The Best 2D Games That Prove Dimension Is Overrated
The best 2D games across every genre — pixel art masterpieces, hand-drawn adventures, and side-scrolling classics that prove 2D remains essential.
2D games never disappeared. Despite the industry's obsession with 3D since the PS1 era, 2D games have continued producing some of the most creative, focused, and mechanically excellent games made. The indie scene especially thrives in 2D because smaller teams can commit to tight design in 2D that would require massive teams in 3D.
This guide covers the best 2D games across multiple genres — metroidvanias, platformers, RPGs, fighting games, and action games.
The 2D Metroidvania Masterpieces
Hollow Knight is the modern metroidvania peak. Hand-drawn art, massive interconnected world, excellent combat, deep lore.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the long-awaited sequel.
Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are gorgeous emotionally affecting platformers. Ori coverage.
Blasphemous and Blasphemous 2 are Spanish religious horror metroidvanias.
Nine Sols combines metroidvania exploration with Sekiro-style deflection.
Animal Well is compact metroidvania with enormous secret depth.
Tunic is isometric but 2D-inspired with cryptographic puzzles.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is Ubisoft's return to 2D Prince of Persia.
Metroid Dread is Nintendo's 2D Metroid return.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night established modern metroidvania design.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night continues the Igavania tradition.
Salt and Sacrifice is 2D soulslike with metroidvania elements.
Ender Lilies captures Hollow Knight's melancholy.
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is the sequel.
The 2D Platformer Masterpieces
Celeste is precision platformer with emotional narrative about anxiety.
Super Meat Boy and Super Meat Boy Forever are brutal precision platforming.
Cuphead is jazz-era boss rush action platformer. Cuphead coverage.
Shovel Knight is the retro-inspired platformer franchise.
Shovel Knight: King of Cards and other expansions.
Hollow Knight (also platformer elements).
A Hat in Time (3D technically but shares 2D sensibilities).
The End Is Nigh is darker precision platformer from Edmund McMillen.
N++ is pure momentum-based precision platformer.
VVVVVV is gravity-flip platformer with excellent music.
Spelunky 2 is roguelike platformer.
Spelunky HD is the original classic.
Downwell is 2D drop-based action platformer.
Katana Zero is cyberpunk 2D action platformer with neon aesthetics.
The 2D RPGs
Chrono Trigger remains the greatest 2D JRPG ever made. SNES coverage.
Sea of Stars from Sabotage Studio is a love letter to classic JRPGs.
Chained Echoes captures SNES-era JRPG energy with modern design.
Octopath Traveler and Octopath Traveler 2 use "HD-2D" aesthetic.
Live A Live is Square Enix HD-2D remake of cult classic.
Undertale subverts JRPG conventions. Undertale coverage.
Omori uses cheerful pixel art for devastating story.
Crystal Project is indie JRPG with open-world exploration.
Dragon Quest XI S has 2D mode option for classic aesthetic.
The 2D Action Games
Dead Cells is action roguelite platformer at its most polished.
Risk of Rain (original) is 2D action roguelite.
Enter the Gungeon is 2D bullet hell roguelike.
Nuclear Throne is 2D shooter roguelike.
Realm of the Mad God is 2D bullet hell MMO.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is horror roguelike with biblical imagery.
Hotline Miami and Hotline Miami 2 are neon-violent top-down action.
Katana Zero (mentioned above).
Metal Slug series are legendary arcade 2D action. Neo Geo coverage.
Broforce is explosive cooperative 2D action.
The 2D Fighting Games
Guilty Gear Strive is Arc System Works' current peak anime fighter.
Street Fighter 6 is Capcom's current premier fighting game.
Tekken 8 is 3D but has 2D fighting DNA.
Mortal Kombat 1 is the 2023 reboot.
Samurai Shodown is weapons-based 2D fighter.
BlazBlue series are anime fighter classics.
Skullgirls is independent 2D fighter with excellent art.
Them's Fightin' Herds is My Little Pony-inspired 2D fighter.
The King of Fighters XV is SNK's legendary team fighter.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 remains influential crossover fighter.
The 2D Strategy Games
Into the Breach is tactical puzzle-strategy.
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp is tactical wargame classic.
FTL: Faster Than Light is 2D space roguelike.
Slay the Spire is deckbuilder roguelike. Full Slay the Spire coverage.
Monster Train is deckbuilder roguelike.
Griftlands is narrative roguelike deckbuilder.
Wargroove is tactical wargame.
Advance Wars series classics.
The 2D Adventure Games
Limbo and Inside are atmospheric Playdead classics. Limbo coverage, Inside coverage.
Gris from Nomada Studio is 2D platformer about grief.
Planet of Lana is hand-drawn 2D adventure.
Oxenfree is supernatural teen horror with dialogue choices.
Night in the Woods is narrative adventure about returning home.
Gone Home is walking simulator in 2D perspective (3D but similar feel).
Kentucky Route Zero is magical realism point-and-click adventure.
The 2D Survival Games
Terraria is 2D Minecraft-alike with combat focus.
Starbound is 2D sci-fi sandbox.
Don't Starve is Tim Burton-aesthetic survival.
Don't Starve Together adds cooperative play.
Project Zomboid is top-down zombie survival.
Core Keeper is top-down sandbox mining.
The 2D Puzzle Games
Baba Is You pushes words to rewrite rules.
Stephen's Sausage Roll is brutal Sokoban.
Patrick's Parabox uses recursive boxes.
Jelly No Puzzle is free 50-puzzle escalation.
A Monster's Expedition is charming Sokoban-adjacent.
Understand teaches systems by showing examples.
Tetris Effect: Connected is modern Tetris with visual/audio splendor.
The Witness is 3D but shares 2D puzzle design sensibilities.
The 2D Sports Games
Windjammers series is frisbee-throwing competitive arcade.
Football Manager 2025 is 2D view for managerial depth.
Out of the Park Baseball is 2D baseball management.
Golf Story and Sports Story are narrative golf RPGs.
Why 2D Games Remain Essential
2D games succeed because the format strips away complexity that 3D adds. You can't get lost in environments. Camera issues don't exist. Movement is clear. Hit detection is obvious. This clarity enables designers to focus on mechanics and aesthetics without technical distraction.
The modern indie scene thrives in 2D because small teams can match AAA quality in this format. Cuphead's hand-drawn animation, Celeste's precision movement, Hollow Knight's interconnected world — all these required less than 30 people to create. 2D enables ambition without massive team investment.
Different 2D subgenres appeal to different players. Metroidvanias for exploration. Platformers for precision. RPGs for narrative. Fighters for competition. Strategy for planning.
Start with Hollow Knight if you want 2D metroidvania peak. Celeste for precision platformer emotional excellence. Dead Cells for action roguelite. Sea of Stars for modern classic JRPG. Hades for action RPG. All represent 2D design at its current peak, and all remain genuinely excellent games regardless of their dimensional limitations.