Platformers have been around for a very long time; they not only conjure up nostalgic memories of weekends spent down at the arcade, but they offer up a simpler type of gameplay that’s easy to pick up and put down as the need arises. From Mario to Little Nightmares, everyone has a favorite platformer. 

2D platformers, for the most part, are the ones that see you moving left and right, without throwing vertical movement into the mix to complicate things. There are thousands of 2D platformers out there, and more are constantly being released. 

If you want some new platformers to look forward to, here are 15 of the best platformers made by indie developers. Some of these have already seen their full release, while others are still in development. 

Goodbye Seoul

Goodbye Seoul is described as an immersive story-based puzzle game, but it plays like a platformer, so I’m going to mention it here because it is absolutely stunning. The pre-apocalyptic story will pull you in, you’ll find yourself impossibly attached to the characters that you meet, and the pixel art style is absolutely stunning. 

In Goodbye Seoul, you play as Rion, a student who has lost the will to live with the whole ‘impending end of the world’ thing. Understandable. But, through the story of Goodbye Seoul, she rediscovers the will to live and finds a whole new list of things that make life worth living against all odds. 

Goodbye Seoul is currently in development by JINO Games and does not have a definitive release date, but there is a gorgeous demo to play, and you can get it through Steam. 

The Duck Amikaze Strikes Back

The Duck Amikaze Strikes Back, developed by Alexander Mailliu, sees you playing as a small duck, hell bent on revenge against the hunters who come after his kind every hunting season. You begin each level with a stick of dynamite and the goal of reaching the hunter at the end, at which point the dynamite will detonate and you’ll achieve your goal. 

There are various woodland critters to avoid throughout the levels, like hedgehogs and bees. You can survive three hits from these creatures before you pop, turning into a duck leg before being sent back to the last checkpoint. 

The Duck Amikaze Strikes back has adorable pixel graphics and is seriously fun to play, despite the dark undertones of the reason behind Ducky’s adventures. This one was released on June 17, so the full game is available to buy now on Steam, as well as a demo to try. 

Project Arrow

In Project Arrow, you play as an impossibly adorable little kitty with a bow and arrow, and the art style is just gorgeous, with everything accompanied by a strangely soothing synthwave backing track. That bow and arrow will be used throughout the levels to trigger various buttons that open doors, allowing you to progress further through each level. 

Things start out fairly simple, with switches being easily accessible and each switch opening up a designated door. Soon enough, though, you’ll find yourself having to solve increasingly more difficult puzzles and having to perfect your timing if you want to make it through each level. 

Project Arrow is being developed by Port Hope Games, and has no definitive release date just yet. However, there is a demo available to download through Steam, so you can get a taster of this glorious little indie. 

Hack and Climb

Unlike the other platformers on this list, Hack and Climb goes upwards instead of sideways, and you play solely with your mouse. Hack and Climb is all about flinging weapons, aiming them at sections of the ground where they can embed, and working your way up to higher heights. 

I’m not sure what it is about Hack and Climb that makes it so impossibly addictive, but there’s a simple type of joy that comes from flinging weapons up an endless pit. There’s also some frustration when you miss your mark and end up falling right back to the beginning, but what’s life without a little risk?

Hack and Climb is set to release at some point in 2025 and is being developed by Kodachi Games. If you want to go and fling an axe (and try to get the bottle flip achievement), there’s a demo available right now through Steam. 

Vextorial

Vextorial is a platformer that seems intent on messing with your head, because it’s equal parts 3D and 2D, and you’re in control of when it enters each dimension. With a single button click, you can add additional sections to explore, and landing on the edge of a 2D section will turn it 90 degrees either left or right. 

It’s all a little confusing at first, but after a few levels, you’ll find that it almost becomes second nature. Mastering the duality (triality?) is incredibly satisfying, and progressing through levels is enough to provide a strange sense of pride. 

This cute and puzzling platformer is being developed by Vext Games and is set for release during Fall 2025. If you want to try it now, you can go and download the demo through Steam.

UVSU

I am an absolute sucker for claymation, so when I first saw UVSU, I immediately new that I would love it based on the art style alone. When I dived in, however, I quickly discovered that the beauty of this platformer goes far deeper than appearances. 

In UVSU, there aren’t any enemies to really speak of. Instead, you will encounter various situations where you have to battle yourself. You’ll complete the section, and then be transferred into a second version of yourself that has to defeat the first version to complete the section. This can happen multiple times, having to avoid or defeat yourself in turn. 

I know this sounds confusing, but it’s a little hard to explain, so I urge you to download the demo on Steam right now. UVSU is being developed by Dietzribi, with its full release date still to be announced. 

Kiyo – Bunny Tyranny

Who doesn’t love an alternate, dystopian reality? Kiyo is a game that leans into that, but the tyrannical race in charge is one that you wouldn’t expect: Bunnies. These carrot-munching and impossibly cute overlords are intent on taking over society, and you play as a cat that wants to fight back. 

One thing I love about Kiyo is that it gives you a choice, for the most part, between sneaking or going in all guns blazing. You can choose to be stealthy, creeping past those bunny overlords, or you can dive in and slit their throats. Dark, but also strangely enjoyable. Don’t judge me. 

Kiyo is still in development by Pixel Rats and does not have a full release date set in stone just yet, but there is a fairly expansive demo available to download and play through Steam right now. 

Dream Runner

Dream Runner is the type of platformer that requires multiple parts of your brain (and multiple fingers) to work in overdrive if you want to succeed. It’s filled with neat mechanics that feel remarkably challenging to complete, but that makes mastering them all the more satisfying. 

In Dream Runner, you play as Soma. He’s been separated from his best friend right before they were set to enter the Dream Trials, and now Soma is on his own. New abilities are thrown at you very quickly, and you’ll need to figure them all out and perfect your timing if you want to be reunited with Nigel. 

Developed by Glass Arcade, Dream Runner is set to be released at some point during 2025. If you want to get to grips with Soma’s abilities early, and you’d be wise to get a headstart, there’s a demo available right now through Steam. 

The InBetween

The InBetween is a story-driven metroidvania that will have you making impactful decisions between surprisingly difficult platformer levels. Entirely hand-drawn, you’ll find yourself absorbed into the story and the history of Aija without even realizing it’s happened. 

The platformer levels are unexpectedly difficult to complete, and you’ll need to observe the world around you, as well as how it reacts to your presence, if you want to get through each level. There are even some Undertale-style mini-games to complete throughout the story.

The full version of The InBetween is in development by VCD and is coming soon, but there’s a demo available to download and play through Steam right now. 

Sojourn Past

Sojourn Past is different from anything else on this list because it’s isometric, so you have an entire map to explore in every direction. However, considering the gorgeous art style and the amount of platform hopping you’ll be doing if you give it a try, I couldn’t write a list of platformers without including it. 

You can run, dash, and teleport around the various platforms that make up the map of Sojourn Past, and there’s an underlying tale of grief and lost that will easily suck you in, even if you’re not expecting it. There’s also an element of ‘bullet hell’ which will really get the adrenaline (and potential frustration) flowing. 

Being developed by ReDimension, Sojourn Past does not currently have a release date, but there is a demo available through Steam that will give you the perfect insight as to what’s to come when the full version arrives. 

Going Up

Created by solo developer Outsider, Going Up is the perfect combination of a rage game and a platformer. The challenge is simple: Go upwards. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately if you’re into that kind of thing, actually managing that simple task is far from, well, simple. 

With ridiculously small and fast-moving little platforms, enemies that look cute but turn out to be deadly, and your own frustrations working against you, getting up in Going Up is far harder than it initially seems. 

However, don’t let that put you off. There’s something incredibly fun about letting a game get under your skin, and Going Up is as lovable as it is frustrating. You can download and play the full game through Outsider’s Itch.io page right now.

Louny Balloony

Louny Balloony is a platformer with a difference, because you spend most of the time floating through the air rather than down on the platforms below. After seeing giant balloons in the city, Louny decides he can get that floating feeling with three balloons and some feathers. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and thus begins Louny’s adventure

In Louny Balloony, you are constantly pushed rightwards by the screen moving, and you cannot go back. You must keep going forward, avoiding anything that can pop your balloons (which is pretty much everything), and collect feathers along the way to keep you flying through the air. 

In development by Harold Krell, Louny Balloony does not have a precise release date just yet, but you can get the demo through Steam. 

Magnecube

Magnecube is a platformer that somehow reminds me of my favorite science lessons involving magnets. You need to make it through the door, but you’re a magnetized cube facing off against various magnets along the way, and you need to use (or change) your polarity to your advantage to reach the door. 

Some of the levels are surprisingly challenging, and you’ll need to figure out the solution before you dive straight in, lest you fly off the screen and hear the surprisingly funny “oh nooo” death noise. You can also create your own levels or complete levels created by other players. 

Magnecube was developed by Alejandro Ibrahim Ojea and Alana Cristina Fernández Basquero, and was released in full on May 31, 2025. If you want to dive in and remind yourself how magnets work, you can get Magnecube on Steam.

Which Way Up: Galaxy Games

Which Way Up is a solo or couch co-op game by Turtle Flip Studio, and, like Magnecube, this one takes a sciency twist. This time, you’re contending with gravity to make your way through various space-based mini-games to see who comes out on top. 

There are seven Celestial Characters to meet as you progress through levels, and they’re all as adorable as the last, plus there are some cute little critter-esque aliens to rescue as well. It can feel a bit strange to run on the walls and the ceiling, but Which Way Up is the perfect family-friendly party platformer. 

Which Way Up got its full release on March 27, 2025, so you can get the full game right now on Steam. Or, if you want to get a taster before you make the purchase, you can also download the demo to try it out. 

Windswept

If you’re a sucker for cute pixel animals like I am, then you’ll find it impossible to avoid the allure of Windswept. In this platformer, you play as both a turtle and a duck, who work together in various ways to make their way across a bunch of platforming levels. 

Checkers the turtle can slam into the ground and break weak wooden objects, while Marbles the duck can flap its wings to glide through the air. You’ll be taught all of their various skills and combinations in the first level, and then it’s entirely up to you to utilize them so that you can complete each of the 40+ levels. 

Windswept is currently in development by WeatherFell and set to release before the end of 2025, but if you want to try it out and get to grips with Marbles and Checkers’ various combinations of skill, you can download the demo to try right now through Steam.