is taken away from his human and swept into an odd world where other animals control the weather in a rather corrupt way.
So, Breeze must stop them so that he can get back to Diana and save the day!
#6 Spine
Have you ever heard of “Gun Fu?” Yes, this is a real thing, and it’s something you often see in certain modern films, as it’s a mix between hand-to-hand combat and gunplay. In the video game Spine, you’ll find an incredibly artistic version of that as you play, and the game is built to make you feel like you’re in the middle of a cinematic movie action scene.
You are Redline, a young street artist who lives in a world governed by AI. As you can guess, that doesn’t exactly work for her, so, with her AI partner that’s implanted within her, they’ll take to the streets and clean this place up.
#5 Double Dragon Revive
That’s right! The Lee Brothers are back! Double Dragon Revive takes the iconic beat’em side-scrolling titles from the past and gives it a new story and a new coat of paint for fans new and old to enjoy. As you wander the streets to find justice, you’ll come across numerous rivals and foes that want to stand in your way.
Don’t worry; you’ll ensure they regret that decision soon enough! With a fully voiced cast, the game’s world has never felt so alive. Plus, there are plenty of strategic elements to the game itself that will force you to think and not just button-mash.
#4 Acts of Blood
You are Hendra, a young man that was supposed to go to law school to make a difference in the world. However, you soon find out how foolish that thought is when your family is killed by a business rival, and when you seek help from the law, it gives you nothing in return.
Thus, if you can’t get it the legal way, you’ll get justice the old-fashioned way: with your fists!
As you seek out the group that took your family away, you’ll fight scores of enemies in brutal combat where your skill will determine how you survive. Can you get the revenge you so desperately crave?
#3 Tenjutsu
Imagine a place that is not-so-secretly run by a bunch of crime syndicates. Now imagine that you suddenly get trapped in that place, and you just so happen to have the weapons and skills needed to take them down. What do you think you’ll do once that possibility arises? In Tenjutsu, you’ll find out!
The game puts you in Secret Garden City, and allows you to take on the various crime syndicates in whatever order you desire. With incredible martial arts skills and weaponry at your beck and call, you’ll be more than enough for the groups that come for you, so long as you don’t get cocky.
#2 KIBORG
Welcome to the prison planet known as Sigma. Here, there are all types of factions that are trying to take control, and you are the leader of a group that is resisting all that’s going on. As Morgan Lee, you have a unique ability that will allow you to take on enemies and complete missions to help your crew. Specifically, you’ll be able to create clones of yourself that can actively take on new abilities depending on how you build them.
However, be warned, there are always new threats coming down the way, and you need to be mindful of how you spend each day, as it could be your last.
#1 TRON: Catalyst
Are you ready to head back to The Grid? We hope so, because TRON: Catalyst is coming from Big Fan Games, and they’re hoping to really do something special with this take on the franchise. In the game, you play Exo, a program who is attempting to fight off the oppressive regime within the city you live in.
Her abilities go beyond just using her identity disk to hurt opponents, as she wields “The Glitch,” which many are afraid of for unknown reasons.
With slick visuals and a soundtrack to match, this will be the perfect game for fans of the series and films.
