Worlds Worthy of Getting Lost In, the Best Metroidvanias of 2024

After years spent in relative obscurity as a niche subgenre of action platformers, the Metroidvania has been in the swing of a full renaissance over the last decade. While not the sole cause for the genre's uptick in popularity, there's no denying that the release of Team Cherry's Hollow Knight gave Metroidvanias a much-needed boost in popularity following a large gap between high-profile releases in the genre. Metroidvanias can trace their beginnings back to games like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, though you could arguably go back even further to name the original Metroid and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest as the true progenitors. Whatever the case, 2024 has shown the genre to be in a "golden age", and the year's best Metroidvanias are a "who's who" of some of the current best games in the space.

While the concept of a Metroidvania may have originated in the two AAA franchises that make up the portmanteau, indie developers have definitively taken up the mantle of producing new and exciting games in the genre. There have been no fewer than 25 new Metroidvania games released in 2024, with the 15 titles on this list simply representing the best of what's becoming an increasingly crowded genre. Perhaps most surprising is that a AAA developer, Ubisoft, got in on the fun with one of the year's best games in its exciting Prince of Persia reboot, raising the bar for what other AAA devs might accomplish by crafting their own Metroidvanias. From Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown to the excellent Voidwrought, these are the best Metroidvanias of 2024.

• Release Date — January 18, 2024
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Developer — Ubisoft Montpellier
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 85% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The initial reveal of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was met with an overwhelmingly negative response thanks to fans assuming that it was taking the place of the long-in-development remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. But the more that Ubisoft revealed about the game, along with the reassurance that Sands of Time was very much still in production, resulted in opinions warming on the title. By the time The Lost Crown released, it was obvious how misguided that initial knee-jerk reaction was.

Not only is Prince of Persia the year's best Metroidvania, but it's also one of 2024's best games, period. Further, The Lost Crown is the greatest Prince of Persia game since 2002's The Sands of Time, taking the series in an exciting new direction that still focuses on the series' trademarks of precise and smooth platforming mixed with surprisingly deep and rewarding combat. Despite positive fan and critical reception to the title, Ubisoft has chosen to pass on a planned sequel in favor of putting Ubisoft Montpellier on other projects, but we'll always have this incredible AAA Metroidvania to look back on and return to as a new classic in the genre.

• Release Date — February 13, 2024
• Publisher — Kepler Interactive
• Developer — Hadoque
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 80% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5

Hadoque's Ultros makes it nearly impossible for players to not take notice thanks to its arresting visual style. This psychedelic Metroidvania mixes in some light roguelike elements in its map design and progression, but Ultros is ultimately a Metroidvania through-and-through despite its dabbling in other genres. Beyond its eye-catching visuals and technicolor art direction, though, Ultros is a rewarding game with some excellent encounter design and inventive abilities that factor into its meditative story. Ultros is about nurturing a decaying space station back to life, and the ways that the gameplay works to support that theme are impressive and profound, including a surprise focus on planting and gardening that permeates the experience.

• Release Date — April 2, 2024
• Publisher — SoulGame Studio, IndieArk
• Developer — SoulGame Studio
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 97% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC

Other developers have attempted to combine Metroidvanias and Shmups before, but none have done it as well as SoulGame Studio did with Minishoot' Adventures. A top-down Metroidvania that's equal parts Super Metroid, A Link to the Past, and a bullet-hell shoot 'em up, Minishoot' Adventures sees players controlling a lone ship on a planet inhabited by other, derelict vessels. Exploring the game's massive world map while also battling enemies, clearing dungeons, unlocking upgrades, and learning more about its surprisingly charming world and characters is one of the better Metroidvania experiences of the year, and Minishoot' Adventures is a criminally underrated title that's worth the time and money for fans of Metroidvanias, Shmups, or both.

• Release Date — April 5, 2024
• Publisher — Lucid Dreams Studio
• Developer — Lucid Dreams Studio
• Review Aggregate Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

A good Metroidvania should tick all the boxes that players associate with the genre by having a large, interconnected map that's fun to explore, rewarding combat, meaningful character progression and upgrades, and a unique suite of abilities for players to experiment with. Lucid Dreams Studio's Biomorph is one of the rare indie Metroidvania titles that manages to simultaneously tick all those boxes while also delivering an almost perfectly paced experience that doesn't overstay its welcome, pushing players along through its interesting biomes at a steady clip with an almost perfect drip-feed of new upgrades and abilities along the way. The signature element of Biomorph, being able to absorb the abilities of enemies unique to each biome, keeps traversal and combat fresh throughout the experience in a way few Metroidvanias can.

• Release Date — April 10, 2024
• Publisher — Outerminds Inc.
• Developer — Outerminds Inc.
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 94% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch

2015 cult-classic film Turbo Kid was practically made for getting its own video game adaptation, and Outerminds Inc. knocked it out of the park with this year's Turbo Kid Metroidvania. Similar to last year's excellent (and underrated) Laika: Aged Through Blood, Turbo Kid frames the experience through riding the titular hero's iconic bicycle for both traversal and combat. But unlike Laika, Turbo Kid allows players to occasionally hop off the bike to engage in some more traditional Metroidvania gameplay, mixing novel mechanics and tradition in a way that makes the experience feel less limiting than Laika might have for those that took issue with how the bike controlled and facilitated navigation. On top of its unique mechanics and satisfying gameplay, Turbo Kid has a palpable sense of style that stays true to the 80s and 90s pop culture aesthetic of the film it's based on.

• Release Date — May 9, 2024
• Publisher — Bigmode
• Developer — Billy Basso
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Every so often, a game will come along and make us question everything we thought we knew about a particular genre. For Metroidvanias, that game is Animal Well, the eclectic and brilliant debut game from solo developer Billy Basso. What's most impressive about Animal Well ((other than its gorgeous pixel art and impeccable atmosphere) is the way the game incorporates multiple approaches to solving some truly devious and ingenious puzzles and traversal challenges, pushing the envelope for how a Metroidvania with little-to-no combat elements should approach the genre. On top of it all, Animal Well is also a surprisingly frightening game, using its visuals, atmosphere, and aesthetic to instill an ever-present sense of danger and mystery lurking around every corner.

• Release Date — May 29, 2024
• Publisher — RedCandleGames
• Developer — RedCandleGames
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Taiwanese developer RedCandleGames had previously made a name for itself with two highly-regarded survival horror games (Devotion and Detention), but the developer made both Metroidvania and Soulslike fans stand up and take notice this year with Nine Sols. Best described as a "2D Sekiro", Nine Sols is a singular entry in the Metroidvania subgenre with best-in-class combat, gorgeous art direction, and visuals, and a compelling story of revenge. Like Sekiro, Nine Sols is an incredibly tough game with an emphasis on deflection-based parrying in its combat, but mastering that system and taking down some of the game's uber-challenging bosses is one of the most rewarding experiences of the year. At a time when many genre fans are awaiting any shred of info on Hollow Knight's sequel, Nine Sols came along and made us say "Who needs Silksong?".

• Release Date — July 17, 2024
• Publisher — Humble Games
• Developer — Squid Shock Studios, Christopher Stair, Trevor Youngquist
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 80% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Just a few short weeks after the "Taopunk" Nine Sols made its debut, another Metroidvania steeped in Eastern symbolism and mythology arrived in Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. Though Bō technically comes from new developer Squid Shock studios, it's worth pointing out that the game's development was assisted by Christopher Stair and Tevor Youngquist, the talented developers behind the legendary fan-made remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus, AM2R. That experience shines through in Bō's combat, platforming, and exploration, which are all polished to such a degree that the title feels like a recently unearthed classic in the genre rather than a brand-new game. While it might be a little more linear than some of the other best Metroidvanias of the year, Bō is one of the most mechanically satisfying games from 2024.

• Release Date — July 26, 2024
• Publisher — IceSitruuna, NPC Entertainment
• Developer — Ice Cream
• Review Aggregate Score — 71% (Mixed or Average)
• Steam User Score — 85% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch

Though Metroidvanias are technically a subgenre of the standard action platformer, there are even further subgenres within the Metroidvania umbrella. Along with more traditional Metroidvanias, there are "Soulsvanias" and even the classic "Igavania", games that adhere to the Koji Igarashi school of game design on display in legendary Castlevania titles like Symphony of the Night or Aria of Sorrow. Frontier Hunter: Erza's Wheel Of Fortune is unapologetically an Igavania, with a slew of gear to collect, craft, and upgrade along with incredibly deep RPG and combat systems and an absolutely massive world to explore. Frontier Hunter is a bit on the longer side in terms of its length, but the combat and traversal are so satisfying that the game never wears out its welcome.

• Release Date — July 31, 2024
• Publisher — Dapper Dog Digital
• Developer — Dapper Dog Digital
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A
• Steam User Score — 89% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC

Perhaps the most overlooked Metroidvania of the year, BioGun is a game that definitively belongs in any genre fan's library. Players take on the role of a pig shrunk down to microscopic size who gets injected into the body of a scientist's beloved dog to help save their life. It's a premise that lends itself to the game having both some of the year's most interesting biomes for a Metroidvania and one of the best stories in the genre in a long time. On top of its excellent visuals, presentation, and narrative, BioGun has some excellent twin-stick shooting combat and a slew of meaningful upgrades to unlock, dangling the proverbial carrot in front of players' faces and helping to push them along through one of the year's more enjoyable Metroidvania titles.

• Release Date — August 27, 2024
• Publisher — Konami
• Developer — Konami
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 96% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

It might be a bit of a cheat to include a collection of games on a list of the year's best Metroidvanias when another, newer title could've taken the spot. But Castlevania Dominus Collection is both so good and such a necessary release that it warrants inclusion. Dominus packages the three DS-era Castlevania titles (a trio of incredible and iconic Igavanias) together in one package, freeing the games from their DS exclusivity and bringing them to modern consoles and PC with a slew of quality-of-life improvements. At least two of the games in the Dominus collection have a legitimate claim to being some of the greatest Metroidvania titles of all time, so getting to have the entire trilogy of DS-era Castlevania games is a major win for fans of the genre. On top of the excellent games included, Dominus Collection is a step in the right direction for game preservation.

• Release Date — August 27, 2024
• Publisher — Kyle Thompson, Top Hat Studios
• Developer — Kyle Thompson
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 98% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Solo developer Kyle Thompson followed up the excellent Sheepo and Islets with this year's Crypt Custodian, which is perhaps his best game yet. Switching the perspective from a side-scrolling Metroidvania to a town-down one, Crypt Custodian shares some DNA with games like Death's Door, Hyper Light Drifter, and Tunic, blending equal parts Super Metroid and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past into its gameplay. Beyond those touchpoints, though, Crypt Custodian is a wholly unique and inventive game that features some incredibly satisfying platforming, fun-yet-challenging combat, and a story that is sure to hit you right in the feels by the time you roll credits. It's almost impossible to not love main character Pluto and all of Crypt Custodian's NPCs, making the journey through the afterlife one that you won't want to be over by the time you roll credits.

• Release Date — October 22, 2024
• Publisher — ESDigital Games
• Developer — Dark Pigeon Games
• Review Aggregate Score — 64% (Mixed or Average)
• Steam User Score — 87% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5

Dark Pigeon Games' Awaken - Astral Blade seemingly came out of nowhere, as I had never heard of the title before seeing it recommended to me on Steam. I'm glad I checked it out, though, as this game is undoubtedly one of the genre's hidden gems. Awaken places an emphasis on character progression and combat, with its interesting and challenging boss battles presented as one of the game's highlights. In terms of its exploration, Awaken will definitely tick the major boxes fans of the genre like to see, such as interesting biomes with worthwhile rewards for searching every nook and cranny, meaningful upgrades, and some satisfying platforming. Its story is somewhat difficult to follow and inconsequential to the experience of playing the game, but Awaken definitively delivers on the gameplay front.

• Release Date — October 23, 2024
• Publisher — resnijars
• Developer — resnijars
• Review Aggregate Score — N/A
• Steam User Score — 96% (Positive)
• Platforms — PC

resnijars' Stardust Demon is a very special kind of Metroidvania that follows in the footsteps of genre cult classics like Environmental Station Alpha and Cave Story. Anyone who has played those games should have an immediate idea of what kind of game Stardust Demon is, but for the uninitiated, let's just say that Stardust Demon is a game with an incredibly steep learning curve and some obtuse direction that gives way to an incredibly rewarding progression path and power creep. Further, Stardust Demon is an impressively large and varied game with dozens upon dozens of puzzles and traversal challenges to complete, some interesting and unique abilities to unlock, and a charming art style that makes its world fun to explore, with each new room and biome promising some excellent visuals to accompany its killer soundtrack.

• Release Date — October 24, 2024
• Publisher — Kwalee
• Developer — Powersnake
• Review Aggregate Score — 76% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 80% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch

In the wake of Hollow Knight's release and massive popularity, there are plenty of games aping its style. After all, it's a surefire way for an indie developer's game to get noticed. Voidwrought might resemble Hollow Knight in its visual style and by nature of it being a Metroidvania, but to write it off as a Hollow Knight clone would be doing yourself a disservice. Voidwrought is a great Metroidvania with some excellent combat and traversal that, while a bit formulaic, does bring its own unique ideas to the table. It's also a bit on the easier side, but that's not necessarily a bad thing when some of the year's other best Metroidvanias are incredibly challenging experiences. For a fun and quick Metroidvania that punches above its weight, you could do worse than Voidwrought.

• Release Date — December 12, 2024
• Publisher — Kwalee
• Developer — Digital Mind Games
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Like some of the other games on this list, Spirit of the Samurai will instantly jump out at players thanks to its art style. The game utilizes a photorealistic sense of art direction along with stop-motion animation, giving Spirit of the Samurai a unique aesthetic that is all its own. Combat and story appear to be the main focus of the game (with not much traversal and exploration shown off in previews), but there's a demo players can check out on Steam right now to gauge whether the game's substance matches its style ahead of its 12/12 release date.

• Release Date — December 20, 2024
• Publisher — John Pywell
• Developer — John Pywell
• Platforms — PC

The highly-anticipated Fountains is a solo-developed Metroidvania/Soulslike hybrid that utilizes a top-down perspective and some excellent pixel art, imagining what Dark Souls might have looked like if it released on the SNES. While there's no public demo out for the game on Steam, the original version of the game on itch.io is still available to check out ahead of release. If the full version is anything like the initial premise on itch, players are in for a treat.