Platformers are some of the most welcoming games for beginners. Just about anyone can play a classic platformer, including complete newcomers to video games. For the longest time, platformers were the default games for children, and even now, they are by far themost kid-friendly genre. That might be why so few of them embrace pure PvP modes like races, fights, or other kinds of competitions.
Still, some games (including some very popular ones) clearly have no issue turning this chill, relaxed genre into a ruthless race or even a fight. And while most online PvP platformers default to first-person or 2D races, the genre is vast enough to allow for many unique alternatives.
Fall Guysis easily the most well-known competitive multiplayer platformer around, and it’s also one of the most popular games out there. Thismix of battle royale and obstacle course platformingseems to have taken the spot as the default low-stakes game to challenge friends online.
Fall Guysis an extremely approachable game. It has a large community, meaning there are always newcomers for fellow beginners to challenge. It’s free, so even players who don’t like this style of platforming only have time to lose. Finally, matchmaking is quick, and matches rarely last more than 10 minutes (at least for the players who are eliminated).
Fling to the Finishis a co-op competitive multiplayer marble-rolling platformer. Every player in a pair has their own ball to drive to the finish line, but the twist is that the two are permanently tied together by a rope.
That rope keeps a team close together, but can also be used toswing around, getting a lot of momentumand improving times massively. Maybe “rope” isn’t the right word, as it sometimes behaves more like a rubber band. And while maneuvering above cliffs, tying one marble to a wall and swinging with the other, is mostly an advanced technique, the game does occasionally require this kind of movement.
6Marble It Up! Ultra
Metacritic Score: 76
Marble It Up! Ultrais a marble rolling game that’s all about speed. That’s not surprising, considering it’s from the same developers as the firstMarble It Up!. The same studio also worked on the very firstMarble Blast, a much slower and more gimmicky platformer.
Marble It Up! Ultradoes have a campaign full of short set pieces and questionable power-ups, but the heart of the game is in the online racing mode. Additional multiplayer modes include the classic gem hunt, a Rocket League-inspired soccer mode, and more.
Tomb Rumbleis a beautiful, chaotic mess of a massive multiplayer platformer. Traveling through single-screen puzzle rooms, players compete to be the first to reach the exit while avoiding traps. Of course, players are encouraged to push each other into those traps, but often, the only way for anyone to win is to work together.
From ancient tombs to forgotten jungles and museum exhibits,Tomb Rumble’s levels are widely varied thanks to the robust level editor. A variety of power-ups and curses keeps the game fresh on multiple playthroughs. While the game is free, a few paid DLCs unlock additional features like a home to keep all the collected treasures in.
4Parkour Tag
Metacritic Score: N/A
Parkour Tagis exactly what it sounds like: a video game about competitive tag. This first-person competitive platformer sees two players slide, jump, and wall-run until one catches the other or time runs out. Anyone who’s ever seen a video of a World Chase Tag match knows exactly what this means.
Parkour Tagmight bea little barebones, but it features multiple maps, a single-player time trial mode, and public servers in case players don’t have a gaming partner at the ready. That said, as the developer ofParkour Tagexplains, the game was designed to be played with friends, and can be a bit dry with strangers.
Brawlhallais a platforming fighting game in the vein of theSuper Smash Bros.,series but with moreemphasis on precise platforming. Whether it is enough of a platformer to count is up to anyone’s interpretation. Still, the game is free: there’s no reason not to try it.
What makesBrawlhallagreat, other than the general polish of the game, is the size. There are currently about 50 characters to choose from, some original and some borrowed from other properties. This wide variety extends to the gameplay itself, with over 20 multiplayer modes, some of which have little to no combat.
InHot Lava, the floor is lava. Who has never jumped from furniture to furniture while pretending that touching the floor would mean certain death? InHot Lava, the floor does mean death. And unlike similar first-person racing platformers, this is a complete game with a campaign of sorts and multiple game modes.
The multiplayer mode inHot Lavathreads the line between cooperative and competitive. In truth, players are just going through the same course in parallel. But like anyracing platformer, it’s easy enough to say that the first to reach the end of the level wins.
UFO: Unidentified Falling Objectsis a weird puzzle-platformer about avoiding blocks and then pushing them around to make large single-color groups, making them explode. But blocks aren’t the only things falling from above: players must also avoid artillery shots, wandering tanks, and gather power-ups before they touch the floor.
Fans of theclassic Flash gameSuper Puzzle Platformerwill probably findUFO: Unidentified Falling Objectsfamiliar. That’s because the latter is a remake of the first produced by the original creator. The biggest innovation, along with general polish and content, is an online multiplayer mode that goes up to 20 players at the same time.
