Streets of Rage 4

Streets of Rage 4 sits one rank below Shredder's Revenge for a simple reason. It's the better fighter but the smaller party, four players locally instead of six, with combos deep enough to reward juggling and cancels. My group split roughly in half on this one. Half wanted the simpler turtle brawl, half preferred the sharper combat, which says more about the group than either game. The pixel art holds up remarkably well on a modern TV, sharp and colorful rather than dated. Battle mode turns it into a straight versus game on nights when story co-op isn't what anyone wants. It asks more of new players than Shredder's Revenge, which is the real mark against it. For a couch session built on skill rather than chaos, this is the sharper pick.

Beat 'em ups have always felt like a two-player format to me. More than two and the screen gets cluttered. Solo and you're missing something. Streets of Rage 4 gets this exactly right. Stages run ten to fifteen minutes, the combat has real depth if you want it, and the whole thing is readable enough that you can hand someone a controller and be brawling through level one within seconds of starting. I came to this one late, after it had been out a while, and was surprised by how well it held up. The pixel art aesthetic makes it look like something classic reborn, and the soundtrack is the kind of thing that makes a session feel more energetic than it has any right to be.

Streets of Rage 4 is the beat ’em up I recommend when your group wants something that feels arcadey but still rewards practice. You can button-mash and have a fine time, then slowly learn spacing, juggling, and crowd control as you replay stages. That replay pull is why it beats out some flashier co-op options. Still, it’s not for everyone. Friendly fire and harder difficulties can turn a casual night into a blame game, and the story is basically an excuse to fight. Best for friends who like improving together and chasing higher scores.

Streets of Rage 4 is a sharp, modern brawler with crisp inputs, excellent sound, and satisfying co-op juggle setups. Four players can coordinate crowd control and star moves for stylish clears, and Switch performance holds up in busy scenes. It falls just short because its campaign is brief and mode variety is thinner than TMNT’s broader couch appeal. For short, punchy sessions it’s terrific—but when we weighed group replay over weeks, its limited unlock loop and smaller roster kept it behind our top beat-’em-up pick.