Madeline climbing the mountain in Celeste, one of the most awesome platformers in the world.

5 Awesome Platformers You Can Play on PC

ByLiesel Booker

People usually associate platformers with gaming consoles. After all, platforming icons like Mario and Sonic became famous on consoles. However, the PC is still a valid place to play platform games. If you don’t have a PlayStation 5, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch, you can still play some amazing platformers. Here are five awesome platformers you can play on PC. All of these games can be purchased on Steam.

1. VVVVVV

A spike puzzle in VVVVVV, one of the greatest platformers of all time.
Image from VVVVVV, Courtesy of Terry Cavanagh

If I could recommend just one PC platformer, it would be VVVVVV. This indie darling with the weird name centers around shifting gravity. Instead of merely jumping around, you leap from the ceiling to the floor and back again. You use your gravity flipping to get through tight corridors, moving platforms, breaking platforms, and of course, tons and tons of spikes. Fortunately, the frequent checkpoints keep the experience from being frustrating.

You can easily play this game on a keyboard since the only keys you need are the arrow keys to move and the spacebar to flip gravity. There’s a certain rhythm to the gameplay, which is enhanced by the super catchy music and beautiful minimalistic graphics. The game only takes around six hours to complete, but you’ll want to keep playing after you finish to take on the extra challenges. This game is a masterpiece of a platformer.

2. Rayman: Origins-OG Platformers

Rayman’s glorious return to 2D platforming reminded people of why 2D platformers enchanted gamers in the first place. The visuals and music are nothing short of gorgeous, sending you into a weird world where anything can happen, and the controls are smooth and fluid, making you forget that you’re playing a platform game on a keyboard.

Rayman can also use his different abilities to get into secret areas. You’ll want to explore every last bit of every last level for secrets and collectibles that unlock characters and levels. It will take you a long time to complete this crazy game 100%, but you will love every minute of it, even the frustrating parts.

3. Celeste

This beautiful pixel art game not only dives into the world of mental health, but it is also a sheer joy to play. Celeste sends you on a journey to climb a mountain all alone, meeting several interesting characters who are dealing with their own inner struggles. The journey, of course, won’t be easy. After all, what’s an indie platformer without spikes everywhere? 

The gameplay is some of the most fluid in any PC platformer. You use your air dash to get through difficult areas, which feels incredibly satisfying. When you die, you just respawn at the beginning of the screen, which lets you take your time figuring out what to do. When you finally pass the challenging levels, you’ll feel like you could take on a real mountain.

4. Super Meat Boy

Super Meat Boy tries to get through the grinder in one of the best platformers of all time.
Image from Super Meat Boy, Courtesy of Team Meat

Super Meat Boy may be over fifteen years old, but it helped launch indie games into the mainstream and its gameplay is timeless. You slide around all over the place, trying to avoid spikes and meat grinders and getting killed over and over. As you keep trying again and again, the levels get bloodied up more and more. Not only that, but at the end of the levels, you get to see replays of all the times you died.

Despite the game’s insane difficulty, the levels are short and you get unlimited lives, meaning that you’ll want to keep trying again and again. The bold art style and satisfyingly squishy sound effects make this game a joy to play, and you don’t need a lot of fancy keyboard moves to navigate. With or without a controller, this game is a dream to play.

5. Cuphead

Cuphead trying to escape death in one of the great 2D platformers.
Image from Cuphead, Courtesy of Studio MDHR Entertainment Inc.

Did you ever want to play your way through a 1930s cartoon? Well, that’s a very specific dream, but it can come true with Cuphead. The hand-drawn graphics and original soundtrack lovingly recreate the look and feel of an old-school cartoon. For that matter, Cuphead himself looks like Mickey Mouse if he grew a cup for a head. It’s a trippy, brilliant experience. 

Of course, the game is also insanely difficult, especially with its giant bosses. Each boss has a different strategy to beat, meaning that it will take you a long time to complete the game. Fortunately, the game is a feast for the eyes and ears, meaning that you’ll be admiring the boss’s designs and animations as you try to kill them. Come on, let’s get a Cuphead sequel!

There are More Platformers Too!

Obviously, there are plenty more PC platformers to discover. You aren’t locked out of the platformer world if you don’t have a console. Even if you don’t like playing platformers with a keyboard, you can buy a PC-compatible controller, or if you can’t afford a controller, it actually only takes a little time to master platforming with a keyboard. So what are you waiting for? Try some of these platformers!

Liesel Booker holds a master's degree in English Literature from Salisbury University, and she has loved reading and writing her whole life. She is an avid gamer with a special love for Nintendo and indie games. Her two adorable cats love to sit with her while she writes for Total Apex. She also really, really loves Star Wars, to the point where she is proud to call herself a geek.

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