It took longer for 3D platformers to catch on compared to 2D ones. This is mainly because of technical reasons, as fully-realized 3D environments weren’t really a thing until the 90s. However, ever since Super Mario 64, the genre has continued to grow in popularity.
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Nowadays, there are many fantastic 3D platformers on the market and a lot of fans that want to play them. What options you have, depends on your chosen system. Steam users might not have the various Super Mario games, but they do still get several of the best 3D platformers ever, including the following ones.
8Mirror’s Edge
Mirror’s Edgeis not a traditional platformer. Instead of jumping on blocks, you free-run across and through different buildings. This means there is plenty of running, sliding, and leaping. Sometimes you get into fights, but you may use your agility and quick thinking to get the better of armed opponents.
You don’t just do all of this for fun. There is a story to the game, too. You play as a nimble courier who attempts to deliver messages while avoiding the government. Because she needs to stay incognito, the protagonist mainly uses the rooftops to get around.
7Super Lucky’s Tale
Cute-looking critters used to be all the rage in the video game world, from blue hedgehogs to pants-wearing bandicoots. While some of them have stuck around, there’s not been many new ones in recent years. One of the few exceptions is Lucky from Super Lucky’s Tale.
He’s one ofthe best-ever animal protagonistsand certainly feels like a throwback. As Lucky, you jump around different levels, collecting coins and avoiding obstacles. The fox’s goal is to protect the important book of ages.
6Sonic Frontiers
Originally, the Sonic games were firmly 2D platforming adventures. Yet, the Hedgehog has starred in his fair share of 3D ones, too. Sonic Frontiers is one of the series' best efforts in that regard. In it, Sonic is sucked through a wormhole that takes him to some islands. He must explore these lands to find Chaos Emerelds.
What’s particularly interesting about this game is that its open world. In fact, it’s the first open-world game in Sonic history. Yet, it still maintains things the series is known for, such as fast running, grinding on rails, and platforming.
5Spyro: Reignited Trilogy
There are plenty of dragons in video games. Yet, you’re usually slaying them. In Spyro games, however, you play as one of the mythic creatures. He’s not as big or as scary as the traditional dragon. In fact, he’s more adorable than fearsome, but he’s still capable of saving the day, as he does in all three games of the Reignited Trilogy.
They’re remastered versions of the first three Spyro games, and they mostly stay true to the originals. After all, they’re all still 3D platformers where you run and glide around beautiful environments while occasionally battling enemies.
4Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
The first fewCrash Bandicootgames are some of the best 3D platformers of all time. And now, they’re some ofthe best-looking platformers eversince the release of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
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This package contains the remaster of the original Crash Bandicoot, Cortex Strikes Back, and Warped. They come with vastly improved visuals, but the gameplay is largely the same. So, they’re still the classic games everyone remembers, where you jump and spin your way through different environments while trying to save the day.
3A Hat In Time
A Hat In Time isn’t the most famous 3D platformer on Steam, but it’s one of the best. You play as an alien called Hat Kid who flies around in a spaceship fueled by timepieces. Unfortunately, at the start of the game, she has a run-in with the mafia that results in her losing all her timepieces, meaning she can’t get home.
You spend the game trying to find them by searching around several varied open environments. You can swing, jump, and dash through these places. Along with the platforming, you have puzzles to complete and other obstacles to overcome.
2Psychonauts
InPsychonauts, you play as one ofgaming’s best psychic characters, Raz. At the start of the game, he tries to sneak into a camp filled with psychic spies called Psychonauts. His own abilities allow him to stay around for a while despite not technically being a part of the crew. While there, he uncovers some suspicious goings on at the camp.
Over the course of the adventure, you enter the consciousness of different people’s minds, which serve as levels. They’re all varied and creative, as they are based on their subject’s personality. You make your way around these strange worlds using your platforming skills and psychic abilities.
1It Takes Two
It Takes Two doesn’t start on a happy note, as the two protagonists are already heading toward a divorce. Naturally, this breaks the heart of their young daughter. Yet, things take a turn when the personalities and consciousness of the married couple get transferred to two dolls. As them, you have to figure out how to return to your human bodies.
Co-op is required for this game, as the two characters must work together to traverse various unique levels. Each one comes with its own aesthetic and gameplay mechanic. In all of them, though, you have to do some platforming.
