Summary
Double Dragonbegan rocking the minds of players in 1987. It was a hit in the arcade scene which was quickly ported to many consoles like the NES. It was a huge series in the 80s and 90s, but once the 2000s hit, entries were few and far between.
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The last game,Double Dragon 4, was in 2017, and it did not fare well. After six long years, fans are finally getting a new entry viaDouble Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons,and fans are eager to know if the wait was worth it and how it stacks up to some of the best entries in the series.
6Abobo’s Big Adventure
Abobo’s Big Adventureis technically aDouble Dragongame even though it is a fan-made one. It proved that fans were capable of creating more than justmods for games. It is one of the most famous ones to have ever been made which is why it deserves to be included. It has almost been lost to time, thanks to the Internet dialing back on flash-based content. The game was released for free online in 2012 and features the villain, Abobo, as the star.
His child gets kidnapped and the first stage plays like a normal brawler. Then things start to get wacky as he jumps into other NES franchises likeSuper Mario Bros.andThe Legend of Zelda. There are so many surprises in here that it’s best not to spoil anything.Abobo’s Big Adventureis fun to play thanks to its inventiveness and comedic nature. Players should set aside a good hour and seek it out.
5Double Dragon (Neo Geo)
Double Dragon, often referred to asDouble Dragon (Neo Geo), wasa fighting game. It was released first in arcades in 1995 before getting ports to consoles like the PS1. It is not the only fighting game in the series, but of the two including DoubleDragon 5: The Shadow Falls, it is the best one.
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It’s based on the 1994 movie, which is not all that good. This tie-in game is probably the best thing about its existence. It uses sprite-based characters, unlike another fighting game movie tie-in viaStreet Fighter.Street Fighter: The Movie, which is the confusing game title, digitized the actors, which made it clunky to play compared toDouble Dragon (Neo Geo)which is still a decent fighting game.
4Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
The 80s and 90s were full of great brawlers but there were not a lot ofcrossovers in the genre. That’s whyBattletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Teamwas such a surprise in 1993. Developed mainly by Rare, they took what they learned from their franchise,Battletoads, and added Billy and Jimmy Lee fromDouble Dragonto the formula. It’s probably the bestBattletoadsgame as it has a more fair difficulty balance than any of the other titles.
It supports co-op and players can choose one of five characters. It made it to a plethora of platforms, including the NES, Game Boy, SNES, and Sega Genesis.
3Double Dragon Advance
Double Dragon Advanceis a 2003 GBA remake of the first game, based on the arcade version. One of the most significant things about its release was thatAtlus handled the publishing. They did a lot of publishing on the GBA and not just with RPGs either.
The gameplay is the smoothest experience between the other consoles and the arcade original. The nicest thing about it is thatDouble Dragon Advanceuses mechanics from future titles in the series. If fans want to see where this series began, this is the version to do it with.
2Double Dragon Neon
Double Dragon Neonwas a throwback to this franchise, but it was also playing off of 80s nostalgia. It was released digitally for contemporary consoles in 2012 - the PS3 and Xbox 360. It was developed by WayForward, but it didn’t feature pixel art, like most of theirgames, includingShantae.
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Billy and Jimmy Lee, along with enemies and other characters, were a lot beefier. The colors were the main aesthetic as everything popped like they were derived from a Lisa Frank folder. It was another brawler, but the hook featured cassette tapes that players could collect and equip like armor in an RPG. Tapes could increase stats or grant the brothers special abilities. Speaking of cassettes, the soundtrack was out of this world.
1Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise Of The Dragons
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragonsis both the newest entry in the series as well as the best. It fixes quite a lot of things from the last game,Double Dragon 4. The music is great, and it looks pixel-perfect too. It can easily be finished in a few hours, but the game encourages replays because it does change. The core concept revolves around players jumping onto a world map where they can decide to fight one of four bosses.
The defeat of one boss and their gang will change the others on the map. The more bosses that get defeated, the more levels will be added to the rival compounds. It hasa roguelike element, which makes sense since upgrades are randomized too. There are tons of unlocks, like new playable characters, so fans will assuredly get what they pay for if they wish to invest more time after their first run.
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragonswas released on Jul 06, 2025, and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
