Streets of Rage 4 is free on the Epic Games Store

While there is currently a slew of excellent mobile games to try out, such as Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy, which recently completed its core lineup, there's always room for more, especially when it is free!

So, we return to the Epic Games Store and its latest offering, Streets of Rage 4.

First, a bit of a history lesson, because this goes all the way back to the Sega Mega Drive. Side note: Shining Force needs to make a comeback. Anyway, in 1991, the original Streets of Rage was released and became a colossal hit, thanks to its fun side-scrolling beat-'em-up action and its fantastic soundtrack. 

It went on to be one of the best-selling Sega games and spawned two sequels, Streets of Rage 2 and 3 in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Remember when sequels didn’t take a decade, Rockstar? Streets of Rage 2 was a phenomenal hit, whilst 3 simmered a bit. Then the series took about a 15-year break until 2020, when Streets of Rage 4 burst from the silence.

History lesson is over now, you can stop zoning out

Streets of Rage 4 was the return of a legend, modernising the side-scrolling action whilst keeping the spirit of the series intact. Unfortunately, we are living in the world of open-world Elden Ring and Warframes lighting-fast ninja robots, so that style of play doesn’t set the world alight anymore. But, still, good fun for free.

You can choose between 21 characters, including 13 retro heroes from the original trilogy, for that full nostalgia smack. These, of course, include the likes of Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter. The combat has also been enchanted, including walls at the edge of the area you are in.

No longer will enemies fly out of the screen; instead, they will bounce off an invisible wall, right back into your flying kicks. 

You can download Streets of Rage 4 for free from the Epic Games Store.