Top 25 Best Metroidvania Games on PC, PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch

Metroidvanias are one of those genres where world exploration matters just as much as combat. The best games in the spirit of Metroid and Castlevania gradually reveal the map, hide new abilities behind locked passages, and constantly push you to return to familiar locations to find secrets, bosses, and optional challenges. In this list, we have collected the best metroidvanias on PC, consoles, and handheld platforms — from acknowledged classics to modern indie hits.

Before moving on to the games themselves, it is worth clarifying once again what actually makes a game a metroidvania. First and foremost, we are talking about 2D or 3D projects focused on exploring a single interconnected world, where new abilities or gadgets give the character access to previously unreachable locations. Many popular games, such as Dark Souls or Resident Evil 2, have individual metroidvania elements — backtracking or intricate level layouts — but not all the key traits required to be considered full-fledged representatives of the genre.

These games are the foundation of the genre and the main point of reference for modern metroidvanias. Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Hollow Knight best demonstrate why these adventures are so highly valued: a large interconnected map, the gradual opening of new routes, secrets, difficult bosses, and a constant desire to keep exploring the world.

Any list of the best metroidvanias almost has to begin with Hollow Knight — there is a reason the game has so many devoted fans preaching the greatness of Team Cherry's project in every gaming community online. Even so, recommending this game as a newcomer’s first introduction to the genre is a debatable choice, because it creates a curious problem. Hollow Knight stands so far above most metroidvanias in terms of quality that it can set overly high expectations for other games in the genre.

In projects like this, the complexity of the world design and the degree of non-linearity play a crucial role. Hollow Knight handles both brilliantly: the developers never hold the player’s hand and allow them to explore the colossal labyrinths of the underground kingdom in almost any order. The game feels like a true adventure, full of danger and mystery, and that feeling is strengthened by its unique melancholic atmosphere and intricate lore in the style of Dark Souls.

A large-scale and noticeably more difficult metroidvania in which Team Cherry develops the ideas of the first Hollow Knight, but shifts the focus to a new heroine, more agile gameplay, and a grand journey through the kingdom of Pharloom. Hollow Knight: Silksong stands out thanks to its atmospheric locations, many strange NPCs, expressive Hornet, build system, and deep world exploration. At the same time, as noted in our Hollow Knight: Silksong review, the game sometimes goes too far with its difficulty: not so much in boss fights themselves as in the exhausting routes leading to them and the harsh platforming challenges. Even with that drawback, however, it remains one of the strongest modern metroidvanias.

The name of the genre comes from combining Metroid and Castlevania. And it is Super Metroid that defined the key elements that now move from one metroidvania to another. For example, the concept of progression tied to the hero’s abilities, as well as the abilities themselves, such as a higher jump or super speed.

Despite its age, Super Metroid is still worth playing today: yes, the graphics have aged, but they still have the kind of retro charm that indie developers often try to imitate. Most importantly, the game’s structure remains exemplary by the standards of the genre.

Unlike Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night did not introduce radically new ideas into the formula, but it was the game that popularized the genre and earned the right to be called the second “parent” of metroidvanias. The success of Symphony of the Night on PlayStation brought these games to a much wider audience and inspired many developers.

That said, it was not entirely without innovation. Symphony of the Night added RPG elements such as leveling, loot, and bosses with health bars, which dozens of games would later copy.

A beautiful and emotional metroidvania with a strong focus on platforming, exploration, and fluid movement. Ori and the Blind Forest tells the story of a small spirit named Ori, who tries to save the dying forest of Nibel while gradually unlocking new abilities — double jumps, gliding, wall climbing, and other techniques used to reach new areas. The game impresses with its hand-painted visuals, music, seamless world without loading screens, and level design. At the same time, it is noticeably harder than its animated look might suggest, especially during tense escape sequences without checkpoints, where you have to die many times and learn from your mistakes.

Possibly the most atmospheric and beautiful metroidvania to date — and that already counts for a lot. But beyond its magnificent high-end animated-film style, Ori and the Will of the Wisps can also boast a touching story, a wide variety of levels that differ significantly from one another, and extremely satisfying gameplay. The combination of responsive controls, mesmerizing animations, and visual effects pulls the player into a kind of trance, allowing them to become fully immersed in what is happening on screen.

Back in its day, the original Metroid Prime proved that 3D metroidvanias had every right to exist. Retro Studios created a gripping first-person shooter that successfully adapted the concepts and mechanics of Super Metroid — something that, before release, seemed almost impossible. Metroid Prime impressed players so much that among Nintendo fans it earned a reputation comparable to the first Half-Life. The game remains relevant today as well, especially if you play Metroid Prime Remastered for Nintendo Switch.

If regular metroidvanias seem too easy, it is worth paying attention to soulslike metroidvanias. Here, world exploration is combined with tense combat, dangerous enemies, and bosses that require you to study their attacks and learn from your own mistakes. The reward for patience is a true sense of progress and an especially vivid feeling of victory. If projects like this appeal to you, be sure to check out our TOP of the hardest games and our list of the best games similar to Dark Souls.

A dark metroidvania that almost directly transfers the Dark Souls formula into a 2D action format. Salt and Sanctuary is built around brutal combat, quick deaths, and a tangled world of castles, swamps, and dungeons, while souls are replaced here by salt — the currency used for leveling up and upgrading gear. The game leans heavily on FromSoftware’s ideas, but adds its own sanctuary system, the atmosphere of old Castlevania games, and same-screen co-op. It can confidently be counted among the best games with local co-op.

An engaging metroidvania with interesting level exploration and tense combat, valued just as much for its dark art style and atmosphere. Blasphemous is grotesque fantasy inspired by Spanish Baroque art and the religious motifs of medieval Andalusia. The game is filled with images of pain and sacrifice: Gothic sculptures, mutilated bodies, and enemies that look as if they stepped out of paintings about martyrs. You will not find visuals like this in other games in the genre.

Blasphemous 2 develops the ideas of the first game: it adds three different weapons, a more flexible combat system, proper traversal abilities, and less frustrating platforming. The game still focuses on harsh battles, strange NPCs, hidden lore, disturbing imagery, and a tangled map with many locked routes. Compared with the original, the sequel is noticeably more varied and maintains a better pace, although it sometimes suffers from excessive backtracking and not always convenient travel between points.

Since we are talking about highly difficult metroidvanias, Nine Sols cannot go unmentioned. In this game, the cat-like hero Yi fights enemies that look like a mixture of robots and divine figures from Chinese mythology. The combat resembles Sekiro: enemies have a posture meter, and if you deflect their attacks with parries, they lose balance and become vulnerable. In other words, you cannot just attack mindlessly — you need to carefully catch the timing and rhythm. Make a mistake, and you take heavy damage. Parry in time, and you finish the fight faster. And all of this exists within the context of a game that pays no less attention to level exploration than other representatives of the genre.

This category includes modern games that develop the genre’s ideas or use them on a larger scale. For example, Metroid Dread shows how the classic formula works today, while projects like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor add cinematic action, exploration of large locations, new abilities, and returns to previously visited areas. By the way, if you are interested in AAA blockbusters with metroidvania elements, do not miss our list of the best action-adventure games, which includes plenty of such projects.

If you own a Nintendo Switch, Metroid Dread is a perfectly worthy alternative to Hollow Knight as your first metroidvania. It is also an extremely well-designed game, and one with a level of production that other representatives of the genre would envy: for example, it regularly treats players to full cinematic cutscenes.

Metroid Dread has all the genre’s strongest qualities — engaging levels, excellent boss fights, and extremely interesting abilities. In terms of overall structure, however, it is a relatively linear game, which is more of an advantage than a drawback for newcomers, since it is harder to get lost.

A spiritual successor to the Castlevania series, created under the direction of Koji Igarashi, who worked on the cult classic Symphony of the Night. Fans of the classics will immediately feel at home: there is a huge Gothic castle full of secrets, hidden rooms, and bosses, interesting abilities that open access to previously unreachable areas, as well as a similar atmosphere and music. At the same time, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night does not simply draw inspiration from old Castlevania games, but also offers fresh ideas, such as the shard system, where new abilities drop from enemies.

A dynamic metroidvania with roguelike elements, where every run changes the level structure, enemy placement, and available weapon set. Dead Cells is built around fast combat, responsive movement, and interesting progression: even after death, the player unlocks new abilities, blueprints, routes, and ways to play. Here, you can rush forward for timed rewards, carefully clear out every corner, or build your setup around traps, ranged combat, poison, fire, and melee attacks.

An unexpected return of the cult franchise — and, moreover, in the form of a full-fledged 2D metroidvania with a complex world, secrets, bosses, and backtracking. The platforming is excellent: jumps, wall runs, and other acrobatics performed by the protagonist Sargon play an important role not only in combat, but also during level exploration, allowing you to reach hard-to-access places. To move forward in Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, you also need to actively use special abilities such as air dashes. In short, everything follows the genre’s canons.

One important distinguishing feature of the project is its focus on a deep combat system, and an extremely spectacular one at that. By analogy with Metroid Dread, the camera in The Lost Crown shows the action during boss fights from cinematic angles, emphasizing the drama of each encounter.

An unusual metroidvania where the player does not run through intricate corridors designed by the developers, but digs underground tunnels themselves. You will not get far with the starting pickaxe — harder rock blocks further progress. Access to new areas of the mine becomes available as you upgrade the pickaxe and find other tools, such as a drill or a grappling hook. This is exactly how SteamWorld Dig 2 builds the kind of step-by-step progression that defines the genre.

A bright metroidvania with beat 'em up elements, Mexican flavor, and humor based on pop culture. Guacamelee! throws the protagonist Juan into the worlds of the living and the dead, where he fights monsters, unlocks new moves, and gradually gains access to previously closed-off areas. Moves such as uppercuts, body slams, and super attacks are useful not only in combat, but also while exploring locations. The game keeps a good pace, offers side quests, local co-op, and a stylish visual style, but closer to the finale it sharply raises the difficulty of both platforming and combat.

Like the first game, this is a colorful, dynamic adventure full of humor and charm, inspired by Mexican culture. Every fight looks exciting because the protagonist Juan uses spectacular wrestling moves against enemies. But even more importantly, Guacamelee! 2 has interesting platforming: during exploration, you need to use different abilities, including transforming into a chicken, to solve puzzles and open new routes.

Although Batman: Arkham Asylum laid the foundation for the popular Arkham series, it stands apart from its sequels. Later entries in the franchise were reformatted into more traditional open-world action games, while Arkham Asylum is a pure 3D metroidvania. The first game focuses on compact design, interconnected locations, progression tied to abilities and gadgets, and deliberate returns to already visited areas. Tools such as explosive gel, the grapnel gun, and the line launcher not only open access to new levels, but also expand combat options, creating a bridge between the project’s two key components — exploration and fighting.

A 3D metroidvania that also borrows plenty of elements from soulslike games, such as stamina and parrying. But the exploration functions strictly according to the principles of Metroid and Castlevania: without new abilities, access to the next locations in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is impossible, while revisiting already explored areas with expanded options plays an important role. In other words, everything genre fans love is here.

Remedy Entertainment’s project mixes many different genres, but the influence of metroidvanias is still felt most strongly in Control, defining the game’s structure. The events take place in the Oldest House — a giant building where rooms and corridors are woven together into a huge web. Access to new areas is limited by the abilities of the protagonist Jesse, which are unlocked as the game progresses, as well as by clearance levels. In Control, you repeatedly have to return to already explored locations to visit previously inaccessible rooms — especially in the late game, when the levitation ability appears and radically changes navigation through the Oldest House.

In 2025 and 2026, the genre continues to develop: developers are releasing both classic metroidvanias with 2D maps and hybrids with elements of action, platforming, and soulslikes. This category includes recent games for those who have already completed the genre’s biggest hits and want to find new projects with world exploration, secrets, bosses, and the gradual unlocking of abilities.

A metroidvania in the spirit of Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, where exploration of a ruined world is combined with tense combat and light RPG elements. ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist does not reinvent the genre, but confidently uses its main techniques: a non-linear map, useful rewards for exploration, new traversal abilities, flexible progression, and battles where you need to watch enemy attacks instead of simply pressing every button in a row. The beautiful hand-drawn visuals are also especially pleasing.

A dynamic metroidvania that mixes exploration of a large map with action in the spirit of Metal Slug. Guns of Fury sends the player into a future world where they have to rescue a scientist, search for a stolen energy source, and disrupt the plans of an industrialist who intends to create a superweapon. First and foremost, the title stands out thanks to its shooting, platforming, and retro atmosphere in the style of 90s arcades. It is not exactly the best metroidvania in the world due to its not very convenient map, debatable save system, and occasional unnecessary wandering, but new abilities, route unlocking, and brisk pacing still make it a successful hybrid for fans of old-school games.

The long-awaited return of Metroid Prime, which adds new ideas to the series’ classic formula — from an open desert hub to companions and Samus’ psychic abilities. Admittedly, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond shows itself best not in the desert, but in isolated locations where the player explores dark sci-fi areas, scans the environment, solves puzzles, finds upgrades, and fights bosses from a first-person perspective. Not all of the innovations are equally successful, but at its best, this is still the same Metroid Prime — atmospheric and beautiful.

An unexpected new God of War game in metroidvania format. God of War: Sons of Sparta sends a young Kratos and his brother Deimos on a large journey across Laconia, where they must search for a missing friend, fight creatures from Greek myths, and unlock gifts of Olympus for combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving. The game makes good use of the genre’s structure, with a large map, locked routes, double jumps, climbing, and returns to old areas, but suffers from slow pacing, an overlong playthrough, questionable controls, and repetitive combat. Most of all, the project is interesting as an unusual look at Kratos’ early years, rather than as a flawless metroidvania.

We have also separately collected the metroidvanias mentioned above that are available in Game Pass. This is a convenient option if you want to get acquainted with the genre without buying every game individually: you can try several projects, compare their combat systems, map exploration, and difficulty, and then choose what suits you best.

Hollow Knight is available in Game Pass Premium and Ultimate.

The excellent Hollow Knight: Silksong can be played through PC Game Pass.

Dead Cells is available in Game Pass, including the cloud version for Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.

Ori and the Blind Forest is available in Game Pass Premium and Ultimate. For Essential, purchasing the game is required for streaming.

Nine Sols is also available in Game Pass.

Prince of Persia The Lost Crown is available through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, while Essential and Premium require purchasing the game for streaming.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available in Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass through EA Play. Ultimate and PC Game Pass include EA Play.

Control Ultimate Edition is available in Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.

A metroidvania is a game focused on exploring an interconnected world, where new abilities, weapons, or gadgets open access to previously unreachable areas. Usually, the player gradually studies a large map, finds secrets, returns to old locations with new options, and fights bosses. The genre’s name comes from Metroid and Castlevania — two series that established its main rules.

The best entry points into the genre are Metroid Dread, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. These games are accessible enough for newcomers: they have convenient navigation, good pacing, expressive visuals, and less risk of getting completely lost on the map. Hollow Knight is also considered one of the best metroidvanias, but it is worth starting with it only if you are ready for high difficulty, minimal guidance, and freer exploration.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was released on September 4, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. In the sequel, Hornet became the protagonist, and the action moved to the new kingdom of Pharloom. The game develops the ideas of the first Hollow Knight, but focuses on more dynamic gameplay, new builds, a large number of NPCs, and a noticeably higher difficulty level.

Beginners should start with Metroid Dread, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Guacamelee!, SteamWorld Dig 2, or Prince of Persia The Lost Crown. Metroid Dread explains the modern genre formula well and does not let you get lost for too long. Ori focuses on a beautiful world and fluid platforming. Guacamelee! is easier to get into thanks to its humor, beat 'em up elements, and bright style. SteamWorld Dig 2 offers unusual mine exploration, while Prince of Persia The Lost Crown combines a classic metroidvania with spectacular action and useful hints.

Which metroidvanias did you enjoy the most? Share your picks in the comments.

The metroidvania genre is rich with games, so naturally, we have not mentioned every great title in our list. If you need some bonus recommendations, pay attention to the following projects.

Axiom Verge is a dark sci-fi metroidvania in the spirit of classic Metroid, where scientist Trace explores an alien world, unlocks unusual weapons, and uses glitch mechanics to break the environment and find new routes.

Yoku's Island Express is an unusual and very friendly metroidvania where island exploration is combined with pinball: a little beetle postman named Yoku rolls a ball, helps the locals, and gradually opens new areas.

Timespinner is a pixel-art metroidvania with RPG elements and time travel, inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and classic 16-bit adventures.

Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is a new 2D Castlevania game coming in 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, bringing the series back to the classic metroidvania formula with a large castle, new abilities, and signature Gothic action.