Highlights

  • The platform genre played a pivotal role in revitalizing the home console industry after the 1983 crash, with Super Mario Bros. leading the way.
  • Platform games are ideal for introducing children or even adults to gaming due to their child-friendly approach and easy-to-understand controls.
  • Some standout platformers, like Super Mario Sunshine and Banjo-Kazooie, have received high praise from critics and offer a fun and immersive gaming experience.

The platform genre is one of the most important genres in gaming history. The genre was pivotal in helping the home console industry get back on its feet after the 1983 crash, largely thanks to the iconic Super Mario Bros. Moreover, the genre's usual child-friendly approach and easy-to-understand controls/concepts mean that it's an ideal gateway into the world of gaming for children or even adults.

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There have been countless platform games released across a wide range of systems since Super Mario Bros. popularized the genre, and every now and then, a platformer will come along that truly stands out and amazes critics, earning it a high score on the review aggregator site Metacritic.

Updated on September 7th, 2023, by Jack Pursey: Many AAA video game studios are progressively making their games more like interactive films, with numerous hours of story and dialogue that almost never ceases from start to finish. This style of game is popular with many people; however, there comes a time when some players just want to be dropped into a bright, colorful world and focus purely on gameplay. This is where the platforming genre excels, as aside from some exceptions, platform games generally don't feature too much story and just let players dive straight into the fun. For players wanting to try out some of the best platformer games of all time, this list has been updated to include a few more of the best, according to Metacritic.

13 Super Mario Sunshine - 92

Mario, Princess Peach, and Toadsworth relaxing on the beach in Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine is the first, but certainly not the last, game from the Super Mario series to be included on this list. Super Mario Sunshine had the unenviable task of following the iconic Super Mario 64 (more on that game later), which revolutionized the platform genre with its 3D gameplay.

Although Super Mario Sunshine didn't come close to featuring the same level of innovation as its predecessor, it's still beloved for its tropical Isle Delfino setting, which gave players a warm and comforting feeling every time they booted up the game.

12 Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 - 92

Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World for the Game Boy Advance

As the name suggests, Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 is a re-release of the legendary SNES platformer Super Mario World -- a game that almost certainly would have made this list if Metacritic was around at the time of its release.

Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 doesn't try to fix what isn't broken, as it features the same levels and gameplay as the original but with a minor difficult increase. The game also added Luigi as a playable character.

11 Banjo-Kazooie - 92

Banjo & Kazooie holding up a Golden Jiggy in Banjo-Kazooie for N64

Banjo-Kazooie is one of just a few breaks on this list from the sheer domination by the Super Mario series. This certainly isn't the first time that Rare's game has burst the plumber's bubble, as there is a portion of Nintendo 64 owners who claim that Banjo-Kazooie was the console's best platform game, not Super Mario 64.

Banjo-Kazooie was released in 1998 and was a key figure in the collectathon subgenre of platform games. Collectathon games, as the name implies, task players with collecting a wide variety of items. This may sound mundane, and it can be in some games, but Banjo-Kazooie's stellar level design and gameplay make it an absolute joy for gamers of all ages.

10 Super Mario 3D World - 93

Super Mario 3D World Bowser-2 Green Stars & Stamp

Super Mario 3D World impressed fans and critics with its wonderfully well-designed stages, enjoyable co-op gameplay, and Captain Toad puzzles that were an unexpected delight and earned the character a spin-off game titled Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

At a time when games are becoming larger and more expansive, Super Mario 3D World brought things back to basics a bit with its level design. The game's stages are fairly small and compact but pack tons to do and find within -- essentially opting for a quality-over-quantity approach to their size.

9 Ori and the Will of the Wisps - 93

ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps

Ori and the Will of the Wisps was developed by Moon Studios and is a platform-adventure game with a Metroidvania-style level design. The game immediately draws players in with its eye-catching visuals that make each area an artistic joy to explore. The game also impressed critics with its touching story and fluid movement that made controlling the game's protagonist, Ori, a joy.

The game's whopping 93 Metascore could have been even higher if it wasn't for a handful of technical issues at launch, which have since been resolved.

8 Jet Set Radio - 94

Jet Set Radio (also known as Jet Grind Radio) was first released on the Dreamcast back in the year 2000 before arriving on PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, iOS, and Android in 2012. The game stands out on this list by having its playable characters move around on inline skates, giving the game a truly unique feel to play.

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Jet Set Radio has a range of gameplay modes, though they all generally task the players with traversing the game's wonderfully designed Tokyo map as quickly and accurately as possible to tag various points with graffiti. The game is not just remembered fondly for its unique gameplay but also for its excellent soundtrack, which is a great source of nostalgia for many people today.

7 Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 - 94

Super Mario Advance 4 key art with mario and luigi

The absolute mouthful that is Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 was released exclusively on the GBA in Japan in February 2003 before arriving in Europe and North America in the months that followed.

The game is an enhanced remake of the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. 3. The remake introduces several new features, including a multiplayer mode based on the original Mario Bros. and voices for Mario and Luigi by Charles Martinet.

6 Super Mario 64 - 94

Screenshot from Super Mario 64 showing Mario leaping away from a Chain Chomp.

Super Mario 64 is one of the platform genre's most important releases of all time. The game was marketed with the promise of leading the gaming industry's charge into the world of 3D, and it did exactly that by offering a game that is still today considered one of the best platformers of all time.

Nintendo nailed Mario's movement in 3D environments on their first try while also creating ingeniously designed levels that developers still find tough to top today. Super Mario 64 may not look like much by today's standards visually, but it's still an absolute delight to play.

5 Celeste - 94

Celeste promo art of key characters

Celeste is an indie platformer that differentiates itself from most other platformers by featuring a comprehensive narrative. The game's story centers around the protagonist, Madeline, who is attempting to climb Mount Celeste. Along with the challenge of climbing the mountain, Madeline must also battle her inner demons, often literally.

Along with the engaging story, Celeste earns its high Metascore for its tight side-scrolling controls that ensure the game never feels unfair or frustrating despite its brutal difficulty.

4 LittleBigPlanet - 95

LittleBigPlanet sackboy

LittleBigPlanet was one of the PlayStation 3's most important releases. The console had a tough start to life due to multiple delays and a ridiculously high price point that made many people jump ship to the well-received Xbox 360. Sony needed a high-quality exclusive to turn heads, and they got just that in 2008 with LittleBigPlanet.

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LittleBigPlanet was developed by Media Molecule and stands out among the other games on this list for its level of customizability, as players can create their own levels and could play other people's levels online. Unfortunately, the game's online functionality was discontinued in 2021.

3 Super Mario Galaxy - 97

Super Mario Galaxy is one of the most creative platform games of all time. The game's outer-space sci-fi setting gave Nintendo the freedom to create wonderfully imaginative levels that implemented unique mechanics like gravitational pull as a platforming challenge.

Many fans of Super Mario Galaxy say that the game has a welcoming, comforting, and magical feel to it, which has ensured that it has lived long in memory and is cherished by many.

2 Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 97

Mario and Yoshi blasting into orbit with explosion in Super Mario Galaxy 2

It's not often that a mainline Super Mario game has a direct sequel, but Nintendo made an exception with Super Mario Galaxy. The decision to make a sequel was presumably an easy choice for Nintendo, as the ingenious designs and ideas of the 2007 game clearly had more legs in them.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn't worry too much about presentation or story, as Nintendo seemingly opted instead to focus their attention on simply offering a collection of all-time great platforming levels.

1 Super Mario Odyssey - 97

running in new Donk City Super Mario Odyssey

The Super Mario series has always been synonymous with innovation, and Super Mario Odyssey is no different. The game offers a plethora of new gameplay mechanics thanks to the new character Cappy, who lets players capture and control various characters and enemies like Goombas, Bullet Bills, and even the T-Rex shown in the now-iconic trailer.

Along with an influx of gameplay mechanics, there are also a ton of moons (Odyssey's equivalent of stars) for players to collect in each level, offering numerous hours of content for completionists.

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