# The 16 Best Platformers of All Time

> From pixel-perfect retro cartridges to modern indie darlings, this lineup spans every era of jump-and-run brilliance. Which one reigns supreme?

*By YPB Team · Published June 9, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-16-best-platformers-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Super Mario 64** — 66.67% (2 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The 1996 Nintendo 64 game that defined 3D platforming and free-roaming level design.
2. **Super Mario World** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 704/1000)
   The 1990 SNES launch platformer that introduced Yoshi and expansive secret-laden worlds.
3. **Sonic the Hedgehog 2** — 0% (0 votes · score 569/1000)
   Sega's 1992 Genesis high-speed platformer that introduced sidekick Tails.
4. **Mega Man 2** — 0% (0 votes · score 487/1000)
   Capcom's 1988 NES action-platformer, widely seen as the series' high point.
5. **Donkey Kong Country** — 0% (0 votes · score 379/1000)
   A 1994 SNES platformer famed for its pre-rendered 3D-style visuals.
6. **Ori and the Blind Forest** — 0% (0 votes · score 379/1000)
   A 2015 atmospheric Metroidvania platformer with hand-painted visuals.
7. **Cuphead** — 0% (0 votes · score 379/1000)
   A 2017 run-and-gun platformer styled after 1930s rubber-hose cartoons.
8. **Castlevania: Symphony of the Night** — 0% (0 votes · score 379/1000)
   A 1997 PlayStation game that helped define the Metroidvania genre.
9. **Super Mario Odyssey** — 0% (0 votes · score 227/1000)
   A 2017 Switch sandbox platformer centered on the hat-throwing capture mechanic.
10. **Crash Bandicoot** — 0% (0 votes · score 227/1000)
   The 1996 PlayStation mascot platformer starring the marsupial Crash.
11. **Hollow Knight** — 0% (0 votes · score 227/1000)
   A 2017 Metroidvania platformer set in a vast ruined insect kingdom.
12. **Super Mario Bros. 3** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   Nintendo's 1988 NES platformer, routinely cited among the greatest video games ever made.
13. **Rayman Legends** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A 2013 hand-drawn 2D platformer praised for its inventive, musical level design.
14. **Spyro the Dragon** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A 1998 PlayStation 3D platformer starring a young purple dragon.
15. **Super Mario Galaxy** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A 2007 Wii platformer built around gravity-bending spherical planets.
16. **Celeste** — 0% (0 votes · score 1/1000)
   A 2018 precision platformer about climbing a mountain and battling self-doubt.

Tags: games, nintendo, classics, platformers