We've been playing the best Metroidvania games for decades now, and the genre's evolution since the days of the original Metroid and Castlevania games has been amazing to see. Wild experiments in modern Metroidvanias have pushed the genre to new heights and into new territory, often establishing modern gold standards in the process, but without sacrificing the core appeal of exploring a world by finding dead ends.
The best Metroidvanias often sit somewhere between the best action games and the greatest platformers around, combining swift movement and satisfying combat to propel you around a sprawling map. For this list, we've collected 25 of the very best Metroidvania games you can play today, from genre mainstays to lesser-known gems.
You won't find any Metroid or Castlevania games on this list, but only because we have a dedicated home for the best Metroid games, and these series feature heavily in our best retro games list as well. You also won't see multiple games from the same series here – except for one very special case. With all of that said, here are 25 of the best Metroidvania games to explore in 2025.
The 25 best Metroidvania games you can play right now
25. Pseudoregalia
Developer: Rittzler
Platform(s): PC
True 3D Metroidvanias are exceedingly rare nowadays, and it's even rarer to get one as well-built as Pseudoregalia, a $6 game about a bunny girl warrior platforming her way through a warped castle. Deliberately short but intensely replayable, Pseudoregalia combines Metroid Prime with Super Mario 64, marrying tight platforming in a non-linear world to an impeccable Nintendo 64 look.
Protagonist Sybil is simply a joy to control, to the point that moment-to-moment jumps, wall runs, and air dashes are enough to carry the experience all on their own. It's remarkably easy to pad the runtime just by flipping about for the sake of it, and post-launch updates have added even more reasons to keep playing. We spoke to its developer about how it all came together shockingly quickly.
24. Dust: An Elysian Tail
Developer: Humble Hearts
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
This is a great game for anyone who wants to play a Metroidvania that's more about story than mastery. There are plenty of secrets to find, and you will have to backtrack quite a bit at times to find everything, but you have the option of simply concentrating on the story. That said, you're still better off exploring every nook and cranny of this Asia-inspired 2D world, because it's a constant delight.
Dust uses fun beat-em'-up-style sidescrolling combat that's never frustrating – think of Japanese games such as Odin Sphere. It's a great game for those who are a bit tired of Metroidvanias set in caves or castles, and another good title for genre beginners. Read our Dust: An Elysian Tail review for more insights into this gem.
23. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Developer: ArtPlay
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
It's simply a joy when one of the founding members of the Metroidvania genre sets out to make an indie game, pretty much copying himself, and everything just… works.
Koji Igarashi, assistant director on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, ran a successful Kickstarter that gave us Ritual of the Night and an 8-bit game taking place in the same universe, called Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon. It's just as camp and gothic-chic as Castlevania, stuffed full of interesting monsters and tough bosses. A true Metroidvania must-have.
22. TEVI
Developer: CreSpirit, GemaYue
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Essentially the older sister to the also-excellent Rabi-Ribi, TEVI brings CreSpirit and GemaYue's bullet hell Metroidvania into the 2020s with lovely anime art, fabulous character portraits, and a stunning array of upgrades. That, and the mandatory bunny girl.
TEVI is a 2D action game that pulls off the utterly ridiculous with utter ease. A stacked lineup of boss fights hurls approximately 10 bazillion projectiles your way, leaving protagonist Tevi to jump and dodge in a panic. Eventually, you start to acclimate. You start to refine your build, combining hundreds of minor unlocks with several major ones. Soon enough, you learn to see the lines, dancing through storms of hellfire and comboing bosses into mush. You can't go wrong with TEVI or Rabi-Ribi, but I think many modern Metroidvania fans are more likely to click with this one.
21. Laika: Aged Through Blood
Developer: Brainwashed Gang
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Lots of games come up with cute little nicknames for their mix of genres, but where some can feel forced, "motorvania" really is the perfect description for Laika: Aged Through Blood. It is a rip-snorting, Western-inspired, motorbike-powered game about a mother coyote warrior riding roughshod over anything unlucky enough to be caught on her path of vengeance.
If the heartrending animated intro doesn't grab you – and trust me, the soundtrack only gets better from there – the uniquely agile platforming and Mad Max-esque world probably will. The fact that the sheer, effortless brutality of the Max Payne-style slow-mo shooting barely even registers speaks to Laika's balance of arcade fun and emotional gut punches. Check out our Laika preview for more info.
20. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Developer: Ubisoft
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, mobile
It's a miracle that Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown exists at all. Ubisoft finally revived the series after a quiet decade peppered with spinoffs or mobile titles that never truly scratched the itch. As a loud-and-proud Metroidvania, The Lost Crown is obviously distinct from the likes of The Sands of Time, but it's still Prince of Persia through and through – a full-fat, fantastical adventure in the Persian sands, as we said in our Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review.
The Lost Crown sends our hero to a sprawling world overflowing with traps, monsters, and larger-than-life boss fights. A clever reimagining of the series' classic time powers gives the standard-but-solid 2D combat an edge that makes all the difference. A slightly slow start and somewhat heavy-handed narrative can't stall a journey defined by masterful platforming and exciting combat.
19. Shantae – Half Genie Hero
Developer: WayForward Technologies
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Animation quality often makes or breaks a Metroidvania, not only in terms of avoiding damage, but also in the overall enjoyment. There is arguably no better character to spend a few hours with than Shantae, who is simply The Most Anime in the best way. She attacks enemies with her bright purple hair, is always on the move, and likes to bust out dance moves. It's just a joy to control her.
The skills you gather in Half-Genie Hero are transformations into different animals, all of them not only cute but essential for traversal, not unlike the transformations in Super Mario Odyssey. If you're looking for a few hours of uncomplicated fun, this is a good bet, and if you want more of a challenge, I dare you to try the hardcore mode. (As it happens, a lost GBA Shantae is finally coming back on modern platforms.)
18. Cave Story+
Developer: Pixel
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
If you're looking for another Metroidvania with a touching story, try this one about an amnesiac robot soldier who sets out to rescue the creatures he was originally sent to kill. There isn't a whole lot of backtracking in Cave Story, and that's a good things, seeing as it's absolutely massive.
A labor of love by sole developer Daisuke Amaya, it's available completely for free on the Cave Story website or for a small cost as Cave Story+ on Steam if you'd like to show your support. Not only is the size of Cave Story astounding, but the variety in rooms and puzzles really drives home the effort that went into this game long before Metroidvanias became such a popular genre. In our Cave Story review, we wrote that the game is "Old-school challenging without being Mega Man hard", making it the perfect choice for any Metroidvania fan!
17. Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Developer: Team Ladybug, WSS playground
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
This game may have flown under your radar, as the Record of Lodoss War franchise of games, anime, and light novels isn't particularly well-known outside Japan.
Record of Lodoss War - Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is an absolute mouthful of a game that goes for that old-school Symphony of the Night feel. Officially released in 2021, the final version adds depth and polish to what was already a gorgeous 2D sidescroller built around elemental spirits. It's an unsung hero but still worth your attention if you love cracking on with the best Metroidvanias.
16. Touhou Luna Nights
Developer: Team Ladybug, WSS playground
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
You don't have to know the massive Touhou series to enjoy Luna Nights, a relatively short Metroidvania with some cool skills, including the abilities to freeze and slow time, which are absolutely central to making it through in one piece.
This is also a game that offers more in the puzzle department beyond “use skill to open the path," and to top it all off, it doesn't hurt that this game is gorgeous, boasting marvelously smooth pixel art throughout. This is also the team that has given us some of our top Metroidvanias of 2025 (looking at you BLADECHIMERA), so it's a must-play if you love this genre as much as we do.
15. Ultros
Developer: Hadoque
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5
One of the top contenders for the best art direction in the entire Metroidvania genre, Ultros chucks you into a "cosmic uterus holding an ancient, demonic being" rendered in see-it-to-believe-it detail and color. At once alien and supernatural, Ultros sears a neon palette into your retinas with cosmic horror, bio-organic delights, and prismatic dreamscapes cut up by a striking black foreground.
Under the hood, you'll find a whip-smart 2D action game with inventive, pacey combat that regularly spits out memorable, grotesque bosses worthy of the setting. Psychedelic undersells Ultros. It unfolds and envelops. As we point out in our Ultros review, the game is artistically and narratively unhinged, and the core gameplay never lags behind.
14. Yoku's Island Express
Developer: Villa Gorilla
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
This platformer comes with several unique twists, starting with the fact that you play a cute dung beetle who is also a postmaster(!), not to mention its core pinball mechanic. To get around, Yoku often needs to build up speed and height, and since he can't jump, he pushes a ball into flippers carefully set into the environment.
Developer Villa Gorilla got this to work on a traditional Metroidvania map with interconnected rooms, which in itself is a feat. Still, it's also stunningly atmospheric, set on a sunny island inspired by no less than Studio Ghibli films and Tove Jansson's Moomins. Play Yoku's Island Express for something different or whenever you're in need of an island getaway.
13. Iconoclasts
Developer: Joakim Sandberg
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Inventive boss fights and multipurpose tools are the highlights of this gorgeous adventure. With a story darker than its looks might suggest and gentle tweaks to the established formula, Iconoclasts stays continuously entertaining throughout.
You don't so much pick up new skills as you learn to use what you've got – the focus this time lies on using your inventory to solve puzzles, rather than rock-hard combat. Additionally, thanks to the effort that went into the story, you're sure to love plucky protagonist Robin by the end.
12. Supraland
Developer: Supra Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
There is an almost endless array of pixel-art Metroidvania platformers. Not Supraland! Here, you take control of a stick figure-like toy exploring a literal sandbox. You can even see a kid at play when you look up. The setting accommodates a game influenced by three popular titles: Zelda, Portal, and, of course, Metroid. The Portal influences are actually the most pronounced, as both blocks and your ray gun are frequently necessary to move ahead.
Combat is more of an afterthought, as Supraland is definitely focused on exploration. This is definitely not a Metroidvania you want to play with a map or guide open on your phone at all times. There's no other first-person exploration game stuffed so full of puzzles and secrets set in a 3D sandbox, so Supraland is pretty much without competition.
11. Momodora: Moonlit Farewell
Developer: Bombservice
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbos Series X
The current pinnacle of the successful but nevertheless criminally underrated Momodora series, Moonlit Farewell follows Koho priestess Momo on her divine journey through demonic badlands. Like its predecessors, it delivers stunning pixel art, exhilarating combat that leans into combos and dodge-rolls, and a layered world that begs to be explored.
It's probably the best that Momodora's ever been, which is really saying something for a series that technically began in 2010, started off doing pretty well as freeware, and has only gotten better over time with increasingly premium releases. Moonlit Farewell stands out as a perfectly sized Metroidvania that packs oodles of depth into a reasonably short runtime, which gives the core game loop exactly as much time as it needs and not a moment more.
10. Guacamelee! 2
Developer: DrinkBox Studios
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
The Guacamelee! games are some of the best-looking Metroidvanias around. The Mexiverse is simply a riot of color, lovingly designed with a warmth reminiscent of Rayman Legends. A good story can be hard to come by in Metroidvanias, but Guacamelee! not only manages one but also brings the right dose of humor, too.
While we recommend that you start with the first game, it is almost a decade old now – so it is fine to jump straight into its 2018 sequel, Guacamelee! 2. DrinkBox Studios introduced some fantastic quality-of-life improvements, gave the visuals a refresh, and added a four-player co-op, which is a surprisingly good time. You can't go wrong with the Guac games. Check out our Guacamelee 2 review for a deeper dive.
9. Axiom Verge
Developer: Thomas Happ Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
It may not look particularly fancy, but with its theme of a human being stuck on an alien planet, Axiom Verge could hardly come any closer to the original Super Metroid.
Not that this is just a carbon copy, as there are tons of interesting skills to unlock, such as transforming yourself into an alien mite or using a large array of different guns to solve all kinds of puzzles. A lot of thought went into how a classic that inspired a whole genre could be enhanced, and so you get a modernized experience with many cool surprises.
8. SteamWorld Dig 2
Developer: Image & Form
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
The trick with Steamworld Dig is that instead of uncovering the map traditionally, you basically dig it yourself. We've already mentioned on this list that many, many Metroidvanias are set in caves, and Steamworld Dig actually found the best reason for you to be there: in a Steampunk world, protagonist Dorothy the robot not only earns her living with what she finds underground, she's also searching for Rusty, the protagonist from the first Dig.
Like Iconoclasts, Steamworld Dig does well by giving you less equipment, instead letting you use both a large number of upgrades and a well-thought-out skill tree of sorts for additional perks, pushing you to mod your possessions further. Since the theme is pretty upbeat and the difficulty curve is comfy, Steamworld Dig is an almost cozy experience. The unmissable SteamWorld series is still trucking and breaking into new genres.
7. Blasphemous 2
Developer: The Game Kitchen
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
With more weapons, tougher bosses, and a messed-up world conveyed through pixel art that's equal parts grotesque and beautiful, Blasphemous 2 is a princely sequel. Everything that made the original game great is here, dialed up through clever additions and careful refinement that makes Blasphemous 2 feel bigger and more inviting.
Light RPG elements add tremendous replay value and make the game's greatest challenges feel more like puzzles to solve rather than punishments to endure. Enemies and levels are more vibrant and distinct, and there is plenty of penance awaiting bosses. Like we mentioned in our Blasphemous 2 review, everything just feels and flows better, sometimes in obvious ways and sometimes in quiet, back-of-your-mind, but nonetheless essential ways.
6. Animal Well
Developer: Billy Basso
Platform(s): PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch
It's surprisingly difficult to talk about Animal Well. It's incredibly easy to recommend! In fact, our Animal Well review calls it an "endlessly inventive Metroidvania with unfathomable depth". It truly is a puzzle-focused smorgasbord of interaction and innovation. Every time you think you've finally reached its depths, diving past uncannily cute critters in darkly atmospheric 8-bit environments, you break through the bottom and find yourself suddenly falling into yet another yawning abyss of secrets.
And it's those secrets that make this game so hard to explain. The very things that make Animal Well so easy to recommend are best experienced firsthand with as little knowledge as possible. Describing them in any greater detail risks severe psychic damage or, worse, a spoiler. Run! Flee! And play Animal Well.
5. Nine Sols
Developer: RedCandlegames
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Out of nowhere, horror savant RedCandleGames rolled up with a colorful Sekiro-inspired 2D Metroidvania that's gone on to become the prince of parries. Eastern fantasy swirls and unfurls in this fast-paced, deflection-driven adventure about a little fox in a big world that earns its "Taopunk" description.
In one go, Nine Sols managed one of the best combat systems and one of the best sci-fantasy worlds to ever grace a game. It is lightning in your hands – a pulse-pounding exchange of blows broken up by inventive platforming sections and punctuated with thrilling, demanding boss fights. Layered upgrades, special abilities, and specific counterattacks harmonize wonderfully, delivering stylish and satisfying duels that sometimes end in one explosive instant. We said in our Nine Sols review that, in many ways, Nine Sols is an amalgamation of the very best bits of many of the best Metroidvania games, stamped and molded to fit a fresh vision from a developer that's demonstrated incredible range.
4. Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
Developer: Adglobe, Live Wire
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Ender Magnolia is a remarkable refinement of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, and in many ways, it's the archetypal Metroidvania sequel. Bigger world, more RPG elements, better polish. Put alongside the still-great first game, it's resonant but independent, familiar but creative.
After a stay in early access, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist emerged smartly tuned and dripping with melancholy. A young girl navigates a dying machine world with the help of a growing ensemble of homunculi companions rescued from the claws of an infectious madness. Highly customizable combat expertly blends fast-paced parries, relentless ranged attacks, and punchy special moves rendered in gorgeous 2D animations. The realm bleeds and cries around you, and co-developers Adglobe and Live Wire rarely give out happy endings, but there's beauty in the wreckage, and the destination is worth the unforgiving journey.
3. Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Developer: Moon Studios
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Ori and the Blind Forest looked and felt fantastic, but Ori and the Will of the Wisps is positively sublime. This is arguably the best-feeling 2D game ever made, and the fact that the silky smooth platforming stands out so sharply is especially impressive, given how gorgeous and emotive Will of the Wisps is on the whole.
There is a lot to love here, including adorable characters and effective, largely wordless storytelling. Its lowest lows are barely a dip, and its highs are atmospheric. It will arrest your eyes and caress your ears for hours on end, pure audio-visual splendor pumped straight into your brain alongside electrifying kinetic satisfaction. With the odd difficulty spikes of the first game smoothed over, combat tuned up considerably, and the platforming somehow further distilled, this is the definitive Ori by leaps and bounds. You can read our Ori and the Will of the Wisps review for more information on this must-play!
2. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Developer: Team Cherry
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Silksong is the one exception to our rule against putting repeat entries from the same series on this list. It's not only a wholly different beast to Hollow Knight – a darker, deeper, and more dangerous abyss – it's also the queen to its king. As we said in our Hollow Knight: Silksong review, developer Team Cherry has once again proven itself a modern master of Metroidvanias, long may it reign.
While it is slightly more divisive, unavoidably less groundbreaking, and occasionally frustrating, Hollow Knight: Silksong is a grand realization of an engrossing, inspired insect world that pounds its core themes of sacrifice and suffering into your very marrow through a one-two punch of watertight gameplay and superb writing. New protagonist Hornet, an agile and refreshingly sassy heroine, is woven into the fabric of the world of Pharloom, and she weaves a spellbinding story across it, chock-full of lovable characters, profoundly hateable creatures, and plentiful boss fights. Exceptional music and inimitable, inky art embellish quests and calamities that only grow more curious as you carefully, sometimes hungrily, unfold the map that Team Cherry spent more than six years assembling, and as its staggering depths come into focus.
1. Hollow Knight
Developer: Team Cherry
Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch
Hollow Knight is our top pick among today's Metroidvanias, not just because it excels in every conceivable discipline and manages a staggering runtime without ever feeling padded, but also because it's the kind of game that makes you interrogate its entire genre. Suppose Metroid and Castlevania weren't such established and iconic franchises. In that case, there's a non-zero chance we'd now be calling many of these search-action games Hollow Knight-likes or something similar instead of Metroidvanias.
Hollow Knight is utterly quintessential and there's not an ounce of fat on it. Its world is as massive as it is lush, hiding an incredible collection of memorable bosses behind intuitive means of progression. Combat and platforming feel perfect in your hands, and the charm system gives you a great degree of control over your play style. Its hand-drawn art is charming and meticulous, and its soundtrack is downright transportive. There's a reason so many games – including many Metroidvanias on this list – have been borrowing mechanics and ideas from Hollow Knight ever since it came out. It's the same reason Hollow Knight: Silksong hopefuls were so famously rabid.
For more picks, check out our list of the best PC games ever made. Or look ahead with our guide to all the new games on their way.
