The annual Steam Summer Sale started this week, and thousands of games are currently discounted. This includes plenty of games in one of our favorite genres: beat 'em ups like Rotwood! With that in mind, we've compiled a list of every beat 'em up in the Steam Summer Sale - and their co-op features! Lots of these game support Remote Play Together while the console versions have no online co-op, making these the best versions to get.
When Absolum debuted last year (and this year on Xbox), it quickly emerged as one of the best modern beat 'em ups. A big part of Absolum's appeal is that it was the only roguelike brawler on the market. Well, that has just changed with the arrival of Mad King Redemption from Secret Mission and Pixel Doors. This one is both a beat 'em up and a roguelike, but it looks vastly different from just about any other game in the genre thanks to its bold 2.5D graphics. It also features 4-player local co-op, so it's definitely on our must-play list.
Sometimes, workers just really resent their bosses. The boss looks down on them, asks them to do too much, and never provides substantial raises. Who wouldn't want to rise up and overthrow the tyrannical boss? Well, that's not what Underling Uprising is about. Oh no, this game is about a group of test subjects who rebel against the mad scientist who empowered them. This fresh, new beat em up (and Kickstarter success story) comes from Dummy Dojo and Abylight Studios, and it features 4-player local co-op.
Ever since the film Clerks perfectly captured the drudgery and indignity of convenience store work, Jay and Silent Bob have been popular characters. They've popped up in numerous Kevin Smith films, on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and even starred in a series of beat 'em ups. The latest of those beat 'em ups is Jay and Silent Bob: Chronic Blunt Punch, and it's out today, a normal day just like any other.
It's always sad when a game developer dies, but especially so when that person is the founder of an actual genre. Yoshihisa Kishimoto is just such a person. He created the Kunio-kun/River City and Double Dragon franchises, and as such, is considered the father of the beat 'em up genre. Double Dragon was instrumental in popularizing cooperative multiplayer, so his influence even extends beyond the genre that he created. Lamentably, Kishimito died on April 2, as reported by his son.
The original The Takeover is a beat 'em up from Pelikan13 that is famed for its large characters and impressive graphics. Since the Steam version came out in 2019 and the PlayStation and Switch versions landed in 2021, fans have been clamoring for a sequel. However, as the years stretched on, it seemed like the Take might really be Over. Fear not! The second game will be called Takeover 2 (the budget didn't allow for articles), and it's coming to Steam in September. Hopefully, console versions will follow!
We are currently enjoying a beat 'em up renaissance, and that doesn't just include licensed brawlers like Scott Pilgrim EX. Even classic series like Jaleco's Rushing Beat (originally localized as Rival Turf) are making a comeback! The fourth game in that series, RUSHING BEAT X: Return of the Brawl Brothers from City Connection and Clear River Games, has just arrived on not just Switch and Steam, but Xbox and PlayStation too! It features 2-player local co-op, just like previous entries.
Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game was a fairly successful video game adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim franchise, so it’s not too surprising that it would receive a sequel. Okay, it would be surprising if Ubisoft released a sequel since they haven’t had their act together in years. Instead, Tribute Games, which consists of some of the...
March pretty much belongs to Scott Pilgrim EX, but what will beat 'em up fans play in April? We're glad you asked! He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, the beat 'em up from Bitmap Bureau and Limited Run Games, is due on consoles and PC at the end of April. It will feature 2-player local co-op. Games about He-Man have been surprisingly scarce over the years, though there was an OpenBOR fan game a few years back. Seeing a new He-Man game and a new film on the horizon certainly makes us nostalgic...
During the cold winter months, sometimes you need a game to match the season. Wendigo Blue is a beat 'em that's currently in Steam Early Access, and it might just fit that bill. Indie developer EndlessFluff published the game early in 2025 and continues to develop new content for it. The game already features 4-player local co-op, so it's right up our alley.
Tribute Games and DotEmu struck gold with TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, one of the most popular beat 'em ups in recent memory. After years of updates, the team has finally released their big follow-up: MARVEL Cosmic Invasion. The new brawler promises all the style and charm of Shredder's Revenge but with a fantastic lineup of Marvel heroes and villains. It's out now on all current-gen platforms.
Back in the innocent 1990s, Jaleco released a trilogy of Super NES beat 'em ups in the Rushing Beat series. Well, in Japan, they were part of that series. In international markets, Jaleco renamed each game and censored it to pieces. Nowadays, however, a fourth game called RUSHING BEAT X: Return of the Brawl Brothers is in the works for Steam and Switch 2 from City Connection and Clear River Games. Like its predecessors, Rushing Beat X will support 2-player local co-op, and it's extremely promising.
