Out of all the dumb debates we keep getting wrapped up in when it comes to gaming, “What’s the Citizen Kane of video games?” has to be near the top. Comparing films and games doesn’t do anyone any favors, and it just makes games seem insecure about their own artistry. That said, my personal answer has always been the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Like Citizen Kane, that game exploded the form of what its medium could be, only instead of deep focus and other breakthrough forms of cinematography it invented the expansive and expressive 2D platformer.
Since Super Mario Bros., platformers have been a bedrock gaming genre. There are so many ways for players to enjoy themselves, and for developers to challenge them, by jumping from platform to platform as skillfully as possible. Jumping is such a foundational verb that elements of the platformer can be found just about anywhere, from 2D sidescrollers to 3D action adventures to today’s open-world sandboxes.
Pure platformers have fallen slightly out of favor in modern times. Maybe it’s because their ideas can now be found in some many other game genres. Even Nintendo doesn’t make as many as it once did, aside from the core Mario franchise. However, the explosion of retro-inspired indie games have given platformers new life. After all, designers are now old enough to have nostalgia for Nintendo 64 games.
Here are the best contemporary platformers for computers, consoles, and mobile devices.
Alto's Odyssey
Alto's Odyssey (iOS)
Endless runners are an ultra-accessible take on platformers. They take movement out of the player’s hands so you can just focus on jumping. They’re perfect on mobile where your only input is tapping the screen. However, this simple formula can still produce gorgeous gameplay experiences, like acclaimed mobile skiing game Alto’s Odyssey.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Virtual reality helps solve a problem 3D platfomers have struggled with for years. When you can fully see a level’s depth, it’s much easier to accurately gauge jumps in 3D space. With PlayStation VR, Astro Bot Rescue Mission gives you the perfect perspective to tackle its 360-degree worlds. If you like this, check out Astro Bot's latest mission on the PS5 with the DualSense controller.
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Celeste sets out to be two very ambitious games at once. It wants to be a soulful meditation on dealing with mental illness, as well as a 2D platformer with levels that demand you master the pitch-perfect controls. It succeeds at both goals, but if the challenge is too high for you the highly adjustable difficulty options let you experience the story the way you want.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Retro Studios solidified their status as Nintendo legends with the Metroid Prime series. The team’s work on the Donkey Kong franchise deserves similar acclaim. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze’s organic levels are filled to the brim with inventive interwoven mechanics and bombastic set pieces. Plus, you can play as a tanktop-wearing gorilla named Funky Kong.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby's first fully 3D game was worth the wait. You float through a post-apocalyptic world, sucking up enemies to steal their powers and sucking up objects to solve puzzles. Finally, Kirby can be a car.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Kirby Star Allies
Kirby Star Allies is the perfect platformer for when you don’t feel like platforming. Just team up with three friends, look cute, and float over your foes. Don’t forget suck them up and steal their powers.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
The original Lego Star Wars started the Lego video game boom. The circle is now complete with Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. This epic journey combines and recreates all nine films through fun and family friendly Lego puzzle-platforming gameplay. And it's all set in a wonderful open-world galaxy to explore.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows 10
Mega Man 11
Mega Man 11 (for PC)
Mega Man became a beloved series on the NES with its beautiful blend of tricky platforming and tough shooting gauntlets. Decades later, the formula still holds up. Mega Man 11 adds slick modern visuals, new difficulty options, and another killer soundtrack.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10
Originally a VR game, New Super Lucky’s Tale harkens back to the days of classic 3D platformers on the N64 and PlayStation. But those games (or even modern indie rivals like A Hat in Time or Yooka-Laylee) never looked as good or played as well as this. Considering the game’s connection to Microsoft, this is like the alternate universe family-friendly Conker game we never got.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori and the Will of the Wisps (for PC)
Metroidvanias typically focus on giving players an interesting nonlinear map to explore or cool powers to explore it with rather than polishing their platforming mechanics to a shine. However, Ori and the Will of the Wisps manages to have a gorgeous and complex world, plenty of nifty abilities, and some of the best pure platforming controls we’ve ever used.
Platforms: Xbox One, Windows 10
Psychonauts 2
After a long hiatus, Psychonauts returns with another mind-bending journey into the subconscious. Psychonauts 2 combines heady themes and quirky characters with creative 3D platforming and psychic combat powers. Welcome back to the Motherlobe.
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, macOS, Windows 10
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet & Clank (for PlayStation 4)
Before you play Ratchet and Clank on PlayStation 5, check out this PlayStation 4 reimagining of the first adventure starring Sony’s mascot duo. Travel colorful, sci-fi worlds and shoot wacky guns. Just try to forget about the mediocre animated movie this game is ostensibly trying to promote.
Platforms: PlayStation 4
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
While many games still straddle the cross-generational line, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart fully commits to the PlayStation 5. By taking advantage of the PlayStation 5's next-gen power, this is the most beautiful version take yet on the franchise's colorful shooting and platforming mechanics. Beyond that, the game leverages the PS5's SSD to let you instantly hop between dimensions.
Platforms: PlayStation 5
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Shovel Knight used its Kickstarter success to deliver a fantastic homage to retro platformers. By taking mechanics from a variety of sources (the Mario map screen, the Castlevania weapon system, the DuckTales shovel pogo stick attack) Shovel Knight honors an entire era of gaming rather than one example. The three additional expansions included in Treasure Trove are basically entire new games in their own right.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10
Snake Pass
Platformers test players’ ability to move through a space. But jumping is just one way they can make that happen. Snake Pass asks, “Why not slithering?” Kooky controls really put you in the mindset of a serpent, forcing you to figure out how to wrap your wriggling body around objects and slink your way to victory.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10
Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania (for PC)
Before he was a complete joke, Sonic the Hedgehog starred in some legitimately cool 2D platformers that put the Sega Genesis on the map. Sonic Mania strips away the annoying friends and awful 3D experiments to return to that time when Sonic was about awesome speed and funky beats. You can practically feel the love the fan developers pack into every frame.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10
Crash Bandicoot may be the more famous old-school PlayStation platforming mascot, but I maintain Spyro the Dragon actually stars in better games. Breathing fire and flying through open skies is more fun than running through cramped jungle corridors in jorts. Fortunately, like Crash, Spyro also received a gorgeous HD remake of his original three games with Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows 10
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Super Mario 3D World is a wonderful port of the Wii U game that brings all the bite-sized multiplayer platforming shenanigans to Nintendo Switch. Even better, Bowser's Fury is a brief, but spectacular, open-world Mario experiment that we hope signals a bright future for the franchise.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker 2 (for Nintendo Switch)
After revolutionizing the platforming genre, and video games as a whole, with Super Mario Bros., Nintendo gave us the keys to the kingdom with Super Mario Maker 2. I can think of nothing more poignant. This one of the most intuitive pieces of game creation software ever sold, allowing you to easily explore and experiment with your blossoming Mario level design ideas. Even if you aren’t a creator, the ability to play nearly infinite fan-made Mario levels makes this one a must-buy.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Super Mario Odyssey
Mario games come in all shapes in sizes. Early 3D Mario games gave players huge levels to explore while later entries opted for dense, linear obstacle courses. Super Mario Odyssey brings back that spirit of discovery we all loved in Super Mario 64. Mario can jump freely across a variety of open stages, including ones based on real locations like Mexico and New York City. He can also throw his hat on enemies and objects to control their bodies, an ability that’s equal parts hilarious and horrifying.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy takes all the raucous edgy energy of gross indie Flash games on Newgrounds and turns it into a triumph of a 2D platformer. Sure you’ll get murdered over and over again by the sadistic level design. But the sublime controls make your eventual victory all the more satisfying—that and seeing all of your past lives die all at once at the end. Play this before checking out the sequel Super Meat Bot Forever.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Windows 10
For years Nintendo has made some of their cutest mascots even more adorable by rendering their worlds out of fabric material like yarn and wool. Yoshi’s Crafted World takes this DIY aesthetic to its logical conclusion with stages that might as well be Kindergarten dioramas. The gentle level design also means that children in Kindergarten should be able to enjoy this with no problems.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch