Platformers will celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2025

Many of your favorite games are now 20 years old. Congratulations on officially becoming seasoned veterans of the industry, esteemed elders who will serve to inspire countless generations to come, just like every Morgan Freeman character.

But among this two-decade elite, you'll find plenty of games in one of the oldest and most popular genres: platform games. Whether in 2D, 3D or a quirky hybrid, jumping around in the video game world never gets old, and some of the greats are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2025.

8

Sonic Rush

November 15, 2005 (Nintendo DS, North America)

Back in 2005, the Sonic the Hedgehog series was in a bit of a pickle. The rather mixed Sonic Heroes and the highly rated Sonic Advance handheld games kept it afloat, but it still wasn't particularly successful. Granted, since 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog hadn't come out yet, fortunately the other things hadn't hit either.

Considered by many to be a breath of fresh air for the blue blur, Sonic Rush felt like the jolt the series needed at the time, at least to those who played it. Serving as the debut for classics like Blaze the Cat and the boost mechanic, this 2D/3D hybrid made excellent use of the Nintendo DS's dual screens and featured a fantastic soundtrack by Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma.

7

Mega Man Zero 4

April 21, 2005 (Game Boy Advance, Japan)

The Mega Man Zero games on the Game Boy Advance, which served as a sequel to Mega Man, also established an identity all their own with the introduction of the cute little cyber elves as a new upgrade system.

Mega Man Zero 4 was the final game in the series and remained a solid gaming experience without really adding much compared to its predecessors. Luckily, when it comes to Mega Man, more of the same is what you want, and the streamlined version of Zero 4 absolutely nails it.

6

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

September 26, 2005 (PS2, North America)

The Sly Cooper series was a bit of a surprise in the PlayStation 2's catalog of games. While the first game, Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, launched with satisfying stealth platforming and plenty of charm, each sequel managed to do it in its own way to excel.

Some consider Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves to be a bit too tiring, while others consider it the pinnacle of the series. True, a number of new characters are being added that could dilute the gaming experience for certain players. But its signature sense of humor is completely intact and it remains a classic character platformer for the PlayStation brand.

5

Ratchet: Stuck

October 25, 2005 (PS2, North America)

The hybrid platformer/shooter series Ratchet & Clank kept the ball rolling in the PlayStation 2 era by maintaining consistent gameplay while shifting most of its diverse new ideas to its selection of weapons and gadgets. But Ratchet: Deadlocked decided to shake things up in unexpected ways, and fans of the Ratchet story weren't particularly thrilled.

Instead of going on a planet-hopping adventure with his trusty sidekick Clank behind him, Ratchet is captured and forced to take part in a deadly televised competition with two funny but slightly less charming robots. Despite the changes, Deadlocked is a remarkably satisfying game, with a much greater focus on combat and plenty of weapons that make taking down hordes of enemies a breeze.

4

Shadow of the hedgehogs

November 15, 2005 (PS2/GameCube/Xbox, North America)

If you weren't nervous in 2005, then honestly you were probably fine. But random, out-of-touch CEOs seemed to think you were completely lame because nervousness and fear were all the rage in anything aimed at young people, even though real young people are just the same as always.

“Shadow the Hedgehog” remains one of the most memorable examples of how companies thought everything had to be extremely outlandish to appeal to kids and gave Shadow a whole weapon. But despite the intention, the game actually holds up shockingly well, even while employing a morality system and branching plot that were both far ahead of their time.

3

Kirby: Screen Curse

March 24, 2005 (Nintendo DS, Japan)

Kirby feels like one of those series where trying something new for each game isn't too much of a risk. Fans always want more Kirby, and as long as he's still a friendly little pink ball, they're mostly on board. Kirby: Canvas Curse on the Nintendo DS is an interesting and characteristically charming example.

It pushed the boundaries of the series in an interesting way, using the system's touchscreen to change the typical formula of platforming and hoovering up enemies to have a rolling, jointless Kirby use the stylus to move through the levels is conducted. Ambitious, and it worked, with Kirby and the Rainbow Curse even making a delightful claymation-style sequel on the Wii U ten years later.

2

Lego Star Wars: The Video Game

March 29, 2005 (PS2/PC/Game Boy Advance, North America)

Has a video game ever spoiled your movie? Well, if you were a Star Wars fan in 2005, this may have just happened to you. Twice. Lego Star Wars: The Video Game retold the events of the prequel trilogy, including Revenge of the Sith, which hadn't even been released yet at the time of the release of this and the official Revenge of the Sith game. Some games can be so impatient.

If you've played other Lego games, particularly the Lego Star Wars games, this might seem downright quaint to you. It sparked the Lego video game trend, which now includes series from “The Lord of the Rings” to “Indiana Jones” and beyond. So it is actually the most basic form of the now popular action platformer series. Jump around, hit things with a lightsaber, and collect little Lego pieces. Sometimes the simplest ideas bring the most satisfaction.

1

Psychonauts

April 19, 2005 (Xbox/PC, North America)

Psychonauts 2 was a revelation. Not only was it a sequel to a cult classic that was long considered a financial failure and that fans thought no one would ever touch again, but it was also much better than so many people expected. But if you played the original Psychonauts, you might not have been too surprised by the quality.

Psychonauts is a highly stylized 3D platformer that uses psychic powers to expand on regular platforming gameplay. You'll explore the Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp and the actual thoughts of the people there, honing your skills while uncovering a sinister conspiracy. Given its incredible sense of humor, creative gameplay, and shockingly poignant moments, it's no wonder that those who played it almost without exception fell in love.