10 Must-Play Metroidvania Games
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In metroidvania games, getting lost isn’t a setback—it’s part of the fun. From sprawling maps to hidden secrets, these games let you enjoy exploration while also diving into exciting battles and engaging stories. Here, we introduce 10 recommended metroidvania games that deliver all of these experiences.
- Metroidvania games are side-scrolling games where exploration is the main focus.
- As players acquire new skills, they can access previously unreachable areas.
- The game areas is connected, requiring players to find their own paths.
- The term “Metroidvania” comes from the Metroid series and the Castlevania series.
- Players encounter battles and platforming challenges throughout their journey.
- Many games in this genre allow the protagonist to become stronger by collecting upgrades and power-ups through exploration rather than combat.
- Most are punishing action experiences.
Metroidvania games started as a subgenre of 2D side-scrolling action, but today they’ve become a full-fledged genre with many titles available.
10 Best Metroidvania Games
Animal Well
How you tackle each challenge depends entirely on the player’s ingenuity. This highly rated game is full of the joy of solving puzzles and the thrill of exploring.
The protagonist is a simple round ball. With no sword or magic, it uses humble tools—more like toys—such as frisbees and soap bubbles to navigate its labyrinth.
Beautifully glowing pixel art brings the maze to life, with puzzles hidden throughout. First, you need to locate where the puzzles are. There’s never just one way to use the tools or solve them, and with each step forward, more puzzles catch your eye. The game constantly sparks curiosity.
The animals may look cute to the player, but they pose real danger to the protagonist, creating tense and gripping moments.
Even when you think you’ve completed the game, more puzzles remain. It’s an endlessly absorbing journey into a subterranean labyrinth that never seems to bottom out.
| Title | Animal Well |
|---|---|
| Developer | Shared Memory |
| Publisher | Bigmode |
| Release Date | May 9, 2024 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Puzzle Adventure |
| Platform | PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC |
Hollow Knight
A landmark title that helped ignite the popularity of the Souls-like metroidvania genre and continues to influence countless games.
You play as a wandering traveler, pushed to the brink as aggressive, unrelenting bosses strike you down, thorn-lined paths pierce you, and pools of acid burn you while you journey through a fallen kingdom of insects.
Both the combat and traversal offer firm, satisfying challenge, and the intricately connected map—full of unexpected shortcuts—quickly becomes something you can’t stop exploring.
Despite the tough encounters, the game’s cast of NPCs—cute at first glance yet undeniably annoying—along with its hauntingly beautiful scenery and slowly unfolding, bittersweet truths add layers of charm far beyond the action.
And once this blend of challenge and labyrinthine discovery hooks you, the even larger and tougher sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong is an absolute must-play.
| Title | Hollow Knight |
|---|---|
| Developer | Team Cherry |
| Publisher | Team Cherry |
| Release Date | February 24, 2017 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS4, Switch, Xbox, PC |
Blasphemous 2
A brutal yet breathtaking world awaits in this high-difficulty metroidvania where you play as the Penitent One.
Switch freely between three distinct weapons—each defined by its own behavior, range, speed, and unique skills—as you carve through elegant yet absurdly imposing foes and push toward the floating heart that looms above the land. Even normal enemies are vicious, and the world brims with danger: chandeliers crash from above, unseen threats strike from behind, and cruel environmental traps keep you constantly on edge.
What makes this journey especially gripping is its death penalty that accumulates with every mistake, adding pressure and turning each setback into part of the thrill. You’re not just thinking “I’ll just restart”; the game keeps you invested, raising the stakes in a way that feels true to the Penitent One’s path.
Mysterious NPCs—often so intimidating you’ll assume they’re bosses—offer strange side quests, while the intricate pixel art and layered narrative become just as captivating as the combat itself.
A metroidvania that challenges, punishes, and completely consumes you.
| Title | Blasphemous II |
|---|---|
| Developer | The Game Kitchen |
| Publisher | Team17 |
| Release Date | August 24, 2023 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS5/4, Switch, Xbox, PC |
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
A standout metroidvania built around agile, air-heavy platforming.
You play as Ori, lost in an unfamiliar land and searching for your friend Ku. Your journey takes you through shimmering wetlands, lush forests hiding unseen dangers, and snowy mountain peaks—each area painted with stunning, picture-book beauty.
Precise platforming sits at the heart of the adventure. You’ll snap directions mid-air, chain jumps, and rely on accurate inputs to stay alive. Combat puts those same platforming skills to the test, letting you soar, burrow, and glide through enemies with smooth, acrobatic movement.
While many challenging metroidvanias lean toward dark, brooding fantasy worlds, this one captures your heart with its painterly visuals, charming characters, and a touching story that may leave you in tears.
| Title | Ori and the Will of the Wisps |
|---|---|
| Developer | Moon Studios GmH |
| Publisher | Xbox Game Studios |
| Release Date | March 10, 2020 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | Switch, Xbox, PC |
Metroid Dread
The Metroid series—whose excellence helped define the very term “metroidvania”—still delivers exploration-driven action at the absolute top tier of the genre.
You once again step into the suit of Samus Aran, the galaxy’s most formidable bounty hunter, who always seems to be deployed to (or crash-lands on) an unfamiliar planet. Your mission is not only to escape but also to uncover the secrets hidden beneath the planet’s surface.
One of the standout features of this entry is the tense zones patrolled by the runaway E.M.M.I. units. In these areas, you’ll creep through in total silence to slip past them… or bolt at full speed when they spot you. You can’t just wander around at your own pace here, and that constant pressure becomes a thrilling jolt of excitement.
Samus’s signature Morph Ball lets her roll through hidden passageways and weave between areas with very different terrain. The game often makes you feel lost for a moment, only for the path forward to reveal itself naturally, guiding you toward discoveries without ever breaking immersion.
Combat is engaging, with players switching between different ammo types, while the game also features dynamic, cinematic set pieces—together creating a highly acclaimed way to experience modern Metroid.
| Title | Metroid Dread |
|---|---|
| Developer | Nintendo, MercurySteam |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Release Date | October 8, 2021 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | Switch |
Nine Sols
A high-difficulty metroidvania where you turn enemy attacks into your advantage through skillful parries.
Set in a world ruled by the Sols, you play as a former member betrayed by your own allies. As you seek revenge, you gradually uncover the truth behind the betrayal.
Combat revolves around parrying enemy attacks to charge your power, which you can then infuse into talismans and stick to foes for explosive results. Successfully pulling off these moves feels incredibly satisfying and stylish. The fast-paced, challenging battles continue throughout, with particularly enjoyable bosses that keep you hooked.
The world blends Confucian philosophy with cyberpunk elements, referred to as “TaoPunk” in the game. The story unfolds as you gather each boss’s hidden motives and unexpected secrets.
While there are optional paths to explore, you won’t easily get lost, making this game especially recommended for those who want to focus on engaging, skill-based combat.
| Title | Nine Sols |
|---|---|
| Developer | Red Candle Games |
| Publisher | Red Candle Games |
| Release Date | May 29, 2024 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS5, Switch, Xbox, PC |
GRIME
A metroidvania so distinctive you’ll find yourself thinking, “Is it even possible for a game to be this eccentric?”—and loving it all the more for it.
Your protagonist is unusual from the very start: their head is literally a black hole. And no, it’s not some stylish helmet—this swirling void lets you swallow weakened enemies and absorb their abilities as your own.
Those stolen powers gradually open new paths and make tough foes easier to take down, shifting the focus of exploration from “Where do I go next?” to “Which enemy has a power I want?” You end up roaming the world with the mindset of a predator on the hunt, and that unusual rhythm is exactly what makes the game so compelling.
The world and story are wonderfully surreal, pulling you deeper into their strangeness, while the combat delivers a solid challenge. A game as bizarre as it is brilliant—yet fully committed to delivering a genuinely tough metroidvania challenge.
| Title | GRIME |
|---|---|
| Developer | Clover Bite |
| Publisher | Akupara Games |
| Release Date | August 2, 2021 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS5/4, Switch, Xbox, PC |
The Messenger
You set out as a ninja messenger, tasked with delivering an important scroll to a hero—just as the title suggests.
At first, you’ll probably think, “Wait, this isn’t a metroidvania.” The game initially feels like a classic stage-based, retro side-scrolling action platformer.
But partway through, everything changes. Without spoiling the details, a dramatic shift transforms the entire experience, and suddenly you find yourself thinking, “Hold on… this is a metroidvania.”
The game’s clever system—where switching between 8-bit and 16-bit styles alters the world itself—comes into full play.
The mechanics make brilliant use of retro conventions, and platforming becomes uniquely fun as you time your jumps while shifting between bit styles mid-air, opening paths and solving traversal challenges in ways only this game can offer.
The story mixes humor with surprisingly deep world-building, and if you end up loving its dimension-spanning narrative, the highly praised RPG Sea of Stars—set in the same universe but in an earlier era—is also well worth playing.
| Title | The Messenger |
|---|---|
| Developer | Sabotage |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Release Date | August 30, 2018 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS5/4, Switch, Xbox, PC |
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Set in a sweeping desert kingdom, this exotic entry in the Prince of Persia series follows the warrior Sargon as he ventures through time-warped ruins to rescue a kidnapped prince.
Its standout mechanic is Sargon’s power to manipulate time. He can rewind himself to an earlier position—snapping back to a chosen moment—to slip behind enemies, dodge hazards, or rethink his movement mid-flow. It’s a fast, clever system that makes every encounter feel sharp and satisfying.
Beyond the main quest, the game offers a generous amount of side content, including numerous optional trials. Many of them demand precise platforming under tight time pressure—perfect for players who thrive when facing collapsing platforms, spike-lined chasms, and other thrilling, high-stakes challenges.
| Title | Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown |
|---|---|
| Developer | Ubisoft |
| Publisher | Ubisoft |
| Release Date | January 18, 2024 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS5/4, Switch, Xbox, PC, iOS, Android |
SteamWorld Dig 2
A standout entry in the SteamWorld series, this game brings the Wild West to life with its cast of robot “steam bots.”
You play as Dorothy, who digs her way through the underground world in search of the missing Rusty—last game’s protagonist.
The core gameplay revolves around digging, literally carving a path forward. When you uncover valuable ores, you can return to the hub town to upgrade your gear. The act of digging itself is satisfying, and the excitement of discovering what’s next keeps you hooked—making each new spot to dig feel like a fresh adventure.
There’s plenty to explore along the way, from dungeons to underground villages, and the hub town gradually becomes more lively as you meet new characters and unlock additional features.
Even players unfamiliar with metroidvanias will find this game approachable, and anyone who enjoys immersive, repetitive digging may lose track of time entirely.
| Title | SteamWorld Dig 2 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Image & Form |
| Publisher | Image & Form |
| Release Date | September 21, 2017 |
| Genre | Metroidvania, Action |
| Platform | PS4, Switch, Xbox, PC |
Author
Taca KGO
A gamer who loves playing a wide variety of genres, with a particular passion for exploring game elements. Loves researching game news and information from around the world. Founder and editor of KeepGamingOn.