The Metroidvania genre seems niche, although it actually applies to lots of games still being released nowadays. We’ve seen some awesome games in the genre in recent years, and we’re ranking the 10 best Metroidvania games ever, to see which ones are the cream of the crop in 2025.
Credit: ArtPlay
Developed as a result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a sleeper hit. It remains extremely close to what makes the best Metroidvania games popular, but it does everything in such a polished manner that you can forgive the lack of innovation here.
Credit: DrinkBox Studios
Guacamelee! 2 earns its spot on the list of best Metroidvania games thanks to its deep combat mechanics. The protagonist, luchador Juan Aguacate, uses his vast arsenal of wrestling moves to defeat his enemies in this fast-paced Metroidvania. A blast from start to finish, Guacamelee! 2 can even be completed in four-player cooperative play for even more chaotic action.
Credit: ChAIR Entertainment
Don’t forget about 2009’s Shadow Complex! Originally released exclusively for the Xbox 360, Shadow Complex does a solid job of translating Metroidvania staples into a 2.5D environment with a unique sci-fi aesthetic. Not an innovator, but a fun time nonetheless.
Credits: Ubisoft
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the newest Metroidvania game on this list, but we’re confident it belongs here. It seamlessly combines Metroidvania and Prince of Persia exploration, with a unique mechanic that allows players to play with time through several abilities. To top it off, it features a gorgeous 2.5D world that’s a joy to explore.
Credit: Mercury Steam
A game almost two decades in the making, Metroid Dread is a return to classic 2D gameplay for the series. It innovates by adding stealth mechanics, which makes the gameplay a much bigger challenge. It makes sense we’d see a Metroid game make the list of the best Metroidvania games – you’ll have a ton of fun with this love letter to the genre.
Credit: Moon Studios
We’ll say it – Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the most beautifully rendered games of all time. Its art direction is breathtaking, the very definition of “every frame is a painting.” Yet, Ori isn’t all style and no substance. The gameplay here is fantastic, encouraging exploration through constant rewards, and fun combat to boot.
Credit: Konami
The impact of 1997’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night cannot be understated. While we’re discussing the Metroidvania genre, it’s this game that invented a lot of the concepts that are a staple of the genre today. This, combined with its great implementation of RPG mechanics, makes Castlevania: Symphony of the Night one of the best Metroidvania games of all time.
Read also:The 10 Best RPG Games Ever, Ranked
Credit: Nintendo
Metroid Prime Remastered takes the original game, gives it a fresh coat of paint, and updates the control scheme for the modern era. It’s a near-perfect remaster, honoring one of the best Metroidvania games ever. The original’s 3D first-person approach totally holds up, even if it feels like a totally foreign approach compared to traditional Metroidvanias.
Credit: Motion Twin
Dead Cells is as much a roguelike as it is a Metroidvania, which is why it works so well. It’s rare to see two different genres work in tandem to make something totally fresh, and the permadeath mechanic in Dead Cells is the real winning formula here. Thanks to the procedurally generated levels, no two playthroughs of Dead Cells are the same, which is why it’s one of the best Metroidvania games ever.
Credit: Team Cherry
Hollow Knight is the current King of the Metroidvania. With a unique art style, a strong sense of progress, interesting lore, and a bunch of interesting NPCs to interact with, it’s difficult to imagine how Metroidvanias get better than this. Like all of the best Metroidvania games, Hollow Knight encourages non-linear exploration of its game world, and makes it easy to traverse so that you don’t miss anything crucial. We think Hollow Knight is the best Metroidvania game ever made.
Read also:The 10 Best RTS Games Ever, Ranked
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