# What is the best indie platformer of all time?

> Pixel-art darlings, moody puzzle-platformers and punishing precision climbers from tiny studios that changed the genre. Cult obsessions sit beside crossover hits, so where do you stand?

*By YPB Team · Published October 13, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-indie-platformer-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Celeste**
   A 2018 precision platformer about climbing a mountain while confronting anxiety.
2. **Hollow Knight**
   A 2017 hand-drawn Metroidvania exploring the bug kingdom of Hallownest.
3. **Shovel Knight**
   A 2014 retro 8-bit action platformer starring a shovel-wielding knight.
4. **Ori and the Blind Forest**
   A 2015 painterly Metroidvania platformer about a spirit guardian.
5. **Super Meat Boy**
   A 2010 brutally difficult platformer starring a boy made of meat.
6. **Cuphead**
   A 2017 run-and-gun platformer with 1930s rubber-hose animation and boss fights.
7. **Limbo**
   A 2010 monochrome puzzle platformer about a boy searching for his sister.
8. **Inside**
   A 2016 dystopian puzzle platformer from the creators of Limbo.
9. **Braid**
   A 2008 puzzle platformer built around time manipulation.
10. **Fez**
   A 2012 puzzle platformer where a 2D hero discovers a third dimension.
11. **Spelunky**
   A 2008 procedurally generated roguelike platformer about cave exploration.
12. **Ori and the Will of the Wisps**
   A 2020 sequel expanding the Ori platforming and combat with emotional storytelling.
13. **Gris**
   A 2018 serene watercolor platformer about navigating grief.
14. **The Messenger**
   A 2018 ninja platformer that shifts from 8-bit to 16-bit with a time-travel twist.
15. **Guacamelee!**
   A 2013 luchador Metroidvania platformer steeped in Mexican folklore.
16. **A Hat in Time**
   A 2017 3D collectathon platformer inspired by Nintendo 64 classics.

Tags: games, platformers, puzzle, metroidvania, indie games