Platformer PC Games

2018 · Precision Platformer · PC / Steam

Celeste is a precision platformer that manages to be both punishingly hard and deeply compassionate. The controls are some of the tightest in the genre, the level design introduces and discards mechanics at a pace that keeps every chapter feeling fresh, and the story about Madeline's climb hits harder than most people expect from a game about jumping. Assist Mode ensures nobody gets locked out, even if the intended experience involves dying thousands of times. It's a short game that leaves a long impression, and the B-side and C-side chapters ensure that players looking for a real challenge will find one waiting.

2019 · Action Platformer · PC / Steam

Katana Zero is a near-perfect fusion of lightning-fast action and surprisingly deep storytelling. Every level is a violent puzzle solved in seconds, and the narrative that ties them together has more ambition and emotional weight than most indie action games attempt. The difficulty can be brutal, and the story ends on an unresolved note that has left fans waiting for years. But what's here is one of the tightest, most stylish action games on PC. It does everything right except end.

2015 · Platformer · PC / Steam

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of those rare games where every element works in concert. The platforming is precise and satisfying, the world is gorgeous and worth exploring, and the story hits harder than most games ten times its length. The Definitive Edition's added difficulty options and areas only strengthen the package. Escape sequences will test your patience, and the save system can amplify frustration in spots, but those are small costs for a game that has earned its place among the best platformers ever made. It's the kind of experience that sticks with you long after the credits.

2020 · Action Platformer · PC / Steam

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a sequel that improves on its predecessor in nearly every meaningful way. The combat has real depth now, the movement is among the best the genre has ever produced, and the visual and musical presentation operates at a level most games can only aspire to. Some escape sequences frustrate more than they thrill, and certain abilities feel underused outside their introductory areas, but these are small complaints against a game that consistently reaches for something beautiful and lands it. Moon Studios built a platformer that resonates on an emotional level while still delivering satisfying action and exploration. That combination is rarer than it should be.

2014 · Platformer · PC / Steam

Shovel Knight, in its Treasure Trove form, is one of the most complete platforming packages available. Four distinct campaigns, each with its own character and mechanics, plus a local multiplayer mode, add up to a staggering amount of content for a game inspired by 8-bit classics. The level design is sharp, the music is fantastic, and Yacht Club Games managed to capture what made NES-era platformers great while quietly fixing what made them frustrating. Replaying similar stages across campaigns can wear thin, but the quality of each individual run is hard to argue with. This is retro done right.

2022 · Action Platformer · PC / Steam

Neon White is a speedrunning game disguised as a first-person shooter, and it pulls off that fusion with extraordinary confidence. The card-based movement system is brilliantly designed, levels are short enough to replay dozens of times without frustration, and chasing faster times becomes deeply addictive. The visual novel story segments will split the room, and the humor lands better for some than others. But the core loop of sprinting through heaven, discarding weapon cards for movement abilities, and shaving seconds off your best time is among the most satisfying action gameplay on PC in recent years.

2022 · 3D Platformer · PC / Steam

Tinykin is a joyful collectathon that borrows the best parts of Pikmin and 3D platformers, then wraps them in a world that's a constant delight to explore. Every room in the oversized house is packed with creative details, shortcuts to unlock, and puzzles that use the Tinykin types in clever ways. It's on the easy side, and it ends before its ideas run out, which is both a compliment and a mild disappointment. For anyone who misses the feeling of discovering secrets in a well-crafted game world, this is a treat.

2021 · 3D Platformer · PC / Steam

Psychonauts 2 is a game that leads with imagination and never runs out of it. Double Fine built something that looks, sounds, and feels like nothing else in the platforming genre, and the way it handles its themes of mental health gives the whole experience a warmth that sticks with you. Combat drags the package down a tier, and the difficulty won't push experienced players, but the level design alone makes this essential for anyone who cares about creative game worlds. Sixteen years between sequels, and the studio came back with something better than the original in almost every way.

2019 · Action Platformer · PC / Steam

Blasphemous is a striking metroidvania built on a foundation of religious horror, gorgeous pixel art, and punishing combat. The atmosphere and visual design are extraordinary, creating a world unlike anything else in the genre. Backtracking without enough fast travel points and some cryptic quest logic hold it back from greatness, but the sheer artistry on display carries it through those frustrations. Anyone drawn to dark, challenging platformers with a strong sense of identity should put this near the top of their list.

2024 · Action Platformer · PC / Steam

Nine Sols is a beautifully hand-drawn action platformer that builds its entire combat system around parrying and talisman detonation, creating fights that feel like violent puzzles. The boss encounters are exceptional, the art direction is stunning, and the Chinese mythology-inspired setting gives it a cultural identity that stands apart from the crowd. Brutal difficulty and some pacing issues in the story keep it from universal appeal, but players who click with its deflection-focused combat will find one of the most satisfying action games in recent years.

2017 · Survival Platformer · PC / Steam

Rain World is one of the most unique and uncompromising games on PC. Its procedurally driven ecosystem creates a living world where you're not the protagonist but the prey, and surviving in it demands patience, observation, and a willingness to accept that the game won't hold your hand. The difficulty and opaque design will turn many players away, and the early hours can be genuinely miserable before the game's beauty reveals itself. But for those who push through, Rain World offers an experience that nothing else replicates. It's a game that earns its devoted following the hard way.