Streets of Rage 4 is a premium beat ’em up — no live service, no storefront, no promo code system. Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games built it the old-school way: you buy it, you play it. So if you landed here looking for redeemable codes that spit out free currency, there aren’t any. That’s just not how this game works.
What does exist is the actual good stuff: one hidden cheat to unlock a secret character, four retro levels tucked inside normal stages, and a full roster of classic fighters tied to your Lifetime Points score. That’s what this guide covers.
Streets of Rage 4 Cheat Code — Unlock Roo
There is exactly one traditional cheat code in Streets of Rage 4, and it unlocks Roo — the boxing kangaroo from Streets of Rage 3.
Requirement: You need to own either the Mr. X’s Nightmare DLC or the Anniversary Edition for this to work.
How to enter it:
At the title screen, hold Up + Attack + Start simultaneously for several seconds. The Attack button varies by platform: Square on PS4, X on Xbox One, Y on Nintendo Switch, and Z on PC. After holding long enough, release and navigate to Stage Select — Roo will now appear as a selectable character.
One thing worth noting: some sources report needing to own either the Mr. X’s Nightmare DLC or the Anniversary Edition for this code to work, so if nothing happens after you try it, that’s likely why.
Streets of Rage 4 Secret Retro Levels
There are four hidden retro levels scattered across the game, each accessible by zapping a specific arcade cabinet with a taser. The trick is the same every time — grab a taser from a cop enemy, don’t use it on anyone else, carry it to the arcade machine, and zap it.
Once inside these levels, players will face off against a boss from one of the original Streets of Rage games.
Here’s where each one is:
- Stage 2 (Police Precinct) — Defeat the cop near the security checkpoint and carry his taser to the arcade cabinet in the back room. Boss: Jack (from Streets of Rage 2)
- Stage 4 (Old Pier) — Before jumping down to the second level, there’s an arcade behind you with an open door on the right. Zap the Bare Knuckle cabinet inside. Boss: Zamza
- Stage 5 (Underground) — The cabinet is in the second section of the stage, inside the biker bar. Hard to miss. Boss: Abadede
- Stage 8 — A fourth arcade machine is hidden here for the final retro encounter
Don’t accidentally use the taser on enemies first — that’s the most common way people miss these.
Streets of Rage 4 Character Unlocks — Lifetime Points
The bulk of what there is to “unlock” in Streets of Rage 4 comes through the Lifetime Points system. Every stage you complete in any mode adds to a running total, and hitting certain milestones releases classic characters from the first three games.
Achieving certain milestone totals of Lifetime Points unlocks different bonus characters for use in the game. To unlock all characters (including the game’s strongest fighter, Shiva) players will need to amass 1,150,000 Lifetime Points.
Adam Hunter is the exception — just complete Stage 4 to get his triumphant introduction scene, and he’ll be available afterwards.
Here’s the full unlock order for the retro roster:
| Character | Lifetime Points Required |
|---|---|
| SoR1 Axel Stone | 200,000 |
| SoR1 Adam Hunter | 250,000 |
| SoR1 Blaze Fielding | 310,000 |
| SoR2 Max Thunder | 390,000 |
| SoR2 Axel Stone | 480,000 |
| SoR2 Blaze Fielding | 570,000 |
| SoR2 Skate Hunter | 650,000 |
| SoR3 Axel Stone | 730,000 |
| SoR3 Blaze Fielding | 840,000 |
| SoR3 Skate Hunter | 940,000 |
| SoR3 Dr. Gilbert Zan | 1,050,000 |
| SoR3 Shiva | 1,150,000 |
Shiva is legitimately the best fighter in the game — not only does Shiva deal the most damage of any character, but he’s also incredibly fast and the only character capable of performing air combos. Worth the grind if you’re into that
Tips for earning points faster:
Most of your points come from performing combos — the higher your combo counter, the bigger the point reward. But getting hit by an enemy will end your combo and deprive you of those points. Beyond combos, time, HP, and unspent stars affect your score — you earn bonus points at the end of the stage based on how quickly you beat it, how much health you have left, and whether you’ve held back any star powers.
Bonus points are also earned by playing new modes, playing stages with new characters, and playing through higher difficulty levels. Mixing up your playstyle pays off.
Where to Find More Streets of Rage 4 Updates
Streets of Rage 4 is a finished game at this point, so there’s no ongoing code drip. For any DLC news or community discussion, the best spots are the official Dotemu Twitter/X account and the Streets of Rage 4 Steam community hub, where players still actively share tips and strategies.
Hello, my name is Mike Nikko and I am the Admin of Deliventura. Gaming has been a part of my life for more than 15 years, and during that time I have turned my passion into a place where I can share stories, reviews, and experiences with fellow players. See more about Mike Nikko
