Best Platformer Games

Why it's here: The best platformer on PS5, and the rare one where the collectibles are built on purpose instead of bolted on. Every level hides bots, puzzle pieces and secret exits with real stopping points, so the full clear keeps paying out past the credits. The one knock in player reviews is that a few late challenge stages spike hard. The reviews tally the way I read them: 100% worth the price, and the platinum is worth the extra hours.

Why it's here: The showcase pick, and the one that proves what a PS5 can do. Rift-hopping snaps you between worlds mid-jump, and the gold-bolt and armor hunts give a completionist a real reason to sweep each planet twice. Player reviews flag frame drops and a story lighter than longtime fans wanted. Chase the collectibles and the challenge mode and it earns the price. Go in for a deep story and the reviews say you will come up short.

Why it's here: The most replayable 2D platformer on the list. The levels are packed with hidden Teensies and time-trial variants, so a full clear is a genuine chase rather than padded busywork. The recurring gripe in player reviews is Ubisoft Connect account friction and stripped-out online features. Play it for the single-player and couch co-op, which those complaints do not touch, and there is enough tracked content here to make the platinum worth the time.

Why it's here: The hardest game here, and the one that makes you earn every clear. The boss-rush design turns each fight into a pattern you grind until it clicks, and the reviews are blunt that the difficulty is punishing and a couple of hitboxes feel unfair. There is little side content, so this is about mastery, not a checklist. Players who stuck with it couldn't recommend it more. If a hard wall will sour you, start elsewhere on this list.

Why it's here: Three remade classics, and a completionist's grind in the old-school sense. Every gem and time-trial relic is gated behind precise, unforgiving jumping, so the full clear here is real work, not a formality. Player reviews call out inconsistent hit detection and difficulty spikes, especially in the first game. Bring patience and the reviews line up that it is worth the price, but this is one where the 100% will test you before it rewards you.

Why it's here: Insomniac's 2016 reboot, and the most straightforward way into the series. It rebuilds the PS2 original with modern combat, plus gold-bolt and holo-plan hunts that give a completionist a reason to revisit each world. As a PlayStation exclusive it has no Steam review corpus to tally, but its catalogue standing is strong. Play it before Rift Apart, and the collectible sweep is worth the extra hours if you like clearing a world before moving on.

Why it's here: The stealth pick, and a PS2 landmark kept alive for modern hardware. Sly's heist levels reward patience over speed, with hidden Clue Bottles and vault treasures in every stage for anyone who likes combing a level clean. It sits on the PS Plus Premium classics with no Steam reviews to tally, but its reputation has held for two decades. If you track collectibles as seriously as the main path, the full clear here is worth the time.

Why it's here: The friendliest entry here, and a low-stress collectathon at heart. Three remade Spyro games ask you to hoover up gems, eggs and dragons, and the reviews are warm on the remaster while flagging bugs and frame-rate wobble, with the third game the weakest of the set. The 120% clears are genuine content, not padding, so there is a real reason to keep sweeping. For younger players or a nostalgia run, it is worth the price.

Why it's here: The best value on the list, full stop. Treasure Trove bundles several full games of tight, NES-style platforming, each with its own moveset, so there is a genuine mountain of tracked content for one price. Player reviews rave about the pixel art and soundtrack while a minority find some stages clunky or too hard. If you grew up on 8-bit action, this is 100% worth the price, and the full clear across every included game is a real grind worth doing.

Why it's here: The best two-player game here, and it refuses to be played solo. Every chapter invents a fresh co-op mechanic and drops it before it stales, so the run never pads itself out. Player reviews love the design but split on a saccharine story and the odd difficulty mismatch between partners. There are no real collectibles to chase, so this is about the ride, not the checklist. Grab a willing partner and the reviews line up that it is worth the price.

Why it's here: The most unsettling game here, and the shortest to finish in one sitting. Playdead's wordless side-scroller hides secret orbs that unlock an alternate ending, which is about the only extra content to chase. Player reviews split on an abrupt ending and puzzles some find too easy. This is a two-to-three hour piece built on dread and craft, not a long game with a checklist, so treat it that way. For the sit-down it asks, the reviews say it is worth the price.

Why it's here: A creeping horror-platformer that trades speed for timing. You steer a tiny figure through an oversized, grotesque world, and there are hidden statues and Nomes to find for anyone who likes combing each room. Player reviews praise the art and the chase set-pieces while flagging clunky controls and a short runtime. There is little to chase past one clear, so this is a single strong evening, not a completionist's grind. On sale it is worth the price.

Why it's here: The stronger of the two, and the one to play if you pick one. It keeps the grotesque world and adds a companion and sharper set-pieces, with hidden hats and glitching-remains collectibles for a full sweep. Player reviews rate it above the original but flag frustrating controls and the odd bug. The collectible hunt adds a reason to replay, though the real draw is the ride. After the first game or on its own, the full clear is worth the time.

Why it's here: The gentlest game on the list, and the most heartfelt. You steer Yarny through Nordic landscapes built on physics puzzles, with hidden secrets tucked in each level for anyone who likes combing a stage clean. Player reviews love the visuals and the emotional pull while noting the EA launcher hassle and some simple puzzles. There is a light collectible layer but no deep grind, so this is a short, warm play. For the price it usually sells at, it is worth it.

Why it's here: The best free game on the console, and it ships on every PS5. This pack-in turns a tour of PlayStation history into a genuinely good short platformer, and the hunt for artifacts and puzzle pieces is tracked content, not filler. Player reviews only really fault its length and simplicity. There is a real 100% to chase for a couple of hours, and since it costs nothing and is already installed, the full clear is free time well spent.

Why it's here: The speed pick, and the best Sonic has felt in years. It bundles the remastered Generations with a full new Shadow story whose darker, power-driven stages are the real draw, and both halves hide Chao and red rings for a completionist to sweep. Player reviews are strongly positive but note the Sonic half is a fairly plain port and the price feels steep for the runtime. Chase the Shadow content and the collectibles, and it is worth the price.

Why it's here: The one I would hand a shared family PS5 first. Sackboy trades LittleBigPlanet's level editor for hand-crafted 3D stages that scale from solo to four players, and a set of co-op-only levels gives a full room a goal it cannot reach alone. The recurring complaint in Steam reviews is glitches in multiplayer sessions, so patch it before a group night. Rated E, on PS Plus Extra, 4.32 from about 29,000 players. For a mixed-age couch it is the easiest pick on this list, and the one to put on before Astro Bot.

Why it's here: Crash 4 is the sequel the N. Sane Trilogy was asking for, and the hardest entry the series has shipped. It is a new game rather than a remaster, with four Quantum Masks that bend the rules of each level and Coco playable alongside Crash. The persistent complaint in Steam community threads is the 106% grind, which asks for every crate in a level without a single death and then the time trials on top. Rated E10+, 4.29 from about 27,000 players. I would play it for the levels and treat the full clear as strictly optional.