Streets of Rage is one of the best beat’em up side scroller to ever exist. This iconic brawler was one of the best-selling games on the Sega Genesis and left a major impact on the video game industry. While plenty of other beat’em ups fell into obscurity after the ’90s, Streets of Rage has built a legacy that has survived well into the current day.
Although the original Streets of Rage was released on August 2, 1991, for the Genesis, a port for the Nintendo 3DS was released on December 19, 2013. Streets of Rage is easily one of Sega’s biggest properties. This franchise has received multiple games and comics, and a feature-length animated film is set to be released sometime soon.
Streets of Rage Premise
As with most beat ’em-up games, the story revolves around a city under siege by criminals. The town of Wood Oak City is being taken over by a kingpin known as Mr. X and his criminal syndicate. Wood Oak City has been overrun by an army of ninjas, punks, and a variety of other enemies. In order to save Wood Oak City, players must battle their way through eight different locations and seven boss enemies. Defeat Mr. X and be the hero of Wood Oak City.
Streets of Rage Main Characters
Three former police officers have decided to take justice into their own hands and take down Mr. X’s criminal syndicate. Players can take on the role of Adam, Axel, or Blaze, who roam the streets cracking skulls and beating criminal scum. There is a total of 40 different moves and attacks that Adam, Axel, and Blaze can perform on enemies. The characters can also pick up items in the environment to use as weapons like knives, bats, and bottles.
Streets of Rage Series
The Streets of Rage series has been thriving for decades now. There are a total of four games in the franchise, each of which has been widely successful. The fourth entry, Streets of Rage 4, was released on April 30, 2020, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. Fans of the original Streets of Rage have plenty of content to enjoy in these three sequels.
| Title | Year of Release |
| Streets of Rage | 1991 |
| Streets of Rage 2 | 1992 |
| Streets of Rage 3 | 1994 |
| Streets of Rage 4 | 2020 |
Streets of Rage Cheat Codes
Like many games from the ’90s, Streets of Rage has plenty of secrets and cheat codes. The cheat code system used to be a staple in gaming. Sadly, cheat codes have become a lot less popular with newer games that mainly rely on community-created mods.
Mainly only games that are purposefully attempting a retro aesthetic include cheat codes. The cheat codes in Streets of Rage allow players to gain extra lives, skip levels, and unlock new modes. This game really feels like a real blast from the past.
| Secrets and Cheats | Effects |
| Stick the Landing | After being thrown, press up+jump to land on your feet. |
| There Can Only Be One | In a two-player game, players can fight one another to the death. When the final boss asks you to be his right-hand man, have player one say NO and player two say YES. |
| Two Players For the Price of One Boss | In single-player mode, when the first player drops from the sky, player two should press start. Only one boss will appear in the level. |
| Extra Life | After completing a stage, and before the points start totaling up. Press: START and you will gain an extra life. |
| Extra Continues | Press L, L, B, B, B, C, C, C, Start at the title screen. |
| Bad Ending | Start the two-player fight to the death. The player who said no must win. When the final boss asks again, you answer NO. Killing him will trigger the bad ending. |
| Bonus Points | On level 3, after defeating the boss, use your special weapon before he hits the ground. You will get a bonus of 5,000 points! Be sure to save your weapon until you defeat him. |
| Level Select and Extra Men | At the title screen, move the cursor to OPTIONS but don’t select it. Hold A + B + C + RIGHT on Controller Two and press START on Controller One. Now enter the OPTIONS screen and look for two new options, “Players” and “Level Select”. |
| Easier and Harder Game | At the title screen, hold A + B on Controller Two and press START on Controller One. You can now choose EASIEST and MANIA difficulties. |
Streets of Rage Cheat Code FAQ
Does Streets of Rage have any cheat codes?
Yes, Streets of Rage has a number of different cheat codes and secrets that players can access. These cheat codes can give players extra lives, skip levels, unlock new game modes, and much more.