Free platformers come in many shapes and forms. Be it 2D, 3D, puzzle-focused, or action-oriented, there’s something for everyone. Many of them are free but act as a demo or as publicity for the commercial version of that same game. Sometimes they are published to create interest in the developer’s next project. Those who enjoyed a free game would do well to check on the developer’s new projects, as they are often similar to the original game.
Platformers are a common pick for a developer’s first project, from the 8-bit Celeste Classics to the gravity puzzler Gravitas. That might be why it’s so easy to find free platformers that are worth being downloaded. Those games don’t always have innovative mechanics or a plethora of content, but since they’re free they have no pressure to do so.
10 Marble Blast
The first two chapters of the ball-rolling platformer series Marble Blast are now available for free. On top of being easy to download and install, the entire saga can be played online at marbleblast.vani.ga.
Marble Blast Gold and Ultra are commercial games that have been available for free for a while now. Meanwhile, Marble Blast Platinum is a massive fan game that adds 120 levels and plenty of new mechanics. Like the other two games, it’s available both as a free download and as a web game.
9 Cave Story
Cave Story is an absolute classic of indie games, released for free all the way back in 2004. While it isn’t purely a platformer, often veering into action-adventure, it’s such a classic that anyone interested in indie platformers should check it out.
While the original version of Cave Story is free, many other ports and remakes are not. Many fans still prefer the original 2004 PC edition, while others swear by Cave Story + on Steam. Other paid ports of the game are available on Wii, DS and 3DS, and Switch, while unofficial ports have brought the game to the Sega Genesis and beyond.
8 BirdGut
BirdGut is a curious free platformer about a bee that gets eaten by a bird. While exploring the animal’s digestive system, players discover that distinctly human facilities have replaced the animal’s gut. The art style goes hand in hand with the physics-based gameplay and the unique setting.
The joy of playing BirdGut comes primarily from unveiling a wild, unpredictable story, and less so from accurate platforming. With its short runtime and a one-of-a-kind setting, BirdGut is the game for those looking for something new.
7 You Have To Win The Game
You Have To Win The Game is a platformer with 1980s PC aesthetic and retro sensibilities. This game has been around since 2012, and it’s still fondly remembered, thanks to its focus on exploration, striking looks, and a high difficulty ceiling.
Graphics are the real selling point, or rather the download point, of You Have To Win The Game. There are two graphical modes, one limited to four colors and the other extended to sixteen. But the game also renders the computer screen behind it, an old CRT monitor curved at the sides and blooming with light.
6 N Game
N Game, sometimes just called N, is a minimalist platformer about wall-jumping and getting shot at. The series, which reached chapter three in 2016, started as a simple, free flash game where a stylized ninja runs around a white and gray labyrinth.
Unlike most indie platformers from the mid-2000s, N is sleek, polished, and innovative. This 2D platformer has the simplest control scheme possible: horizontal movement and a jump button. The objective of each level is also simple: collecting every coin in the level without getting blown out by the automated turrets.
5 Roguelight
Roguelight is a unique roguelite and platformer. As the name implies, everything in this game revolves around light. The protagonist has a bow and arrow that can be lit on fire and shot to light the way, allowing the player to avoid traps and enemies. Those resources are limited, making it a difficult choice whether to light the way or walk in the dark.
Roguelight is a striking game, using a small palette of three colors and chunky pixel art in 4:3 resolution. What’s especially interesting is the way the game renders light and dark. Clearly illuminated tiles have a different color than those sitting in the dark, with many getting one shade darker and some turning completely black. This makes it hard and dangerous, but not outright impossible, to walk in the dark.
4 I Wanna Be The Guy
I Wanna Be the Guy is the original Kaizo game from 2007. Kaizo games are a strand of extremely hard platformers. In particular, the difficulty comes not from the precise input of commands but from just how illegible the game’s traps are.
On any screen, I Wanna Be the Guy might require the protagonist to jump on one bit of terrain but avoid the following without giving any instructions. It might ask them to jump off a cliff and find the invisible platform by trial and error. The source code of I Wanna Be the Guy has been available since 2011, and in 2020 fans released a remastered version of the original.
3 Celeste Classic
Celeste Classic is a PICO-8 platformer and the original version of Celeste. Just like 2018’s indie sensation, Celeste Classic is a platformer about a red and blue-haired girl climbing a mountain. It has almost the same moveset, very similar aesthetics, and even the same optional strawberries to collect.
Celeste Classic was built with PICO-8, which developers call a fantasy console. It’s a bit SNES and a bit retro PC, but only plays games developed for the PICO-8. Low resolution and small color palette aside, this version of Celeste is surprisingly accurate to the commercial game.
2 Fall Guys
Fall Guys doesn’t need any introduction. The mini-game battle royale/platformer reached an astonishing 172,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, and it’s estimated to have been played by 20 million unique users. With numbers like this, Fall Guys is easily the largest free-to-play platformer out there.
Unlike with other free-to-play games, players can enjoy as much Fall Guys as they want without spending a cent. Still, even if the core game is accessible to everyone, fans say that the game’s microtransactions have gotten worse over the years.
1 Gravitas
Gravitas is a short game, shorter than most commercial products can afford to be. This first-person puzzle platformer is all about manipulating gravity to get to the end of each level. It’s a unique experience among free platformers, and possibly the whole genre.
Unlike other free platform games, Gravitas has a distinct personality and a full story, even if it is a short one. The player takes the role of a visitor of the Gallery of Refined Gravity, a museum of impossible, dangerous rooms. The museum has a similar feeling to the research facility from Portal, and the curator, your guide, is reminiscent of Wheatley from Portal 2.