Highlights

• Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko is a solid 3D platformer that will spark nostalgia for fans of Spyro and offers similar gameplay styles.
• Demon Turf is a modern throwback to old-school 3D platformers with tight controls and a fun premise, reminiscent of Spyro.
• Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a classic 3D platformer that may show its age in some areas but still offers a decent time for fans of the era, much like Spyro.

Toys For Bob and Activision delighted fans of the Spyro the Dragon series in 2018 when they announced that the original Spyro trilogy was being remastered. The iconic games were given a fresh coat of paint and looked fantastic on modern consoles. Spyro Reignited Trilogy followed in Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy's footsteps, which also remastered three classic PS1 titles.

Both games sold very well, and Crash Bandicoot has since had a brand-new game, Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. Since Crash 4 was developed & published by the same teams that made the Reignited Trilogy, fans have hope that the purple dragon will receive a new game of his own in due time. This hype might have players itching to try out a few games similar to Spyro in the meantime.

Updated on January 9, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The specifications have been added for every game recommended in this discussion.

22 Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko

A PS1 3D Platformer Cult Classic

If there was ever a product of the 1990s, it was Gex the Gecko. He was one of the decade's several anthropomorphic animal mascots, and while his games never quite hit the level of Spyro's PS1 adventures, Gecko's games are by no means bad. His second and third outings are perfectly solid 3D platformers.

Gex 3: Enter The Gecko, in particular, has a ton of vehicles and alternate gameplay styles that will remind players of the Spyro sequels. The controls are not quite up to the level of Insomniacs' games, but Gex 3 should still be able to spark people's nostalgia for the classic days of 3D platformers.

21 Demon Turf

A Modern Throwback To Old-School 3D Platformers With A Wicked Premise

An impressive throwback to 3D platformers of yesteryear, Demon Turf has style, tight controls, and a fun protagonist. Driven by a desire to rule the Demon World, Beebz sets out to conquer four zones, each of which contains a myriad of levels leading to an eventual boss fight.

Within these stages, which overflow with visual flair, Beebz engages in challenging platforming sections along with the occasional combat scenario. The latter is nothing special, but the former compares favorably to most modern platformers.

20 Rayman 2: The Great Escape

A Classic 3D Platformer

Before Ubisoft became known for blockbuster franchises like Assassin's Creed, the undisputed mascot of the company was the utterly quirky Rayman. While his original 2D game may have got the ball rolling on the series, the franchise really started to gain momentum with Rayman 2: The Great Escape.

Like many 3D platformers, including Spyro, players will gain new abilities as they progress through the game and collect "Lums" to make their way to the final boss. While The Great Escape shows its age in some areas, it's still a decent time for fans of this era of gaming.

19 Ape Escape

A Twist On The Collectathon Formula

Ape Escape is without a doubt one of the more unique platformers on the PS1, mostly based on its control. Unlike a lot of games from its era that, at most, used the left thumbstick on the PS1's Dualshock controller, Ape Escape used the right thumbstick to control the gadgets in the game

Throughout the game, the player controls a boy named Spike as he captures a bunch of monkeys given increased intelligence by the villain of the game, Specter, that are running loose over history. While Ape Escape's tone and pacing can be a bit jarring to those used to Spyro, the variety of gadgets and catchy music will remind many of the purple dragon's classic gameplay.

18 Sonic Adventure

Epic Adventure With Multiple Playable Characters

The project that kicked off Sonic's career in the third dimension, Sonic Adventure, for the most part, successfully brought the hedgehog into modern gaming. Simultaneously, the game managed to retain the speed that gamers fell in love with in the Genesis era.

While Sonic's running is much faster than Spyro's charge, it will still give gamers a taste of the speed found in the dragon's titles. What makes Sonic Adventure more like Spyro: Year of the Dragon is how players control multiple characters, including Tails and Knuckles whose stages play out very differently than Sonic's.

17 New Super Lucky's Tale

Charming Modern Platformer

Playful Studios' New Super Lucky's Tale is an enhanced version of 2017's Super Lucky's Tale. The game makes numerous changes to the vanilla version, including a much-needed camera fix and improvements to the level design.

New Super Lucky's Tale is a great choice for casual players as the game doesn't try to challenge them with an influx of enemies or challenging platforming sections. However, the game isn't insultingly easy, as not only will some of the puzzles have players scratching their heads, but completing New Super Lucky's Tale 100% is no easy feat.

16 Muppet Monster Adventure

Forgotten Muppet Game With Cool Horror Vibe

The PS1 is absolutely overflowing with 3D platformers that have slipped through the cracks of time and nowadays barely qualify as footnotes in gaming's history. The console welcomed quite a few licensed projects as well, and a number of these releases decided to adopt the genre popularized by the likes of Super Mario 64 and, yes, Spyro the Dragon. Muppet Monster Adventure is, naturally, a Muppets game that very much plays like a product of its time, and while it might not be a masterpiece, it is arguably a forgotten gem.

The game follows Robin, Kermit's nephew who has to go on an adventure to rescue the Muppets who have been transformed into monsters. The protagonist also has a few transformations of his own, which serve as the in-universe justification for standard 3D platformer abilities. Similar to everyone's favorite purple dragon, Robin has to amass a specific collectible to unlock levels, which requires exploring reasonably big levels (for the time). Muppet Monster Adventure is also pretty long for this sort of game.

15 Croc: Legend Of The Gobbos

Stiff But Fun PS1 Platformer With Personality

Even if they might not be viewed as representatives of the genre's '90s peak, Croc and its sequel are perfect examples of enjoyable B-tier 3D platformers. Players take charge of Croc, an adorable mascot who goes on an adventure to rescue even more adorable creatures and eventually defeat a magician. In terms of campaign structure, Legend of the Gobbos is fairly typical for the era, with a hub area leading to linear levels with sparse exploration. Each stage has a couple of Gobbos who need to be saved, and finding them all is required to get the real ending.

Croc's gameplay has not aged quite as well as the absolute best mid-90s platformers, and the controls can be stiff and frustrating at times. Still, the game is playable enough to not be a dealbreaker, even if some nostalgia might be required to help paper over a few of the cracks. The sequel tends to be a bit more polarizing than its predecessor, although fans of the latter should check it out.

14 The Lego Games

Fun For All Ages

In 2005, Traveller's Tales crafted an enjoyable collectathon formula with LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game that has been reused many times to great success since. The LEGO games are considered today to be a cornerstone of casual gaming. Not only are they great fun to pick up and play with a friend, but every game comes equipped with a fantastic reward system that encourages players to 100% each release, much like the Spyro series.

The titles all feature a similar gameplay style, so deciding which LEGO title to play is as simple as picking which set of characters someone most wants to see reimagined in brick form.

13 A Hat in Time

Throwback Done To Perfection

Gears for Breakfast's A Hat in Time is reminiscent of the Banjo-Kazooie with its large and open levels filled with tons to do and collect. Oozing in style through its creative stages and funny characters, this throwback not only captures the magic of traditional collectathons but also features fantastic controls.

A Hat In Time was well-received as a throwback to classic 3D platformers. Aesthetically, the game is overflowing with charm and personality; meanwhile, the gameplay is a confident modern interpretation of the genre's old-school entries.

12 Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Gorgeous On The PS5

LittleBigPlanet spin-off, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, was released as a launch title for the PlayStation 5. The game received a warm reception from critics and is still among the console's better platformers.

The game separates itself from the LittleBigPlanet titles by switching the 2.5D perspective for fully 3D views and movement; however, it keeps the level variety that makes those games so special. Sackboy: A Big Adventure's vast range of playstyles and objectives help the platformer stand out and ensure its gameplay does not grow stale.

11 Psychonauts

Weird And Awesome

The cult classic platformer, Psychonauts, was released in 2005 and differentiated itself from other titles in its genre with unique gameplay mechanics centered around the playable character's psychic abilities. Raz can use invisibility, telekinesis, levitation, and other powers obtained throughout the game to help him on his journey.

Psychonauts has a dark sense of humor and story for a 3D platformer, and it is more character and story-driven than most of its contemporaries. More importantly, the game's writing is generally fantastic, and the same extends to its world-building. In 2021, a belated sequel finally made the rounds, and it is comfortably among the best 3D platformers of the 2020s.

10 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Fresh Take On Three Classics

Spyro and Crash have existed hand in hand since their '90s heydays. The N. Sane Trilogy mixes platforming with collectathon gameplay, just like Spyro. The former's levels are considerably more focused on platforming, but each stage has many boxes to smash for a clear gem, and some have hidden colored gems to find.

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy recreated Naughty Dog's PS1 games with love and respect, all the while tweaking the gameplay enough to guarantee the remakes offer more than just a graphical upgrade. Crash Bandicoot 4 is also a good option for anyone searching for a complete new game, and it is very difficult too.

9 Yooka-Laylee

Flawed But Not Charmless

A spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, Yooka-Laylee was met with a lukewarm reception upon release. The game wasn't bad by any means, but it failed to live up to its high expectations. Despite this setback, Yooka-Laylee is still one of the better collectathons of the late 2010s.

Each level is littered with collectibles to find, such as Pagies, Ghost Quills, and Ghost Writers. The game has since received a sequel, although it featured a drastic change in playstyle. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair plays more like Donkey Kong Country and Rayman Origins than Spyro the Dragon, but it is arguably better than its predecessor.

8 Sly Cooper And The Thievius Raccoonus

Stealth + Platforming

Sly Cooper mixes two of the most polar opposite genres in gaming: platforming and stealth. Despite this contrast, it's an absolute joy to play. The series is no walk in the park, though, as Sly can be defeated with just a single blow.

Slipping past guards isn't the only thing that players need to be wary of, as each level has hidden clue bottles to collect. Any of the Sly Cooper games are worth a try, but the original game is arguably the best of the bunch.

7 Ratchet And Clank

Insomniac's Other Iconic Franchise

Like the Sly Cooper series, all of the Ratchet and Clank games are worth playing. The series is made by Insomniac Games, the same company as the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy, which is best known today for its work on the recent Spider-Man titles.

Ratchet and Clank's gunplay is radically different from Spyro's combat, but the game draws similarities with its many platforming sections and collectathon gameplay. There are a plethora of bolts to collect in each level that can be used to purchase new weapons.

6 SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated

Great License Game

SpongeBob's 6th gen cult classic was given the remaster treatment at the start of 2020. The game lets players control SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy as they try to stop Plankton and his robot minions. The levels occur in some of the show's most iconic locations, such as Goo Lagoon, Rock Bottom, and Jellyfish Fields.

Battle for Bikini Bottom is remembered fondly for its excellent boss fights and open levels with much to collect. In 2023, Purple Lamp also produced SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake, a successor to Battle for Bikini Bottom that does justice to its inspiration.

5 Ty The Tasmanian Tiger

An Australian Spin On 3D Platformers

Ty The Tasmanian Tiger is structured similarly to both Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. The game has multiple zones, each made up of three portals that lead to its levels — each stage tasks players with collecting Thunder Eggs.

These eggs are collected by completing objectives, freeing Bilbies, beating the time attack mode, or simply finding them within the level. Once 17 are collected, players can take on one of the game's bosses before reaching a new zone.

4 Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear To The Rescue

Underrated PS1 Gem

Much like the original Spyro trilogy, Toy Story 2 pushed the PS1's capabilities to the limit with some of the best open levels available on the console. Each level's design was ingenious, with standard household items requiring precise platforming to traverse.

The game's levels each contain five Pizza Planet tokens to collect. These tokens are usually collected by defeating mini-bosses, solving puzzles, winning races, or completing various objectives. There are also five boss levels, all of which are great fun and offer some welcome variety.

3 Banjo-Kazooie

The Definitive Collectathon

Rare isn't just known for pioneering the FPS genre with GoldenEye. The developer was also a key player in the rise of collectathons with Banjo-Kazooie on the Nintendo 64. Banjo-Kazooie has nine different worlds, each littered with collectibles.

Among these collectibles are Musical Notes, Feathers, Honeycombs, and Jiggies. The latter items are key to completing the game as they complete portal-like puzzles that give players access to new worlds. The level design holds up to this day.