Play Riot City Online

Riot City is a 1991 arcade beat 'em up from NMK that arrived late in the genre's golden age, offering a straightforward urban brawl without the flash of its contemporaries. You pick one of two detectives, Rick or Joe, and set out to dismantle a sprawling crime organization across a series of city streets and industrial zones.

You move screen by screen, punching and kicking through crowds of thugs who actively dodge and block your attacks, making each encounter feel tense as your health bar dwindles. Your main goal is to survive each area and defeat the boss waiting at the end, using occasional weapon pickups like pipes or knives to even the odds against tougher foes. The pacing is brisk, and the difficulty can spike unexpectedly, especially when enemies swarm from all sides. It feels like a gritty, no-frills scrap where every hit matters.