The Best Platformer Games

Best platformer games at a glance

How these platformer games were selected

The ranking considers:

• Movement precision, responsiveness and readability
• Level design and challenge progression
• Variety across 2D, 3D, puzzle and action platforming
• Exploration, combat or co-op systems that complement movement
• Accessibility for beginners alongside room for mastery
• Replay value through secrets, speed, scores or alternate campaigns
• Single-player and multiplayer support
• Listed PC memory and storage requirements

Portal 2 is primarily a puzzle game, Cuphead emphasizes boss combat and Katana ZERO is an action game with platforming movement. Each is included as a clearly labeled adjacent choice because platforming remains important to navigation or encounter design.

1. Celeste

Best overall platformer game

Celeste follows a climb through hundreds of handcrafted rooms built around a small, precise movement set.

Jumping, wall climbing and an airborne dash create the foundation for increasingly complex challenges.

The controls are consistent enough that failure usually communicates what needs to change on the next attempt.

Frequent checkpoints keep difficult rooms focused and reduce repetition.

Optional collectibles and advanced stages provide substantial challenge beyond the central route.

Celeste is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and approximately 1.2 GB of storage.

Choose Celeste for exact movement, fair difficulty and a campaign capable of supporting both a first-time player and advanced mastery.

2. Hollow Knight

Best exploration-based platformer

Hollow Knight sends the player through Hallownest, a ruined underground kingdom connected by branching routes.

New movement abilities reveal paths through earlier areas, making navigation and memory central to progress.

Combat and platforming share the same responsive movement, allowing abilities to function in traversal and boss encounters.

Benches create save and recovery points, while death introduces a risk when returning to retrieve lost resources.

Optional regions, secrets and difficult challenges reward players who investigate beyond the expected route.

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

Choose it for a large interconnected world, demanding bosses and platforming tied directly to discovery.

3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Best platformer for fluid movement

Ori and the Will of the Wisps combines agile traversal with exploration across a large interconnected world.

Movement expands through abilities that improve jumping, aerial control and interaction with the environment.

Chase sequences turn traversal into sustained tests of route reading and timing.

Combat is more developed than in the previous Ori game, with weapons and abilities supporting different approaches.

Visuals, animation and music reinforce the sense of moving through a living landscape.

The game is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 20 GB of storage.

Choose it for expressive movement, cinematic presentation and a more guided alternative to Hollow Knight’s darker exploration.

4. SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS

Best 3D speed platformer

SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS combines two related campaigns built around speed, route selection and recognizable stages.

Levels shift between side-scrolling platforming and forward-moving 3D sections.

Maintaining momentum requires reading obstacles early and choosing routes suited to the player’s control.

Shadow’s abilities introduce distinct mechanics and alternate ways to move through stages.

Repeated runs reward route knowledge, faster completion and better rankings.

The game is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and approximately 35.3 GB of storage.

Choose it for high-speed 3D movement and replayable stages rather than slower exploratory platforming.

5. Portal 2

Best puzzle-platformer

Portal 2 uses connected portals to transform space, momentum and gravity into puzzle tools.

Test chambers ask players to understand how movement through one surface affects position and speed at another.

New environmental systems expand the possibilities without abandoning the portal mechanic.

The single-player campaign combines puzzle progression with character-driven storytelling.

A separate co-op campaign requires two players to coordinate four portals and communicate solutions.

It supports single-player, online co-op and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage.

Choose it for first-person problem-solving and the strongest cooperative puzzle design in this selection.

6. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove

Best retro platformer collection

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove contains several campaigns based on a shared pixel-art world.

The central shovel supports combat, digging and downward bouncing across enemies and hazards.

Additional playable characters use different movement and attack systems, changing how familiar stages are approached.

Secrets, treasure and optional challenges reward careful exploration.

The collection provides more variety than a single linear retro-style campaign.

It supports single-player, multiplayer, PvP and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and approximately 0.24 GB of storage.

Choose it for classic stage design, multiple campaigns and a modern interpretation of eight-bit platforming.

7. Cuphead

Best boss-focused platformer

Cuphead combines run-and-gun movement with a campaign dominated by elaborate boss battles.

Jumping, dashing, parrying and shooting must be coordinated while attack patterns change across phases.

The hand-drawn visual style directly supports the readable animation of enemies and attacks.

Repeated attempts teach timing and positioning rather than relying on permanent statistical growth.

Local cooperative play adds another participant but also changes the amount of movement and information on screen.

It supports single-player and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 3 GB RAM and 4 GB of storage.

Choose it for difficult bosses and action-heavy platforming. Players wanting exploration should choose Hollow Knight or Ori.

8. Super Meat Boy

Best rapid-retry precision platformer

Super Meat Boy presents short obstacle courses built around speed, wall movement and exact control.

Hazards punish mistakes immediately, but restarts are nearly instant.

That structure encourages experimentation because failure costs only a short attempt.

Later stages combine narrow spaces, moving hazards and demanding timing without expanding the core control set excessively.

Replays showing failed attempts together turn repeated mistakes into a visual record of improvement.

Super Meat Boy is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.3 GB of storage.

Choose it for concentrated difficulty and rapid repetition without exploration or lengthy story interruptions.

9. Pizza Tower

Best score-attack platformer

Pizza Tower emphasizes speed, expressive movement, exploration and scoring across large two-dimensional stages.

The character can build momentum, break through obstacles and link actions into fast routes.

Levels encourage an initial period of exploration followed by a pressured escape sequence.

Scoring systems reward players who understand movement well enough to maintain combinations and find efficient paths.

The exaggerated animation makes acceleration and impact easy to read despite the frantic pace.

It supports single-player and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.3 GB of storage.

Choose it for momentum, replayable rankings and less conventional stage flow.

10. Planet of Lana

Best cinematic puzzle-platformer

Planet of Lana follows a journey through an alien world affected by invading machines.

Traversal is combined with stealth, environmental puzzles and cooperation with a companion.

The player can direct the companion to reach spaces or activate solutions unavailable to the main character alone.

Its side-view presentation uses landscape, scale and quiet movement to create a cinematic pace.

The platforming is less demanding than Celeste or Super Meat Boy, keeping attention on puzzles and atmosphere.

Planet of Lana is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 10 GB of storage.

Choose it for a concise story-led journey and accessible environmental problem-solving.

11. GRIS

Best artistic platformer

GRIS uses movement, color and music to communicate its story with very little conventional dialogue.

New abilities gradually expand how the character crosses the environment and solves light puzzles.

The challenge remains gentle, allowing the visual design and transitions between areas to remain central.

Watercolor-inspired environments change as color returns to the world.

Its structure is more about observation and progression than mechanical punishment.

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

Choose it for an approachable platforming experience centered on art direction, music and visual storytelling.

12. BattleBlock Theater

Best conventional co-op platformer

BattleBlock Theater combines jumping, puzzles, hazards and comedy across a large collection of stages.

Co-op levels ask two players to help one another reach switches, cross gaps and complete routes.

The same cooperation can become deliberate interference, giving local and online sessions a playful competitive edge.

A level editor expands the experience beyond the included campaign.

Its movement is easy to understand, while later puzzles require coordination and timing.

It supports single-player, online co-op, online PvP and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 1 GB RAM and 2 GB of storage.

Choose it for shared-screen platforming and puzzle coordination. Choose Portal 2 for first-person co-op problem-solving.

13. Geometry Dash

Best rhythm platformer

Geometry Dash turns jumps and transformations into rhythm-timed obstacle courses.

The character moves automatically, so the player focuses on timing rather than horizontal control.

Music and visual cues help communicate the intended rhythm of each sequence.

Repeated attempts gradually convert unfamiliar stages into memorized patterns.

A level editor and community creations greatly expand the available challenges.

Geometry Dash is single-player. Minimum requirements include 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.1 GB of storage.

Choose it for compact rhythm challenges, user-created levels and the smallest listed installation in this ranking.

14. Katana ZERO

Best action-platformer

Katana ZERO combines acrobatic movement, sword combat and time manipulation inside short lethal encounters.

Both the player and many enemies can be defeated quickly, making route planning and execution equally important.

Dashing, deflecting and interacting with the environment create several solutions to a room.

Instant restarts keep the pace moving after failure.

The story uses dialogue choices and a neo-noir setting to connect the action stages.

Katana ZERO is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.2 GB of storage.

Choose it for fast combat and movement. Choose Celeste or Super Meat Boy when pure platforming precision is the priority.

15. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

Best physics-based platforming challenge

Getting Over It replaces conventional jumping with climbing controlled through a hammer.

Progress depends on understanding leverage, momentum and the relationship between cursor movement and the character’s position.

A small error can erase substantial progress because the mountain contains few protections against falling.

The challenge therefore includes remaining controlled after failure, not merely executing the next movement.

Its unusual control scheme creates a distinct form of platforming mastery.

The game is single-player. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and 2 GB of storage.

Choose it for uncompromising physics and high consequences. Avoid it when frequent loss of progress would undermine enjoyment.

Which platformer game should you play first?

Match the recommendation to the experience you want:

• Precise movement and balanced difficulty: Celeste
• Exploration and boss combat: Hollow Knight
• Fluid cinematic movement: Ori and the Will of the Wisps
• High-speed 3D stages: SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS
• Puzzles and co-op: Portal 2
• Retro campaigns: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
• Boss-focused action: Cuphead
• Rapid-retry precision: Super Meat Boy
• Speed and score attack: Pizza Tower
• A cinematic puzzle journey: Planet of Lana
• Gentle artistic exploration: GRIS
• Co-op jumping and comedy: BattleBlock Theater
• Rhythm and user-created levels: Geometry Dash
• Instant-death action: Katana ZERO
• Physics and severe consequences: Getting Over It

Celeste is the strongest first recommendation for understanding the genre’s focus on movement. GRIS is better for a low-pressure start, while Hollow Knight suits players who want exploration and combat alongside platforming.

Best platformer games for beginners

GRIS offers the gentlest route into the genre, emphasizing visual progression and light puzzles.

Planet of Lana introduces platforming through a slower cinematic structure and companion-based problem-solving.

Portal 2 allows players to stop and study most challenges before acting.

Celeste is difficult, but frequent checkpoints and accessibility options make the central journey more flexible than its reputation may suggest.

Avoid beginning with Getting Over It or the hardest optional content in Super Meat Boy when severe failure penalties would be discouraging.

Best difficult platformer games

Celeste provides the strongest balance of precision, readability and gradual learning.

Super Meat Boy increases mechanical pressure through short hazards and instant restarts.

Cuphead shifts the challenge toward bosses, pattern recognition and simultaneous shooting.

Geometry Dash combines memorization with rhythm timing, while Getting Over It makes lost progress part of the difficulty.

Hollow Knight’s hardest challenges combine movement with combat and longer consequences between attempts.

Best co-op platformer games

Portal 2 includes a dedicated co-op campaign where two players coordinate separate portal pairs.

BattleBlock Theater offers conventional side-view platforming, puzzles and both online and split-screen co-op.

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove lists split-screen co-op alongside its several campaigns.

Cuphead supports local co-op for difficult run-and-gun stages and bosses.

Pizza Tower also lists split-screen co-op, adding a faster score-focused option.

Best platformer games for lower-spec PCs

Geometry Dash lists 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.1 GB of storage.

Pizza Tower lists 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.3 GB of storage.

Katana ZERO lists 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.2 GB, while Super Meat Boy lists 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.3 GB.

BattleBlock Theater lists 1 GB RAM and 2 GB. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove lists 2 GB RAM and approximately 0.24 GB.

Minimum requirements do not guarantee ideal performance. Compare the complete current requirements with the intended PC before purchasing.

2D versus 3D platformers

Two-dimensional platformers constrain movement to a plane, allowing levels to communicate distance and hazards with high precision.

Celeste, Super Meat Boy and Shovel Knight build their challenge around that readability.

Three-dimensional platformers add depth, camera management and more possible routes through space. SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS uses speed and frequent transitions between 2D and 3D structures.

Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle game, but momentum and spatial navigation make its platforming challenges fundamentally three-dimensional.

For a dedicated selection, continue with the best 3D platformers.

What makes a great platformer?

Responsive controls allow the player to predict how an input will change position.

Strong level design introduces a mechanic, tests it and then combines it with earlier ideas.

Readable hazards make failure feel understandable, even when the required execution is difficult.

Useful checkpoints preserve challenge without forcing unnecessary repetition.

Finally, movement should remain enjoyable outside the hardest obstacles. The best platformers make crossing an ordinary room satisfying before adding enemies, puzzles or speed targets.

Final recommendations

Celeste is the best overall platformer for precise movement, challenge progression and accessibility. Hollow Knight leads for exploration, Ori and the Will of the Wisps for fluid traversal and SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS for 3D speed.

Choose Portal 2 for puzzles, BattleBlock Theater for co-op, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove for retro campaigns or Cuphead for boss-focused action.

For specialized challenges, choose Super Meat Boy for rapid retries, Geometry Dash for rhythm, Pizza Tower for scoring, Katana ZERO for action or Getting Over It for unforgiving physics.

The right platformer depends on what movement should become: a puzzle, a route through an unexplored world, a test of precision, a shared challenge or an expressive skill worth mastering for its own sake.