The Best Platformer Games on Steam

Platforming games have been a key part of the gaming world since the beginning, growing from basic jumping games into rich, story-filled adventures. Steam offers a huge variety of these games, from incredibly difficult challenges to beautiful, exploratory experiences and unique combinations of genres. What makes these games stand out is their precise controls, clever level design, and the creative style of the developers. Below, you’ll find a list of the highest-rated platformers on Steam, including both well-known favorites and exciting new indie titles.

‘Rain World’ (2017)

Rain World is a challenging survival game where you play as a slugcat in a ruined world teeming with dangerous creatures. Originally created by Videocult and published by Adult Swim Games (later by Akupara Games), the game stands out for its realistic, simulated environment. Every creature acts on its own, driven by its own instincts. You’ll need to scavenge for food and find safe haven before deadly rainstorms reset the cycle. Rain World is known for being difficult, but also for its incredibly smooth and natural-looking movement thanks to a special animation system.

‘A Hat in Time’ (2017)

I’m totally obsessed with ‘A Hat in Time’! It’s a 3D platformer that feels like playing those classic games from the early 2000s – think collecting stuff and exploring big levels. You play as Hat Kid, and basically, she’s a little space traveler who lost pieces of her time magic, and you gotta find them all over this really cool planet. Each world is so different – one’s a crazy movie set run by feuding birds, another is a spooky forest, it’s awesome! The best part? You collect different hats that give you special powers. One lets you run super fast, another lets you make explosive potions! It started as a Kickstarter project, and they’ve added a ton of extra content since then. Seriously, if you like platformers, you need to check it out.

‘Sonic Mania’ (2017)

Sonic Mania is a loving tribute to the classic, side-scrolling Sonic the Hedgehog games. Created by Christian Whitehead, PagodaWest Games, and Headcannon, and published by SEGA, the game expertly blends updated versions of beloved levels with brand new stages built for fast-paced gameplay. Players can play as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles, each with unique abilities that allow them to discover hidden areas. Interestingly, this project started as a fan game before SEGA officially supported and helped finish it.

‘Katana ZERO’ (2019)

Katana ZERO is a fast-paced 2D action game created by Askiisoft and published by Devolver Digital. You play as an assassin skilled with a katana who can control time to dodge bullets and carefully plan attacks. It’s known for its challenging, one-hit-kill combat – one hit and you or your enemies are down! Between intense fights, a dark and stylish story unfolds through conversations that change how the game plays out. The game’s retro pixel art and energetic synthwave music perfectly match its quick, exciting action.

‘Limbo’ (2010)

Limbo is a puzzle-platformer known for its striking black-and-white visuals and creepy atmosphere. Created by the independent game studio Playdead, the game follows a young boy as he navigates a shadowy and perilous world to find his lost sister. Gameplay revolves around solving puzzles using the environment, often involving realistic physics and deadly traps. The game’s simple sound design and lack of spoken words heighten the feeling of loneliness and suspense as you play.

‘Super Meat Boy’ (2010)

Super Meat Boy is a challenging 2D platformer created by Team Meat. Players control a cube of meat as he tries to save his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr. Fetus. The game features over 300 levels packed with dangerous obstacles like saw blades and falling blocks. Success depends on skillful timing and mastering the art of wall-jumping, as the levels become increasingly difficult. Super Meat Boy is often recognized as a key game that helped launch the indie game boom in the early 2010s.

‘Neon White’ (2022)

Neon White, created by Angel Matrix and published by Annapurna Interactive, is a fast-paced game that combines action-packed first-person platforming with strategic card-based battles. You play as a demon hunter competing in heaven to earn a permanent home. The game uses ‘Soul Cards’ for attacks, but you can also discard them to perform quick movements like double jumps and dashes. It’s designed for speedrunning, challenging you to complete short, challenging levels as quickly as possible. Between levels, a story unfolds through conversations with a quirky and fully-voiced cast of characters.

‘Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove’ (2014)

Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is a retro-style platformer created by Yacht Club Games. It’s a collection that includes the original game and several expansions with new characters and gameplay features. As the heroic Shovel Knight, players fight against the Order of No Quarter to rescue his beloved Shield Knight. The game has a unique system where players can choose between safe paths and riskier ones for extra rewards. Its popularity has led to spin-off games and appearances in other titles.

‘Spelunky 2’ (2020)

Spelunky 2 builds on the success of the first game, offering a more detailed and expansive roguelike platforming experience. Developed and published by Mossmouth, with assistance from BlitWorks, the game sends players on adventures through randomly generated caves on the moon. These caves are packed with riches, dangerous traps, and creatures. New additions include realistic liquid movement, rideable animals, and the ability to play with friends online. Because each run ends with permanent death, players must learn from each attempt and truly understand the game’s intricate systems to succeed.

‘Pizza Tower’ (2023)

Pizza Tower is a fast-paced 2D platformer created by the independent game studio Tour De Pizza. It’s inspired by the ‘Wario Land’ games and emphasizes quick movement, causing mayhem, and a sense of speed. You play as Peppino Spaghetti, a crazy pizza chef who needs to demolish a tower to protect his restaurant. The game has a vibrant, cartoonish art style similar to 90s animation, complete with lively hand-drawn visuals and an energetic soundtrack. Each level ends with a thrilling ‘Pizza Time’ escape where you must rush back to the start before time runs out.

‘Rayman Legends’ (2013)

Rayman Legends, created by Ubisoft, is a colorful and exciting 2D platform game. Up to four players can play together locally. The game features beautifully detailed, hand-drawn worlds built using Ubisoft’s UbiArt Framework. Players run, jump, and fight to save the Teensies from mythical enemies. One of the best parts is the music-based levels where you move to the rhythm of the songs. It also includes updated versions of levels from the previous game, Rayman Origins.

‘Inside’ (2016)

After creating their first acclaimed game, Playdead released ‘Inside’, a suspenseful platformer with a strong story. Players control a boy trying to escape a grim, industrial world filled with unsettling experiments and guards. Compared to their previous game, ‘Inside’ uses a 2.5D visual style and a more detailed, though still muted, color scheme. Puzzles are cleverly woven into the game’s world, often requiring players to watch how enemies and machines operate. ‘Inside’ is well-known for its eerie mood and the way it tells its story through the environment itself.

‘Cuphead’ (2017)

Cuphead is a fast-paced action game made by Studio MDHR. It’s famous for its beautiful, hand-drawn animation that looks like classic cartoons from the 1930s. Players control either Cuphead or Mugman and fight challenging bosses to settle a debt with the Devil. Besides boss battles, the game also features traditional action-packed levels. A lively, original jazz soundtrack performed by a real big band adds to the exciting experience.

‘Dead Cells’ (2018)

Dead Cells is an action-packed game that blends the fast-paced combat of a ‘rogue-lite’ with the exploration of a ‘metroidvania’. Developed by Motion Twin and later updated by Evil Empire, it takes place in a huge, constantly shifting castle where you collect weapons and abilities to defeat tough enemies. The game encourages quick reflexes and skillful dodging. You can also earn permanent improvements between playthroughs by collecting cells from defeated foes. Since its release, Dead Cells has received a lot of free content and expansions, including one based on the classic game Castlevania.

‘Terraria’ (2011)

Terraria, created by Re-Logic, is an adventure game where you explore, build, and fight. You’ll travel through different landscapes to defeat challenging bosses. Players can mine for valuable resources or construct impressive buildings. Over the past ten years, the game has received many updates, adding tons of new items and things to do. It’s become incredibly popular, ranking among the top-selling and most-played games on Steam.

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps’ (2020)

‘Ori and the Will of the Wisps,’ the follow-up to ‘Ori and the Blind Forest,’ was created by Moon Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game boasts a beautifully hand-painted world and a captivating soundtrack. Players take on the role of Ori, a spirit guardian, and venture beyond the familiar forest of Nibel to uncover their destiny. This installment features a revamped combat system with more ways to customize Ori’s abilities using spirit shards. Its heartfelt story and smooth, flowing movement have been praised by critics.

‘Psychonauts 2’ (2021)

I absolutely loved ‘Psychonauts 2’! It’s a really fun 3D platformer made by Double Fine and published by Xbox. You play as Raz, a young psychic who becomes a Psychonaut – basically an international spy with psychic powers. What’s so cool is you actually go inside people’s minds! Each mind is like a totally different, imaginative world, and it’s built around their personal problems, fears, and memories. Gameplay is classic platforming, but with awesome psychic abilities like moving things with your mind, controlling fire, and even floating. Honestly, the levels are incredibly creative, and I really appreciated how the game tackles mental health in a really thoughtful and unique way. It’s just a fantastic experience overall.

‘It Takes Two’ (2021)

‘It Takes Two’ is a unique co-op platformer created by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It’s designed for two players who control Cody and May, a couple magically turned into dolls. Each level presents a brand-new way to play, demanding teamwork and constant communication. The game tells a story about relationships, putting Cody and May through strange and dreamlike versions of their own house. It won many Game of the Year awards thanks to its creative ideas and constantly changing gameplay.

‘Celeste’ (2018)

Celeste is a challenging platforming game created by Maddy Makes Games. Players control Madeline as she climbs Celeste Mountain, facing both external obstacles and her own internal struggles. The game features a core mechanic – a quick dash – that allows for surprisingly complex movements across many different levels. Although it’s known for being difficult, Celeste includes Assist Mode options to help players of all skill levels enjoy the story. The game’s story and gameplay are closely connected, mirroring Madeline’s journey of self-discovery as she tackles the mountain.

‘Hollow Knight’ (2017)

Hollow Knight is a large and intricate 2D adventure game, created by Team Cherry. You play as a character exploring the decaying kingdom of Hallownest, a huge underground world filled with bugs and dangerous creatures. The game encourages you to discover things on your own, letting you freely roam its interconnected levels. Fighting enemies requires skill and timing, as you learn to use your weapon and magical powers effectively. Many consider Hollow Knight a modern classic thanks to its beautiful but sad atmosphere, rich story, and smooth, challenging platforming.

Share your favorite Steam platformers and your most impressive high scores in the comments.

2026-02-18 02:19