The Best Metroidvania Games

Best Metroidvania games at a glance

How these Metroidvania games were selected

The ranking considers:

• Interconnected world and map design
• Meaningful ability-gated progression
• Whether returning to earlier areas reveals new possibilities
• Combat, platforming or puzzle quality
• Movement that improves as the campaign develops
• Secrets that reward careful observation
• Accessibility alongside room for mastery
• PC memory and storage requirements where listed

All eleven recommendations are complete single-player games. Bloodstained also lists cooperative and competitive multiplayer features.

1. Hollow Knight

Best overall Metroidvania

Hollow Knight explores Hallownest, a ruined underground kingdom connected through caverns, settlements and forgotten infrastructure.

The world rarely feels like a collection of isolated levels. Routes loop into one another, shortcuts change travel and new abilities reveal paths hidden inside familiar areas.

Combat begins with a simple nail attack but expands through spells, movement skills and Charms. Limited Charm capacity makes preparation part of difficult encounters.

Bosses reward pattern recognition and controlled positioning. Many optional fights provide challenges beyond the main route.

Storytelling is environmental and indirect. Characters, architecture and scattered details allow players to construct Hallownest’s history through exploration.

Hollow Knight is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 9 GB of storage.

Choose it for the broadest combination of exploration, combat, atmosphere and long-term discovery.

2. Nine Sols

Best Metroidvania for combat

Nine Sols combines hand-drawn action with a world influenced by eastern fantasy and science fiction.

Its combat centers on deflection. Correct timing turns defense into an opportunity to build pressure and set up stronger responses.

Bosses demand close attention to attack patterns, spacing and rhythm. Repeated attempts reward learning rather than random aggression.

Exploration gradually opens through movement and combat abilities, connecting the demanding battles to a wider Metroidvania structure.

The story follows a clear quest against the rulers of the realm, giving the campaign a more direct narrative drive than many cryptic genre examples.

Nine Sols is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 15 GB of storage.

Choose it when precise combat and an authored story matter more than the largest possible map.

3. Prince of Persia The Lost Crown

Best acrobatic Metroidvania

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown sends Sargon into Mount Qaf, a mythological location where time and space have become unstable.

Movement combines jumps, dashes and other abilities into fast traversal across combat rooms and platforming challenges.

New powers unlock routes while also expanding how Sargon approaches enemies.

Combat supports aerial strings, parries and special abilities, creating more expressive action than a basic attack-and-dodge system.

Navigation tools help players record inaccessible locations for later, reducing the need to remember every blocked route manually.

The game is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 30 GB of storage.

Choose it for fluid movement, acrobatic combat and a more guided entry into the genre.

4. ANIMAL WELL

Best puzzle-focused Metroidvania

ANIMAL WELL places a small creature inside a dense, interconnected labyrinth filled with animals, mechanisms and obscured routes.

Items are not limited to one obvious function. Experimentation can reveal new traversal methods, puzzle solutions or interactions with creatures.

Combat is not the primary focus. Observation, timing and environmental manipulation carry more of the experience.

The world contains several layers of secrets, including discoveries that may not be necessary for the first completion.

Its compact visual presentation supports precise environmental details while leaving many rules unexplained.

ANIMAL WELL is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.03 GB of storage.

Choose it for mystery, experimentation and exceptionally light listed hardware requirements.

5. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Best RPG-style Metroidvania

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night follows Miriam through a demon-infested castle while an alchemical curse threatens her body.

Weapons, armor and accessories support extensive build options. Different weapon categories change attack range, speed and rhythm.

Defeated enemies can provide Shards that grant active or passive abilities. These powers support both combat specialization and exploration.

The castle expands through interconnected rooms, hidden passages and movement-gated routes.

Character statistics and equipment give progression a stronger RPG emphasis than the more movement-focused games above.

The game supports single-player, online and split-screen co-op, plus competitive modes and full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 10 GB of storage.

Choose it for loot, character builds and a modern interpretation of the castle-focused branch of the genre.

6. Ori and the Blind Forest

Best cinematic Metroidvania platformer

Ori and the Blind Forest follows a small guardian spirit through the damaged forest of Nibel.

Movement develops from vulnerable early traversal into a more expressive chain of jumps and abilities.

Platforming carries more of the challenge than direct combat. Escape sequences test the player’s ability to combine movement skills under pressure.

The forest uses color, animation and music to support a clear emotional journey.

Its progression is more directed than Hollow Knight’s, making the overall route easier to follow.

Ori and the Blind Forest is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage.

Choose it for platforming, cinematic atmosphere and a focused story-led campaign.

7. Crypt Custodian

Best isometric Metroidvania for beginners

Crypt Custodian follows Pluto, a cat assigned to clean the afterlife after an unfavorable judgment.

The isometric perspective immediately distinguishes it from the side-scrolling majority of the genre.

Exploration opens through new abilities and upgrades that make earlier obstacles worth revisiting.

Combat remains readable, while characters and conversations give the afterlife a lighter personality than many ruined-world Metroidvanias.

Its structure provides the satisfaction of interconnected exploration without emphasizing extreme difficulty.

Crypt Custodian is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 1 GB of storage.

Choose it for approachable progression, isometric exploration and a more welcoming tone.

8. Minishoot’ Adventures

Best twin-stick shooter Metroidvania

Minishoot’ Adventures combines open exploration with top-down twin-stick shooting.

The player controls a small ship across an overworld, underground spaces and dungeons.

Upgrades improve movement, survivability and weapon performance, opening routes and expanding combat options.

Bosses use projectile patterns that connect the game to bullet-hell design without abandoning exploration.

The handcrafted world provides clearer geographical continuity than a sequence of disconnected shooting stages.

Minishoot’ Adventures is single-player with full controller support.

Choose it for responsive shooting, compact dungeons and a different perspective on ability-gated exploration.

9. Laika: Aged Through Blood

Best experimental Metroidvania movement

Laika: Aged Through Blood takes place in a post-apocalyptic western where motorcycle movement, shooting and platforming form one system.

The player must control direction, balance and rotation while traveling through dangerous spaces.

Aerial actions connect survival and weapon handling, making movement part of combat rather than a pause between encounters.

The campaign follows a story of oppression, family and revenge across a violent wasteland.

Its unusual controls create a steeper learning curve than traditional side-scrolling movement.

Laika is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 15 GB of storage.

Choose it for a genuinely different traversal system and a story-heavy world. Beginners should start with SteamWorld Dig 2 or Crypt Custodian.

10. Pseudoregalia

Best 3D Metroidvania

Pseudoregalia places Sybil inside a distorted castle built around three-dimensional platforming and parkour.

New movement abilities expand the route through the castle and increase the number of ways to cross existing spaces.

The game’s strongest pleasure comes from combining moves smoothly rather than following one prescribed path.

Retro-inspired presentation recalls earlier 3D platformers while using modern responsiveness and ability-gated exploration.

Its compact structure makes it suitable for players who want movement depth without a very long campaign.

Pseudoregalia is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and approximately 0.6 GB of storage.

Choose it when platforming freedom and route experimentation matter more than RPG systems or elaborate combat.

11. SteamWorld Dig 2

Best mining Metroidvania

SteamWorld Dig 2 follows Dorothy underground while searching for the missing Rusty.

Digging creates routes through the earth, turning resource collection and navigation into connected activities.

Collected materials can be sold for upgrades that improve tools, health, storage and exploration.

New abilities reveal previously inaccessible areas and make return journeys more efficient.

The town provides a clear rhythm between underground expeditions and character improvement.

SteamWorld Dig 2 is single-player with full controller support.

Choose it for an approachable introduction to Metroidvania structure, clear progression and a satisfying mining loop.

Which Metroidvania game should you play first?

Match the recommendation to the experience you want:

• The strongest all-round experience: Hollow Knight
• Deflection-focused combat: Nine Sols
• Acrobatic combat and navigation: Prince of Persia The Lost Crown
• Environmental puzzles and secrets: ANIMAL WELL
• RPG builds and equipment: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
• Cinematic platforming: Ori and the Blind Forest
• Accessible isometric exploration: Crypt Custodian
• Twin-stick shooting: Minishoot’ Adventures
• Motorcycle traversal and shooting: Laika: Aged Through Blood
• 3D parkour: Pseudoregalia
• Mining and beginner-friendly progression: SteamWorld Dig 2

Hollow Knight is the strongest first choice for players already comfortable with difficult action games. SteamWorld Dig 2 and Crypt Custodian are easier introductions, while ANIMAL WELL suits players who prefer puzzles to combat.

What is a Metroidvania game?

A Metroidvania is an exploration game built around an interconnected world where new abilities open routes that were previously inaccessible.

The world is usually persistent rather than regenerated after every failure. Players gradually learn its geography and return to old areas with new movement or interaction tools.

Progression should change how the player understands the map. A double jump, dash or environmental tool is valuable because it creates possibilities across several locations.

Combat, platforming, puzzles and RPG systems vary between games. Ability-gated exploration is the more consistent defining feature.

Best Metroidvania games for beginners

SteamWorld Dig 2 provides the clearest beginner-friendly progression. Mining produces resources, town visits produce upgrades and new powers open visible routes.

Crypt Custodian is another approachable option with readable combat and an isometric perspective.

Ori and the Blind Forest has a more directed campaign, although its escape sequences can become demanding.

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown combines accessible navigation tools with deeper combat and platforming, making it a good next step.

Hollow Knight and Nine Sols are better for players comfortable learning difficult bosses through repeated attempts.

Best Metroidvania games for exploration and secrets

Hollow Knight offers the broadest traditional world, with distinct regions, shortcuts and optional challenges.

ANIMAL WELL provides the densest puzzle-driven secrets. Its tools often have uses beyond their first apparent purpose.

Pseudoregalia makes exploration expressive through three-dimensional movement, while Minishoot’ Adventures combines top-down navigation with dungeons and shooting.

SteamWorld Dig 2 lets players physically shape routes through diggable terrain, giving exploration a resource-management layer.

Best Metroidvania games for combat

Nine Sols leads for tightly focused deflection combat and demanding boss patterns.

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown offers more acrobatic combos and integrates movement powers into fights.

Hollow Knight uses a simpler basic moveset but develops substantial depth through spacing, spells and Charms.

Bloodstained emphasizes weapons, equipment and ability builds. Laika creates the most unusual combat by combining motorcycle control with shooting and aerial movement.

Metroidvania versus roguelike

A Metroidvania usually uses a fixed interconnected world and persistent movement upgrades. Backtracking reveals routes that remain part of one continuing map.

A roguelike or roguelite commonly rebuilds part of the experience between runs and treats failure as a reset to an earlier state.

Some games combine both traditions, but the core motivations remain different. Metroidvania progress centers on understanding and unlocking a world, while roguelike progress centers on adapting to repeated runs.

None of the picks in this ranking requires a run-based structure to define its main campaign.

Are there multiplayer Metroidvania games?

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the only selection here that lists co-op and competitive multiplayer features.

The remaining ten games are listed as single-player experiences.

Multiplayer is less common in Metroidvanias because map progression and ability gates are frequently designed around one character’s growing moveset.

Players choosing Bloodstained specifically for multiplayer should verify which modes and activities are currently supported rather than assuming the entire campaign uses seamless co-op.

Best Metroidvania games for lower-spec PCs

ANIMAL WELL lists 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.03 GB of storage, the lightest listed requirements in this ranking.

Crypt Custodian lists 4 GB RAM and 1 GB of storage. Ori and the Blind Forest requires 4 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage.

Pseudoregalia has a small installation of approximately 0.6 GB but lists 8 GB RAM.

Hollow Knight lists 4 GB RAM and 9 GB of storage, while Bloodstained lists 4 GB RAM and 10 GB.

Minimum requirements do not guarantee ideal performance. Compare the current processor, graphics, operating-system and complete requirements with the intended PC before purchasing.

Final recommendations

Hollow Knight is the best overall Metroidvania for interconnected exploration, demanding bosses and atmosphere. Nine Sols provides the strongest deflection-focused combat, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown excels at mobility, and ANIMAL WELL offers the deepest environmental mystery.

Choose Bloodstained for RPG builds, Ori and the Blind Forest for cinematic platforming, Minishoot’ Adventures for twin-stick shooting, or Pseudoregalia for three-dimensional movement.

For newcomers, SteamWorld Dig 2 and Crypt Custodian provide the clearest introductions to ability-gated exploration.

The right Metroidvania depends on what should make returning to an old room exciting: a new movement skill, a better weapon, a hidden use for a familiar item or the sudden recognition that the wall was never just a wall.