Best Of
10 Best Platforming Games on PlayStation Plus (July 2025)

From moving your character from point A to B, solving puzzles, dodging obstacles, and fighting enemies, to navigating a 3D world and digesting cinematic cutscenes, platforming games have come a long way. And on the PlayStation 4 and 5, the visuals and gameplay have become more polished and detailed. Do settle in while we explore the best platforming games on PlayStation Plus today.
What is a Platforming Game?
A platform game has a starting and an ending point. In between, you guide your character through obstacles, enemy-packed stages, and strategically-placed puzzles. While platformers were often side-scrollers back then, today, maps are in 3D, with immense horizontal and vertical depth.
Best Platforming Games on PlayStation Plus
A PlayStation Plus subscription affords you access to hundreds of games. However, these are the best platforming games on PlayStation Plus that stand out above the rest.
10. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
Jak and Daxter have been competing with Ratchet & Clank, with each duo having their own quirks. For Jak and Daxter, you enjoy a pretty funny and likeable duo, traversing their way through an unnamed planet, doing all manner of platforming genre tropes.
But these are genre tropes that date way back to the PS2 era. Yet they still hold something special about them, showcasing how far gaming has come. With the Jak and Daxter Bundle, you’ll enjoy access to all four classics on the last-gen PS4 console, complete with higher resolution and more trophies.
9. Rayman Legends
It’s quite an interesting premise that Rayman Legends kicks off with. Rayman and crew walk into a tent with mysterious paintings. And each one snatches them and throws them into a unique world, vivid and alive with different enemies, secrets, missions, and more.
It’s like a multiverse of sorts where you’re treated to plenty of content than you can beat in one sitting. And the execution is wild, giving you unforgettable adventures, serene environments, and clever level designs.
8. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition
Hollow Knight is so good, it’s shocking that it’s an indie game with limited funding. Still, the execution of the Metroidvania style of gameplay gives you a ton of freedom, unraveling the compelling story at a manageable pace. Just when you’re about to grow bored of the mechanics, you unlock new abilities that spice up your playthrough or discover a new area that leads you down an unexpected path.
The best part is that despite the melancholic flow of the story, the game still manages to steal your heart with its charming moments of hope and creativity.
7. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
And then we have Ratchet & Clank, the famous duo stealing the PlayStation platforming show. Rift Apart, in particular, is so good, featuring an actual multiverse you keep hopping from dimension to dimension.
Every world you enter has been crafted with care and perfection. The graphics look stunning, and the platforming matches up to it with numerous enemies to complete and exciting collectibles to chase down.
6. Trials Fusion
Still among the best platforming games on PlayStation Plus is Trials Fusion. It’s a biking game about racing for the win. However, you can begin at any level, taking on the “very easy” to “extremely tough” challenges. The tracks are riddled with obstacles that you can dodge or perform stunts on.
Since you’re in complete control over your rider and have access to a ton of powerful bike machines, every win feels well-earned and satisfying. And that alone is enough to keep you playing for hours on end.
5. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
I must admit, the Sackboy: A Big Adventure world is one to get lost in. The developing team here really went hard on designing truly vibrant and charming worlds filled with intricate detail and bustling creativity.
Even Sackboy himself is an adorable mascot for PlayStation, wiggling about as you race to save your home from a nightmarish fate. From stage to stage, you feel the warmth of joy ooze over you as you delightfully take in all that’s adorably cute about this sweet, sweet Sacklings world.
4. It Takes Two
Have a partner you’d like to play with? Why not try out It Takes Two? This is probably the best game you’ll bond over, with tons of hilarious scenes, challenging ones that take teamwork, and one or two lessons to take home.
The story itself is applicable to real life, following a couple trying to work out their marriage troubles. And in the end, some of their experience seeps over to the real world, bringing you and your partner closer.
3. Ape Escape
Ape Escape is actually a pretty old game, but it's still good enough to make it to the best platforming games on PlayStation Plus. Recently remastered, it brings back fond memories of the original’s fun. Now, the gameplay is much tighter, enhancing the controls using the DualShock controller, and engaging the player via a eye-catching and globe-trotting extravaganza.
2. The Messenger
16-bit is already a retro aesthetic. But The Messenger dials it back further to 8-bit styling, before gradually transitioning to 16-bit mid-game. It’s a risky move that the 2D action platformer executes so flawlessly, allowing you to reminisce about how far gaming has come.
But the gameplay itself is also quite good, featuring stunning visuals and humorous but strong dialogue. Despite the heavy task at hand of delivering a scroll to save your home, the gameplay sparsely hesitates to make the journey satisfying.
1. The Pedestrian
To close off the best platforming games on PlayStation Plus is The Pedestrian. This is yet another unique concept about controlling a stick figure using street signs as your navigation tools. The level designs are quite charming, often engaging you with their vibrant visuals and intricate details.
But it’s the puzzles that grab your attention the most, with their increasing difficulty. With each puzzle you solve, you take the learnings into the next one. That way, every puzzle feels like it matters toward eventually beating the game.