One of the best things about playing the Metroidvania genre is getting lost in an expansive, alien environment.
Whether you’re trapped on a dangerous planet, dashing through ancient ruins, exploring deep into the dark, or rushing past cherry blossoms, you’ll find something wondrous to take your breath away.
10 Best Classic Metroidvanias You Need To Play
These are the greatest classic Metroidvanias that helped establish the genre.
While the genre may have gotten started with Super Metroid back in the day, it’s gone a long way since. Here’s our list of some amazing recent examples of Metroidvanias with intricate world design you should absolutely consider checking out.
10Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Desert Sands
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
For the longest time, Prince of Persia had been a puzzle platformer. Then they tried to reinvent it as a 3D adventure, and most recently it got completely reimagined as a 2D Metroidvania withThe Lost Crown.
While many might have questioned whether or not this transition would work, it turned out to be an incredible adventure.
While the majority of the game takes place in the region surrounding Mount Qaf, the game does an amazing job of weaving back and forth in sneaky ways.
Whether you’re exploring ruins, raging through balmy forests, or dodging deadly traps, this is a game that keeps you guessing in the best of ways.
Even thoughThe Lost Crownis an amazing adventure, some of the other nominees went out of their way to be creative with mind-bending visions of game worlds.
Shapeshifting Aliens
BIOMORPHis a fascinating concept and is effectively like Kirby if that series were a Metroidvania. You play Harlo, an amnesiac alien who may or may not have done some horrible things before losing his memory.
As you search for secrets, you’ll encounter brutal monsters whose form you can steal and use both in combat and to explore.
10 Insanely Difficult Achievements in Metroidvanias
Games like Hollow Knight and Blasphemous have some of the toughest achievements you’ll find among Metroidvania games.
As you explore this strange world, you’ll open up portals to the HUB area of Blightmoor, a town you will gradually be able to repair and help thrive again. There are also plenty of dangerous alien structures to explore while you gradually piece together your missing memories.
Visually, the game presents itself a lot like an SNES or early PlayStation-era adventure. It’s colorful, but with a muted palette that helps express the despair and danger, you’ll have to navigate.
8The Last Faith
A Gothic Nightmare
The Last Faith
It’s fair to speculate that withoutBlasphemous, The Last Faith might not exist. Both games are dark, Gothic Metroidanias with a taste of Souls-like mayhem.
The Last Faithtakes place in a ravaged pixel-art world with an amnesiac hero named Eryk. You’ll explore dark castles and snowy depths alike, all while facing off against giant, horrifying nightmares, from winged bat women to serpentine demons.
While the game is wonderfully dark, it does lack some variety in the color palette. But if you don’t mind a little darkness, you’ll find a lot to enjoy in this dark and compelling adventure.
7Worldless
Beauty in Abstraction
PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Coatsink, Thunderful
Metroidvania
Release Date
August 21, 2025
Worldless is in many ways a one-of-a-kind. Though nominally a Metroidvania, it also features turn-based combat that wouldn’t be out of place in an RPG. It also features a truly unique premise.
The story of Worldless is one of abstraction and polarities in a world of concepts and ideas. It takes place in a newborn universe trapped in a cycle of eternal conflict.
Visually, the game is bright and eye-catching, with abstract yet vivid creatures to interact with. The color palette is mostly dark, but lit by brilliant primary colors such as reds and blues. A wonderfully weird little game.
6Blasphemous 2
Back for Seconds
Blasphemous 2
While The Last Faith was likely inspired by Blasphemous, it and its sequel,Blasphemous 2, are probably inspired by games likeCastlevania: Symphony of the Night.
They’re dark and Gothic worlds where the odds are stacked against you and which are full of truly disturbing monsters.
10 Metroidvania Hidden Gems You Need To Play
Hollow Knight is great and all, but there’s life beyond Hallownest, I assure you.
From the Basilica of the Absent Faces to the Garden of the High Choirs to the Sunken Cathedral, this is a beautiful yet blasted world. The curse of the Miracle is evident everywhere you look in the realm of Cvstodia.
Even thoughBlasphemous 2does feature a lot of dark and disturbing vistas, there are some small moments of beauty and light in this nightmarish adventure to even things out.
5Hollow Knight
Wonderful World of Insects
Hollow Knight
As someone who helped crowdfund the game, let me tell you that the black-and-white aesthetic inHollow Knightwas a big part of the draw. It’s not all monochromatic, but that helps ground you in this dire world of poor choices and lost faith.
Despite the color simplicity,Hollow Knightis undeniably beautiful, with a dash of Studio Ghibli style that softens the darkness. There’s fading royalty, deep dark mines, and horrifying depths full of skittering horrors.
Best of all in this world are the inhabitants, from the proud old men and quirky shopkeepers to insectoid monstrosities eager to carve your head from your body.
4Momodora: Moonlit Farewell
Lost in a Dream
June 04, 2025
The Momodora games have a distinct visual style, full of pixelated goodness sprinkled with bits of ecchi sensibilities.
In the most recent entry, Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, the game takes the player into a dreamy expanse of deep forests, sandy beaches, and hidden shrines.
Dangerous forces are threatening to upset the balance of the world, and it’s up to Momo and her powerful leaf weapon to put things right. Along the way, she’ll discover waking gods and battle fierce creatures, from fierce felines to gargantuan Nagas.
This game also serves as a culmination of the series. If you’re not familiar with it, I’d rectify that oversight so you can check out Momodora: Moonlit Farewell at the very end.
39 Years of Shadows
A Rainbow of Destruction
PC, Nintendo Switch
July 22, 2025
Much like Hollow Knight, I was also a backer for 9 Years of Shadows, but sadly, this game hasn’t gotten as much visibility. So let me confirm for you that it’s stunningly animated, with a rainbow of amazing colors.
It’s also a game about music, which is what’s needed to pull this fallen world back from the brink of ruin.
The game tasks Europa with entering the gigantic Talos and clearing the corruption from within it. Despite the beautiful colors, the game is heartbreaking, since she’s already lost everything that mattered to her before going on this quest.
As Europa explores, she’ll gain multicolored armor to help her navigate dangerous environments and face off against gigantic monstrosities. Make use of the elements themselves and fight against fate to save the world.
2Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus
Mythical Japan
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus
One style that doesn’t get explored very often in Metroidvanias is mythical Japan. Which was why it was such a breath of fresh air to see the release of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus.
You play a celestial blossom trying to fulfill an ancient prophecy. The world of the game is haunting and mysterious, full of delicate beauty and devious monsters.
You will need to make use of acrobatic feats and precision platforming to navigate through this remarkable realm.
The game also has you drink tea, summon powerful Daruma dolls, and fight against powerful foes, all while reveling in the hand-drawn artwork.
Psychedelic Groundhog Day
While it’s true I have my own issues withUltros, I can’t argue with how the game looks. It’s stunning, with psychedelic artwork that makes every corner of the Sarcophagus a joy to behold.
The game is deftly interconnected and will challenge you by changing and growing in odd ways as you loop through time again and again.
Whether you’re exploring overgrown forests, fighting your way through derelict ruins, or plugging into strange technology, you’ll be fascinated by this world.
What’s best aboutUltrosis how it uses every single color with wild abandon, yet manages to showcase a cohesive vision of a strange, alien adventure.
10 Hardest Metroidvania Games
Metroidvanias are a notably difficult genre, with the originaters being known for their difficulties, and everything on this list being challenging.
