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Best 2D Platformer Games Ever Made

Despite the fact that the use of three-dimensional engines is common in the modern gaming industry, games of certain genres still most often come out in 2D format. Why?

The main reason is the lack of necessity for 3D graphics. In platformers, gameplay is built on two dimensions, so there is no particular need to use three-dimensional imagery.

Hollow Knight: Silksong
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Arcade, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Indie, Side view
September 4, 2025
VGTimes: 8.2/10
Players: 8.6/10
Metacritic: 91/100
A sequel to the hardcore action platformer Hollow Knight. The game takes you to a new world — the fallen kingdom of Pharlum, where silk and song rule. Here, Hornet...
Dead Cells
Dead Cells
Action, Roguelike, Side view
August 6, 2018
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 89/100
The main character tries to reach the end of a large castle, but on the way, he will encounter a whole horde of various monsters that will hit, throw, burn, and...
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2
Action, Shooter, Beat them all, First-person view, Futurism (Future), Cooperative (co-op)
September 17, 2012
VGTimes: 9.4/10
Players: 8.8/10
Metacritic: 83/100
Borderlands 2 is a continuation of a dynamic cooperative shooter with a first-person view and role-playing elements in a post-apocalyptic world. A new era of...
Geometry Dash
Geometry Dash
Arcade, Platformer, Indie, Sandbox, Side view
November 23, 2013
Players: 7.5/10
Geometry Dash is a fast-paced arcade platformer where you have to jump and dodge over various obstacles. The game has many levels that will bring many challenges...
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
Action, Adventure, Platformer, Indie, Side view
February 24, 2017
Players: 8.8/10
Metacritic: 89/100
An atmospheric action-platformer about a journey through the dying underground kingdom of Hallownest, inhabited by mysterious insects and strange creatures. A dark...
Cuphead
Cuphead
Arcade, Action, Platformer, Beat them all, Side view
September 29, 2017
Players: 7.3/10
Metacritic: 87/100
A hardcore action platformer made in the style of classic animation from the 30s. The main character lost his life to the devil at dice, and is now forced to run...
Starbound
Starbound
Arcade, Role-playing game, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Indie, Simulation, Survival
July 22, 2016
Players: 8.5/10
Metacritic: 81/100
Starbound is an indie adventure role-playing arcade game with platformer and action elements. You are forced to flee your planet by hijacking a ship. Fleeing from...
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Arcade, Platformer, Fantasy / Medieval, Side view
March 11, 2020
Players: 9.1/10
Metacritic: 90/100
Ori and the Will of the Wisps — the continuation of the colorful side-scrolling platformer Ori and the Blind Forest. The forest spirit Ori embarks on a journey once...
Celeste
Celeste
Action, Platformer, Indie, Side view
January 25, 2018
Players: 8.2/10
Metacritic: 91/100
Celeste is a hardcore side-scrolling action platformer from the creator of TowerFall. More than 250 levels await you, and the locations include abandoned cities...
Trine 2
Trine 2
Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Puzzle, Fantasy / Medieval
December 7, 2011
VGTimes: 9.0/10
Players: 8.6/10
Metacritic: 85/100
Trine 2 — is a 2D platformer in which the player controls three playable characters (the thief Zoe, the wizard Amadeus and the knight Pontius), solving...
Skul: The Hero Slayer
Skul: The Hero Slayer
Side view, Action, Platformer, Fantasy / Medieval
February 19, 2020
Players: 8.6/10
Metacritic: 80/100
Skul: The Hero Slayer is a side-scrolling pixel platformer. People have attacked the demon fortress and are trying to destroy their leader. Most of the inhabitants...
Broforce
Broforce
Arcade, Action, Shooter, Beat them all, Platformer, Isometric, Indie
April 6, 2014
Players: 9/10
Metacritic: 76/100
Broforce is a brutal 2D platformer full of pure, unadulterated fun that requires the player to destroy everything that moves in order to defeat the Satanic...
Spelunky 2
Spelunky 2
Arcade, Platformer, Roguelike, Side view
September 15, 2020
Players: 7.9/10
Metacritic: 89/100
Spelunky 2 is a sequel to the fun side-scrolling arcade platformer with procedurally generated levels. This time you have to embark on an adventure as the child of...
Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania
Arcade, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Side view
August 15, 2017
Players: 7.6/10
Metacritic: 85/100
Sonic Mania is a side-scrolling arcade platformer set in the universe of the popular Sonic the Hedgehog. The game will delight you with new stages, reworked classic...
Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Blind Forest
Arcade, Adventure, Platformer, Logic, Indie
March 11, 2015
Players: 8.7/10
Metacritic: 88/100
Ori and the Blind Forest is an arcade game with adventure, platformer and indie elements from the masters of Moon Studios. The game is published by Microsoft Game...
Salt and Sanctuary
Salt and Sanctuary
Role-playing game, Action, Platformer, Fantasy / Medieval, Side view
March 15, 2016
Players: 9/10
Metacritic: 82/100
Salt and Sanctuary is a fantasy platformer with RPG elements and a side view. The game tells the story of a sailor who is shipwrecked off the shore of an unknown...
Katana Zero
Katana Zero
Action, Futurism (Future), Cyberpunk, Indie, Side view
April 17, 2019
Players: 9.4/10
Metacritic: 83/100
Katana Zero is a hardcore side-view action game in cyberpunk style. Expect dynamic battles using futuristic technologies, fast movements of the main character and...
Have a Nice Death
Have a Nice Death
Arcade, Side view, Action, Platformer, Roguelike, Slasher, Indie, Fantasy
March 8, 2022
Players: 8.5/10
Metacritic: 80/100
The main character is the mortally bored director Death, whose subordinates have completely lost their shores and turned the balance of the coming and going of...
SteamWorld Dig 2
SteamWorld Dig 2
Arcade, Platformer, Steampunk, Side view
September 21, 2017
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 87/100
SteamWorld Dig 2 is a continuation of the side-view arcade platformer in steampunk style. The main character of the game this time will not be Rusty, but a certain...
Limbo
Limbo
Action, Horror, Platformer, Puzzle, Side view
July 21, 2010
Players: 8.7/10
Metacritic: 88/100
A dark adventure platformer built on the atmosphere of silence, loneliness, and constant danger. The story tells about a boy who sets out to find his missing...
Huntdown
Huntdown
Arcade, Shooter, Platformer, Futurism (Future), Side view, Cooperative (co-op)
May 12, 2020
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 85/100
Huntdown is an arcade side-scrolling pixel shooter with platforming elements in a sci-fi setting. You will go to a dark world of the future, where the police have...
Inside
Inside
Arcade, Platformer, Logic, Side view
June 29, 2016
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 91/100
Inside is an arcade side-scrolling indie platformer with survival elements from the creators of Limbo. The plot centers on a lonely boy who is hiding from...
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove
Arcade, Action, Beat them all, Platformer, Side view
June 26, 2014
Players: 8/10
Metacritic: 88/100
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is an old-school pixelated platformer about Shovel Knight, who must destroy his enemies to save his beloved and defeat the evil...
Mark of the Ninja
Mark of the Ninja
Arcade, Action, Stealth, Platformer
September 7, 2012
Players: 8.8/10
Metacritic: 91/100
Mark of the Ninja is an action, stealth and platform arcade game from Klei Entertainment. The game's publisher is Microsoft. Overall, the project turned out to be...
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
Arcade, Platformer
November 15, 2011
Players: 7.6/10
Metacritic: 85/100
Trine
Trine
Action, Platformer, Third-person view, Puzzle, Fantasy / Medieval
July 2, 2009
Players: 8.8/10
Metacritic: 82/100
Trine is a third-person action, platformer, puzzle and fantasy game from the developers of Frozenbyte, Inc.. The main publisher of the game is Frozenbyte, Inc.. It...
Super Meat Boy
Super Meat Boy
Action, Platformer, Sandbox, Indie
October 20, 2010
Players: 8.3/10
Metacritic: 87/100
Super Meat Boy is a hardcore 2D side-scrolling platformer. You have to help the meat cube save his beloved, who was kidnapped by the evil scientist Dr. Fitus. The...
Unepic
Unepic
Role-playing game, Action, Platformer, Fantasy / Medieval, Side view
October 2, 2011
Players: 8/10
Metacritic: 69/100
Unepic is a side-scrolling action-platformer RPG in a fantasy setting. You will play as Daniel, who, due to strange circumstances, finds himself in the ancient and...
Rogue Legacy
Rogue Legacy
Arcade, Role-playing game, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Fantasy / Medieval, Indie
June 27, 2013
Players: 8.2/10
Metacritic: 84/100
Pizza Tower
Pizza Tower
Platformer, Side view, Indie, Comedy
January 26, 2023
Players: 8/10
Metacritic: 89/100
Peppino Spaghetti is a funny and clumsy Italian who goes on an important mission. He wants to destroy the evil Pizza Tower to save his restaurant. The hero explores...
SteamWorld Dig
SteamWorld Dig
Arcade, Action, Platformer, Indie, Side view
August 8, 2013
Players: 9.2/10
Metacritic: 80/100
SteamWorld Dig is a charming side-scrolling arcade action-platformer about a robotic miner named Rusty, who arrives in a small town with the goal of finding...
Braid
Braid
Action, Strategy, Platformer, Third-person view, Puzzle, Sandbox
August 6, 2008
Players: 8.6/10
Metacritic: 92/100
SANABI
SANABI
Adventure, Action, Indie, Platformer, Side view
June 21, 2022
Players: 9.6/10
Metacritic: 83/100
The game takes place in a cyberpunk city in which power belongs to a corrupt conglomerate. One day something inexplicable happens — after a sudden power...
Fez
Fez
Action, Platformer, Puzzle, Indie
April 13, 2012
Players: 7.1/10
Metacritic: 90/100
Fez is a side-scrolling indie adventure platformer. The action takes place in a 3D world, allowing the player to explore and traverse colorful worlds by rotating...
Rain World
Rain World
Arcade, Adventure, Stealth, Platformer, Side view
March 28, 2017
Players: 9.3/10
Metacritic: 63/100
An atmospheric hardcore platformer with survival elements. The story tells of a small creature named Slugcat, who was separated from his family in a world where...
Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony
Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony
Action, Adventure, Side view, Anime / Manga, Indie, Platformer
July 28, 2022
Players: 9/10
Koumajou Remilia Scarlet Symphony is a side-scrolling action-adventure platformer. The legendary 2009 game returns with updated HD graphics, new dialogue and...
Spelunky
Spelunky
Arcade, Action, Adventure, Platformer, Roguelike
July 4, 2012
Players: 8.4/10
Metacritic: 87/100
Spelunky is a fun adventure that takes you to explore dangerous but rich mines. You will control a rather big-nosed but cute gold digger who came to the mines for...
Unravel Two
Unravel Two
Arcade, Adventure, Puzzle, Fantasy / Medieval, Side view, Cooperative (co-op)
June 9, 2018
Players: 8.2/10
Metacritic: 79/100
Unravel Two is the second part of an exciting side-scrolling adventure puzzle game. Now Yarny will travel in company with a similar creature woven from blue yarn...
Pikuniku
Pikuniku
Adventure, Platformer, Puzzle, Side view
January 24, 2019
Players: 8.7/10
Metacritic: 75/100
Pikuniku is a side-scrolling arcade puzzle adventure game. You have to go to a mysterious game world where you need to uncover a conspiracy and restore the...
The Messenger
The Messenger
Action, Platformer, Indie, Side view
August 30, 2018
Players: 8/10
Metacritic: 84/100
The Messenger is a side-scrolling pixel action platformer. When an army of demons lays siege to his home village, a young ninja breaks through a cursed world to...
Apotheon
Apotheon
Action, Beat them all, Platformer, Side view
February 3, 2015
Players: 8.4/10
Metacritic: 77/100
Apotheon — A fast-paced side-scrolling action platformer. The main character Nikandreos will have to climb Mount Olympus to gain the power of the gods. Only...
VVVVVV
VVVVVV
Arcade, Platformer, Indie, Side view
January 11, 2010
Players: 7.3/10
Metacritic: 85/100
VVVVVV is an arcade indie platformer with a side view. You play as the fearless leader of a team of dimension explorers who have crashed and lost contact with each...
Bionic Commando
Bionic Commando
Action, Shooter, Adventure, Third-person view, Futurism (Future)
May 18, 2009
Players: 8.5/10
Bionic Commando is the first true sequel to the 1988 classic Bionic Commando. In the game you will take on the role of a bionically enhanced Nathan Spencer. Time...
BattleBlock Theater
BattleBlock Theater
Arcade, Online, Action, Platformer, Side view, Cooperative (co-op)
April 3, 2013
Players: 8.6/10
Metacritic: 85/100
BattleBlock Theater is a side-scrolling multiplayer action platformer. There are a total of eight different modes available in the game. In Soul, the player will...
Night in the Woods
Night in the Woods
Arcade, Platformer, Indie, Side view
February 21, 2017
Players: 9.1/10
Metacritic: 87/100
Night in the Woods is an arcade side-scrolling indie platformer. The game tells the story of a twenty-year-old cat who was expelled from college for truancy. After...
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef
Arcade, Side view, Futurism (Future), Online, Fantasy, Adventure, Platformer, Shooter, Cooperative (co-op)
October 20, 2022
Players: 6/10
Metacritic: 72/100
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef — a dynamic side-scrolling platformer-shooter set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe from the creators of Guns, Gore &...
Gris
Gris
Arcade, Adventure, Indie, Side view
December 13, 2018
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 83/100
GRIS is an atmospheric adventure puzzle game with a side view. The game will tell the sad story of the main character named Gris. The girl is locked in her own...
Risk of Rain
Risk of Rain
Arcade, Role-playing game, Action, Platformer, Futurism (Future), Indie, Roguelike
November 8, 2013
Players: 7.8/10
Metacritic: 77/100
Risk of Rain is an action-adventure RPG with a third-person view and roguelike elements in a sci-fi setting. The events of the game will take you to a distant...
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Bionic Commando Rearmed
Action, Shooter, Platformer, Third-person view, Futurism (Future)
August 13, 2008
Players: 8.7/10
Metacritic: 86/100
Bionic Commando Rearmed is the return of the classic side-scrolling action platformer set in the sci-fi universe of Bionic Commando. Twenty years after completing...
Duck Game
Duck Game
Arcade, Online, Action, Side view
May 13, 2014
Players: 8.9/10
Metacritic: 83/100
Duck Game is a side-scrolling multiplayer arcade action game. The game takes us to 1984, where ducks rule the world. The game has the ability to fight up to 4...
Teslagrad 2
Teslagrad 2
Arcade, Side view, Adventure, Action, Platformer, Steampunk
April 19, 2023
Players: 10/10
Metacritic: 71/100
The young Teslamancer Lumina found herself in a difficult situation after her airship crashed far to the north, on the territory of the unpredictable Wyrmheim. The...
Badland
Badland
Arcade, Adventure, Puzzle, Fantasy / Medieval, Side view
April 4, 2013
Players: 9/10
Metacritic: 78/100
Badland is an adventure, arcade puzzle platformer with a view. As a bizarre creature, you have to fly through colorful locations, avoiding various obstacles...
PICO PARK
PICO PARK
Action, Arcade, Side view, Platformer, Cooperative (co-op), Puzzle, Indie
June 8, 2019
Players: 6/10
PICO PARK is a fun multiplayer puzzle platformer with action elements and a side view. In the game you need to collect all the keys in the level and get to the...
DDraceNetwork
DDraceNetwork
Arcade, Action, Side view, Cooperative (co-op), Online, Free game, Platformer
August 17, 2020
Players: 8.6/10
Steam: 93/100
DDraceNetwork is a side-scrolling team-based competitive action platformer where you and your friends compete against other players to speed through various levels...
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Arcade, Platformer, Indie, Side view
March 4, 2016
Players: 8.6/10
Ultimate Chicken Horse is a side-scrolling arcade platformer in the style of Super Meat Boy. You have to create levels with a huge number of traps and other...
Greedventory
Greedventory
Side view, Role-playing game
May 17, 2023
A pixel game in which battles are controlled using a computer mouse — you need to click on opponents and defend against their attacks in time. The action...
Rocket Knight
Rocket Knight
Action, Shooter, Platformer, Third-person view
May 12, 2010
Players: 7.1/10
Metacritic: 71/100
Rusted Moss
Rusted Moss
Action, Adventure, Platformer, Post-apocalyptic, Side view, Old school, Metroidvania
April 12, 2023
The main character travels across the map with the help of her grappling hook, fighting her way through witches and rusty machine monsters. The unique grappling...
Ratatouille
Ratatouille
Action, Platformer, Third-person view
June 26, 2007
Players: 9/10
Metacritic: 64/100
Ratatouille — just like in the film, the game starts on a farm. Remy leaves with his brother Emil to get some apple cores for his father. Along the way, he is...
Transformice
Transformice
Arcade, Action, MMO, Platformer, Indie
May 1, 2010
Players: 8.4/10
Unit 404
Unit 404
Puzzle, Side view, Science fiction, Platformer
August 21, 2020
Players: 9.4/10
The game takes place in an abandoned fantasy complex. You need to help the little robot overcome all the challenges and find a way out. More than 70 levels filled...
Steelborn
Steelborn
Arcade, Action, Platformer, Combat robots, Indie, Roguelike, Side view
March 8, 2023
Players: 9/10
Earth headquarters have lost contact with a remote colony on planet VL-744. The main character, together with his faithful fighting vehicle, goes on reconnaissance...
NinjaThea
NinjaThea
Casual game, Action, Platformer, Indie, Side view, Old school
August 23, 2022
NinjaThea is a casual indie side-scrolling action platformer. Mischievous creatures have stolen all the fruit from the local grocery store. You, the brave little...
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Arcade, Action, Platformer, Isometric
February 13, 2014
Players: 10/10
Metacritic: 85/100
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a fun side-scrolling arcade platformer set in the Donkey Kong universe. It all starts with Donkey Kong celebrating his...
The Pest
The Pest
Side view, Platformer, Puzzle, Indie
May 19, 2022
The main character is a tiny pest virus that is heading towards the core of the system. The player solves complex puzzles and tries to avoid dangerous computer...
Panda Parkour
Panda Parkour
Side view, Platformer
June 17, 2022
Panda Parkour is a side-scrolling platformer. You play as a panda and overcome difficult terrain while collecting as many coins as possible. Every time you...
Super Cat Tales: PAWS
Super Cat Tales: PAWS
Arcade, Platformer, Side view
May 25, 2023
Players: 9.8/10
A bright pixel game about cute cats from the Super Cat Tales series. Heroes explore levels, collect coins, complete daily tasks and complete mini-games. You can...
Chenso Club
Chenso Club
Cooperative (co-op), Action, Roguelike, Platformer, Comedy, Indie, Side view
September 1, 2022
CHENSO CLUB is a cooperative action-rogal with a view of the side of the platformer. Welcome to the growing community of fighters who are ready to save humanity...
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2
Arcade
May 15, 2012
Players: 6.7/10
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 is an arcade game from developers from Dimps and Sonic Team studios. The game is published by...
Pompom the Great Space Rescue
Pompom the Great Space Rescue
Indie, Side view, Platformer, Comedy, Space, Old school
March 14, 2022
A hamster named Pompom goes into space to save the boy Hoshi and stop the gang of space cat pirates Captain Murmyous. The main feature of the game is that you need...
Katyusha
Katyusha
Role-playing game, Adventure, Platformer, Side view
2026
The game is based on the popular Soviet song from the Great Patriotic War, "Katyusha", which is about a girl texting her boyfriend while fighting at the front. She...
Don't Byte Your Tongue
Don't Byte Your Tongue
Side view, Platformer, Puzzle, Arcade, Cyberpunk
April 7, 2023
The main character jumps on platforms, trying to get as high as possible. Each jump must be made as if life depends on it, since one mistake can return the...

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