The Best Cinematic Platformers Every Gamer Should Play Once

When Super Mario Bros. was released 41 years ago in 1985, it rewrote the book on what was possible in a platformer, inspiring legions of imitators and some noteworthy competitors in the race to 1-Up (pun intended) Nintendo. But just a few years later, while working at Broderbund software, developer Jordan Mechner would push the envelope even further with the creation of what could be considered the first cinematic platformer: Prince of Persia. Where Mario focused on speed and score, Prince of Persia was an atmospheric and tense platforming experience that emphasized incredibly realistic (for its time) animations, precision jumps, and danger around every conceivable corner. There have been several cinematic platformers throughout the years that obviously owe a debt of gratitude to Mechner's 1989 classic, and with the genre in the swing of a modern renaissance, it feels like a good time to look at its best games.

• Release Date — October 3, 1989
• Developer — Broderbund
• Publisher — Broderbund
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — MS-DOS, PC-98, Amiga, Atari ST, Android, iOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Of course, you can't talk about the "must-play" cinematic platformers without starting with Prince of Persia. Originally released for MS-DOS computers back in 1989, Prince of Persia was way ahead of anything else at the time and also an atypical experience compared to other contemporary platformers. The prince moved much more slowly than his counterparts, but with that more methodical and metered movement speed came the capacity to jump, land, and roll with precision, brought to life by some impressive animations that made the whole thing feel more lifelike than the static jumps and limited sprite libraries of contemporaries. At the time, it felt like playing through an interactive movie, hence the name "cinematic platformer". It naturally inspired plenty of great games in its wake, and it's thankfully currently playable on a plethora of platforms.

• Release Date — November 1991
• Developer — Delphine Software
• Publisher — US Gold
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, SNES, Genesis, 3DO, Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Xbox One, PC

Clearly inspired by the likes of Prince of Persia, the team at Delphine Software set out to make its own cinematic platformer not long after, and it somehow was able to one-up its biggest inspiration in some pretty noteworthy ways. Originally launched in the winter of 1991, Another World (sometimes called Out of This World in certain ports) was a sci-fi cinematic platformer that placed a greater emphasis on puzzle-based scenes that, if solved incorrectly, resulted in instant death. The trial and error of it all was part of the fun, figuring out how to progress from one danger-filled screen to the next as you ran, jumped, and rolled to avoid danger — often in the form of a bloodthirsty beast that stalked you throughout the environment. The recent anniversary port available on Steam is a great restoration of the original and a worthwhile experience to play through today.

• Release Date — May 23, 2023
• Developer — Wishfully
• Publisher — Thunderful Publishing
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Jumping way ahead in the timeline for a bit, next up is Planet of Lana, an excellent blend of classic cinematic platforming, light stealth, and environmental puzzles that just so happens to be one of the more beautiful games in the genre. The crux of Planet of Lana's gameplay is the ability to partner up with the main character's little animal companion, who is utilized in some pretty unique ways as you try to problem-solve your way through the main story. Wishfully and Thunderful Publishing just released a sequel a few weeks ago that's also excellent, but the fact that you can regularly find Planet of Lana on any of its respective platforms for about $5 or less makes it an easy recommendation for anyone looking to get into a good cinematic platformer.

• Release Date — November 1992
• Developer — Delphine Software
• Publisher — US Gold
• Review Aggregate Score — 93%
• Platforms — Amiga, Genesis, SNES, MS-DOS, Sega CD, 3DO, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC

It's honestly insane that, just a year after releasing the incredible and groundbreaking Another World, Delphine Software would do it again and release one of the best and most influential cinematic platformers ever made: Flashback. Similar in setup to Another World, Flashback is a sci-fi cinematic platformer with a central mystery at its core that players are trying to solve, but its movement and ability sandbox are expanded a great deal to where players have more options for moving through one scene to the next; whether that's a platforming challenge (including grabbing and hanging from ledges for one of the first times in a video game), combat, stealth, or a quick environmental puzzle that requires observation and effective use of context clues. They remade Flashback in the 2000s, but you're better off playing the iconic original.

• Release Date — February 13, 2026
• Developer — Tarsier Studios
• Publisher — THQ Nordic
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

For evidence of how "back" the cinematic platformer is in 2026, look no further than the fact that this year has already given us two of the genre's best games in many. The first up is Tarsier Studios' Reanimal, which toes the line heavily between being a cinematic platformer and a tense survival horror game. Tarsier cut its teeth making the first two Little Nightmares games, which are excellent titles in their own right, but Reanimal sits apart from them as something truly special. For one, gameplay has a greater focus on platforming and stealth to accompany its incredible atmosphere and striking visuals, and the mix of stealth and puzzle-solving on top of it makes it feel more like a classic cinematic platformer akin to something like Playdead's INSIDE. Reanimal is Tarsier Studios' best work yet and absolutely worth playing through at least once.

• Release Date — April 17, 2025
• Developer — Mureena Oy, Psychoflow Studio
• Publisher — Kepler Interactive
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5

One of last year's great surprises was Bionic Bay, which is ultimately a puzzle-platformer, but its striking visuals and central mystery/story ultimately help it lean into cinematic platformer territory. Compared to the other games on this list, Bionic Bay stands alone, with its unique teleportation and body-swapping system making it feel like a more fleshed-out version of another underrated cinematic platformer: The Swapper. Bionic Bay starts simply enough as it introduces players to its mechanics and gets them wrapped up in its excellent sci-fi atmosphere, but it eventually turns the difficulty dial up to 11 as you reach some of the game's later puzzle-heavy segments. As far as challenging cinematic platformers go, Bionic Bay lands somewhere near the top.

• Release Date — July 21, 2010
• Developer — Playdead
• Publisher — Playdead, Microsoft Game Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Before the studio splintered and its core developers went their separate ways, Playdead delivered two of the all-time greatest games in the cinematic platformer genre, beginning with 2010's Limbo. This monochromatic puzzle-platformer was like nothing else at the time of its release, and it also happened to be one of the first games to ignite the spark of renewed interest in the cinematic platformer, calling attention to the games that inspired it, like Flashback and Another World, while also delivering an experience that felt incredibly fresh and unique on its own. Limbo isn't so much "scary" as it is "creepy", but its phenomenal use of physics, platforming, and puzzle-solving makes it worth playing every couple of years just to remind yourself how great this genre can be.

• Release Date — April 14, 2026
• Developer — Sad Cat Studios
• Publisher — Coatsink, Thunderful Publishing
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, Xbox Series X/S

Despite just having been released a week ago, Replaced is already quickly climbing the ranks of cinematic platformers to sit near the top of the pile as one of the genre's best games in quite some time. It's not one thing in particular that makes Replaced stand out, but rather a compelling mix of elements that help elevate it to being something new and exciting when stacked up against other similar games. Replaced splits the difference in its gameplay between puzzle and stealth-heavy platforming segments (which are excellent) and an incredibly satisfying "free-flow" combat system reminiscent of the Batman: Arkham games, and it wraps those elements up in an incredibly cool-looking and well-written dystopian cyberpunk story rife with mystery and intrigue. Replaced checks all the boxes for what you'd want from a great cinematic platformer.

• Release Date — July 19, 2022
• Developer — BlueTwelve Studio
• Publisher — Annapurna Interactive
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Sometimes, a cinematic platformer doesn't need to be all that challenging, provided it has an incredible story, set of characters, and atmosphere that are capable of carrying the entire experience. It's hard to think of a game that fits that description better than Stray, which doesn't necessarily challenge the player all that much (outside of a few harrowing chase sequences), but does offer a heartwarming, meditative, and introspective look at a possible dystopian future, all while letting you experience it through the eyes of a cat. The platforming and puzzle-solving in Stray are both enjoyable and unique, with BlueTwelve really tapping into the physicality and spryness of the feline form in how it designed the game's movement sandbox and environmental layouts. Stray is an experience that will stick with you for a long time, especially if you're a cat person.

• Release Date — June 29, 2016
• Developer — Playdead
• Publisher — Playdead
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

The second of Playdead's cinematic platformers, and the last game for the studio before it splintered, is one of the best games of the 2010s: INSIDE. Similar to Limbo in its general structure, INSIDE is another atmospheric, tense, and occasionally terrifying cinematic platformer with plenty of great platforming, puzzle-solving, and stealth segments. But what truly sets INSIDE apart is its ability to tell an incredibly captivating story with zero text or dialogue, with players able to use environmental cues and context to piece together what can only be described as a Lynchian tale of enslavement and escape. Like some of the other games on this list, INSIDE won't take long to complete, but that experience will stick with you long after the credits roll.