La primera época -que hemos clasificado como pre-Street Fighter II- de juegos de lucha estaría representada principalmente por los beat'em ups, destacando juegos como Final Fight de CAPCOM como gran vencedor, la saga Double Dragon, Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, Renegade, Kung Fu Master (Spartan), Golden Axe o Altered Beast (este último más cercano a los juegos de acción). En el ámbito versus destacamos el primer Street Fighter (1987), Yier Air Kung Fu, Karate Champ e International Karate, que todavía se encontraba en pañales.
| Año | Juego | Desarrollador | Género | Plataforma |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Karate Champ | Technos Japan/DATA EAST | Lucha 2D | ARCADE |
| 1984 | Urban Champion | Nintendo R&D1 | Lucha 2D | NES |
| 1984 | Kung Fu Master | IREM | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1985 | International Karate | System 3 | Lucha 2D | SPECTRUM |
| 1985 | Yie Ar Kung Fu | KONAMI | Lucha 2D | ARCADE, NES |
| 1986 | Karate Champ | DATA EAST | Lucha 2D | NES |
| 1986 | International Karate | System 3 | Lucha 2D | COMMODORE |
| 1986 | Renegade | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1987 | The Kung Fu | Hudson | Beat 'em up | PC ENGINE |
| 1987 | Double Dragon | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1987 | Street Fighter | CAPCOM | Lucha 2D | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Ninja Gaiden | TECMO | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | P.O.W.: Prisoners of War | SNK | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Vigilante | IREM | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Double Dragon | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | NES |
| 1988 | Tough Turf | Sunsoft | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Altered Beast | SEGA | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1988 | Fighting Street | HUDSON/CAPCOM | Lucha 2D | PC ENGINE |
| 1988 | Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja | DATA EAST | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | China Warrior | Hudson | Beat 'em up | PC ENGINE |
| 1989 | P.O.W.: Prisoners of War | SNK | Beat 'em up | NES |
| 1989 | Violence Fight | TAITO | Lucha 2D | ARCADE |
| 1989 | River City Ransom | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Final Fight | CAPCOM | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Dynasty Wars | CAPCOM | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Street Smart | SNK | Lucha 2D | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Crime Fighters | KONAMI | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Vigilante | IREM | Beat 'em up | PC ENGINE |
| 1989 | Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | NES, MSX |
| 1989 | Golden Axe | SEGA | Beat 'em up | MEGA DRIVE |
| 1989 | Altered Beast | SEGA | Beat 'em up | MEGA DRIVE, PC ENGINE |
| 1989 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | KONAMI | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Splatterhouse | NAMCO | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Gangs Wars | ADK | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1989 | Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja | DATA EAST | Beat 'em up | NES |
| 1990 | Mug Smashers | Electronic Devices | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1990 | Growl | TAITO | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1990 | Thunder Fox | TAITO | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1990 | Pit Fighter | ATARI | Lucha 2D | ARCADE |
| 1990 | Rollergames | KONAMI | Beat 'em up | NES |
| 1990 | Vigilante | Clover | Beat 'em up | MSX |
| 1990 | Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | AMIGA |
| 1990 | Combatribes | Technos Japan | Beat 'em up | ARCADE |
| 1990 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game | KONAMI | Beat 'em up | NES |