Best Climbing Games for PC

Why it's here: PEAK is where I would start anyone with friends to climb with. Up to four lost scouts scale the mountain at the center of a mysterious island, foraging questionable food and nursing injuries that eat into a shared struggle for stamina. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is that the first climbs frustrate newcomers before the stamina system clicks. Still, 95% of 147,556 Steam reviews are positive, the biggest count on this list. Bring a group; solo, it is a much lonelier trip.

Why it's here: Cairn is the closest thing on PC to a true climbing simulator. As Aava, you can climb anywhere on Mount Kami, reading the rock face, placing each limb and rationing pitons and supplies to survive the ascent, and the story asks what she is willing to sacrifice for the summit. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is clunky limb control when automatic limb selection grabs the wrong hold. 94% of 9,968 Steam reviews are positive. If the climb itself is what you want to play, this is the one.

Why it's here: Pick Jusant when you want the climb without the punishment. You scale a vast, changing tower with climbing tools and a stamina meter, uncovering what happened to the bygone civilization that lived on its walls, and a fall rarely costs you much. Players in Steam reviews keep raising its length: several finished in two to four hours and wanted the mechanics pushed further. 92% of 2,472 Steam reviews are positive, and it is rated E. Play it in a single evening, ideally on sale, and the atmosphere carries it.

Why it's here: No game here ties its climb to its story more tightly than Celeste. Madeline scales Celeste Mountain while facing her own inner demons, and more than 700 screens of precision platforming carry that theme instead of decorating it. Steam reviewers who struggled point to the difficulty curve, which rises fast enough to lose players who loved the opening chapters. 97% of 62,657 Steam reviews are positive and it is rated E10+. If tight platforming suits you, it is absolutely worth it.

Why it's here: The best-reviewed climb on this list is also its gentlest. A Short Hike sends you up through Hawk Peak Provincial Park, hiking, climbing and soaring toward the summit, meeting other hikers and digging up hidden treasure on whatever trail you choose. Its one real weakness, according to Steam reviews, is how quickly it ends, with little reason to replay. 99% of 12,720 Steam reviews are positive, rated E. Give it an afternoon and it will fill that afternoon beautifully.

Why it's here: Baby Steps makes walking up a mountain the entire challenge. As Nate, you place every footstep yourself across misty slopes, in physics-based play from the minds behind Ape Out and Getting Over It, and one slip can send you a long way back down. Steam community reviews keep coming back to the physics: Nate slides on ground that looks safe, and the desert stretch is where several players quit. 90% of 1,809 Steam reviews are positive, and it is rated M. Finished Getting Over It and wanted a world around the pain? This is that.

Why it's here: For a group that can laugh off a shared fall, Chained Together is the co-op climb to buy. Every player is chained to the others, starting in the depths of hell, and one bad jump drags the whole team back toward the lava. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is frequent bugs and stiff physics, which sting more when the chain is already working against you. 90% of 20,688 Steam reviews are positive. Choose your climbing partners carefully; the game depends on them more than on its levels.

Why it's here: Mouse-only and merciless, A Difficult Game About Climbing gives you a climber's two hands and nothing else. You grab, pull and swing your way up a mountain of slippery surfaces, and a lost grip can undo minutes of progress. The sharpest criticism in Steam reviews comes from Getting Over It fans, who call it clunkier and less clever than the game it pays tribute to. 87% of 3,339 Steam reviews are positive. Try it after Foddy's hammer, if you want a rage climber that feels more physical.

Why it's here: Every rage climber on this list is measured against Getting Over It. You move a hammer with the mouse, and that is all, hauling a man in a cauldron up a mountain of junk while Bennett Foddy narrates your failures. Its score sits below its reputation because many of its negative Steam reviews are jokes from players it broke, not complaints about the design. 84% of 42,006 Steam reviews are positive. Play it only if you want every fall to hurt; that is the whole point.

Why it's here: Jump King climbs straight up, one charged leap at a time. You hold to charge each jump, cannot steer once you leave the ground, and a single mistimed leap can drop you several screens back down the tower. Steam's negative reviews are mostly players describing falls they never recovered from, so expect frustration to be the main ingredient. 90% of 5,170 Steam reviews are positive, and it is rated E. Pick it if the vertical, no-checkpoint challenge is exactly what you came here for.

Why it's here: Lorn's Lure is the atmosphere pick. A lone android climbs and leaps through a vast megastructure hidden from his people, rendered in retro '90s PC graphics where the sheer scale of the place is the attraction. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is the final chapter, which several players say trades the early climbing exploration for harsher, jankier platforming. 86% of 2,172 Steam reviews are positive, rated T. Go for the early chapters and that sense of scale; they are worth it on their own.