Battletoads & Double Dragon is a 1993 crossover beat 'em up developed by Rare and published by Tradewest. It brings together two brawler series: the toads Zitz, Pimple and Rash, plus Billy and Jimmy Lee from Double Dragon, for five playable characters in total. Technos had little credited involvement beyond licensing the Double Dragon heroes. The soundtrack was composed by David Wise.
The game came out first on the NES in North America in June 1993, then in Europe, and was later ported to the SNES, Sega Mega Drive and Game Boy. Two-player mode has two variants: in "2 Players A" partners can hit each other, in "2 Players B" they cannot.
The game was left out of the Rare Replay compilation. Its first re-release came only in September 2024, when the SNES version joined the Nintendo Switch Online library.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | NES | June 1993 | Tradewest | 1 |
| NA | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | Game Boy | December 1993 | Tradewest | 1 |
| NA | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | SNES | December 1993 | Tradewest | 1 |
| NA | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | Genesis | 1993 | Tradewest | 1 |
| EU | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | NES | October 1993 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | Game Boy | Jul 10, 1994 | Sony Imagesoft | 1 |
| EU | Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team | SNES | Jul 10, 1994 | Sony Imagesoft | 1 |
| WW | Battletoads/Double DragonSNES version added to Nintendo Switch Online; the game's first re-release | Switch | Sep 18, 2024 | Nintendo | 3 |
Also known as: Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team WW1Battletoads/Double Dragon WW3
Box art by region
NA Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team 
EU Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
-
GraphicsGame Boy
The Game Boy version plays like the NES game, but with a smaller screen, no pseudo-3D effects and a single-player mode only.1
-
GameplaySNESGenesis
The SNES and Genesis versions keep the NES gameplay and stages, with attack and jump on two buttons; reviewers faulted the SNES version for sticking too closely to the NES original.1
-
GraphicsSNESGenesis
GameFan rated the SNES version above the Genesis one for presentation, detail, effects and sound.1
Where to play legally today
-
Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Reception
The NES version was well received, with 91% from Electronic Games and 90% from Total!, and Nintendo Power staff named it the second-best NES game of 1993. The 16-bit and Game Boy versions scored lower.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
Spotted a mistake? Write to atlas@old-games.net.