"platformer"

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.

2017 · Puzzle Platformer

Inside on iOS is a masterclass in atmospheric game design that loses almost nothing in the transition from console to phone. The visual storytelling is extraordinary, the puzzles build with precision, and the final act delivers one of the most unforgettable sequences in gaming. Touch controls occasionally create friction in timing-heavy sections, and the four-hour runtime means it's over quickly. But those four hours contain more memorable moments than most games manage in forty. It's one of the best games on mobile, period.

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.

2020 · Management · PC / Steam

Spiritfarer is a game about saying goodbye, and it earns every one of those goodbyes through hours of cooking, building, exploring, and caring for characters who feel like more than quest givers. The management systems are satisfying without being stressful, the hand-drawn animation is gorgeous, and the emotional payoffs hit harder than most games twice its budget. It runs long and the late-game pacing sags, but the moments that matter, and there are many, make it one of the most affecting games of its generation.

2018 · Platformer

Oddmar is one of the best platformers available on any mobile device. Its hand-drawn animation, tight controls, and inventive level design put it in rare company for the genre on phones and tablets. The 24 levels can be cleared in a few hours, and players hungry for more content will hit the ceiling fast. But every one of those hours is packed with quality that rivals big-budget console platformers, and the free opening chapter makes it easy to find out if the game clicks before spending a dime. Few mobile games feel this polished, and even fewer play this well with touch controls.

2019 · Adventure · PC / Steam

A Short Hike is a small game that leaves a big impression. In roughly two hours, it delivers more warmth, personality, and genuine fun than many games manage in forty. The movement feels great, the characters are memorable, the island is packed with things to discover, and the whole package has a lightness that's rare in gaming. It's over quickly, and that brevity is the only real complaint anyone levels at it. For the price and the experience, this is about as close to a universal recommendation as games get.

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.

2019 · Action Roguelike

Dead Cells on mobile is one of the best premium ports available on phones and tablets, translating a demanding action roguelite with impressive care. Auto-hit mode and customizable controls make the touchscreen experience far better than it has any right to be, though a controller still unlocks the game's full potential. The sheer volume of weapons, paths, and DLC content means hundreds of hours of runs that rarely feel the same twice. If you can handle the punishment and have a phone made in the last few years, this belongs in your library.

2013 · Rhythm Platformer

Geometry Dash distills platforming down to a single tap and then builds an absurd amount of challenge, creativity, and community around that foundation. The frustration is real, and some players will bounce off the difficulty hard. But for those who lock in and push through, few mobile games deliver the same rush of finally clearing a level that took hundreds of attempts. A one-time purchase with no ads and no pay-to-win tricks, backed by over a decade of updates from a solo developer, this remains one of mobile gaming's most rewarding time investments.

2021 · Co-op Action Adventure · PC / Steam

It Takes Two is the most inventive co-op game in years, packed with so many ideas that it makes other collaborative experiences feel conservative by comparison. Hazelight Studios crammed a staggering variety of mechanics into a single game, and nearly all of them land well enough to keep both players engaged. The story stumbles where it should soar, the tone bounces between kid-friendly and surprisingly dark, and some levels overstay their welcome. But as a shared experience between two people, there's almost nothing else like it. That's what won it Game of the Year, and that's what people remember.

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.

2013 · Puzzle Platformer

Limbo on mobile is one of the most atmospheric games available on a phone, and the touch controls translate the experience better than anyone expected. The monochrome art style and ambient sound design create a tension that doesn't let up from start to finish. It's short, finishing in three to four hours, and the story leaves more questions than answers. But every one of those hours is dense with memorable moments, clever puzzles, and a creeping sense of dread that lingers after you put it down. As a premium game with no ads or in-app purchases, it's a small investment for an experience that stays with you.

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.

2014 · Platformer

Leo's Fortune is a gorgeous platformer that proves premium mobile games can compete with anything on console or PC when it comes to visual polish. The physics-based controls feel wonderful, the hand-crafted levels are consistently inventive, and the lack of ads or microtransactions means the experience is pure from start to finish. It's over in about two hours, and that brevity stings for a paid game, even at a modest price point. But those two hours contain some of the finest platforming available on a touchscreen, wrapped in visuals that still impress years after release. If you measure games by the quality of their best moments rather than their total runtime, Leo's Fortune punches well above its weight.

2016 · Platformer

Super Mario Run is a beautifully crafted one-handed platformer that distills Mario's precision into a tap-based system, but its short campaign and always-online requirement limit a game that otherwise demonstrates how premium mobile design can work.

2009 · Arcade / Platformer

Doodle Jump is a piece of mobile gaming history that still works as a quick distraction. The tilt-based jumping is immediately intuitive, the hand-drawn art style holds up, and the drive to beat your high score taps into something primal. It hasn't aged as gracefully as its reputation suggests, with modern updates adding clutter that the original design didn't need. The core loop is thin by current standards, and you'll see everything the game has to offer in your first sitting. But for a few minutes of pure, uncomplicated fun, the little doodler still has it.