10 Best Platforming Games on Xbox Game Pass (August 2025)

Want to dive into some of the best Game Pass platforming games available right now? Xbox Game Pass is packed with amazing adventures where you can jump, climb, and fight through beautiful worlds. So, whether you love fast action or slow exploration with puzzle solving, there’s something perfect waiting for you.

What Defines the Best Platformers on Game Pass?

Great platformers go beyond just jumping across gaps. The best ones bring sharp level design, solid mechanics, and a world that feels fun to move through. Some hit hard with fast combat and big challenges. Others take their time with deep stories or clever puzzles. What matters most is how each part of the game stays interesting.

List of 10 Best Platforming Games on Xbox Game Pass in 2025

These platformers bring something unique, with gameplay that’s both fun and easy to get into. Here’s the full list.

10. Limbo

Starting off, Inside puts you in control of a small boy moving through a side-scrolling world full of obstacles and hazards. The game mixes platforming and puzzles, where you run, jump, and climb to get past blocked paths. To move forward, you often depend on pushing boxes, pulling levers, or hiding from enemies to avoid getting caught. The 2.5D style makes it simple to follow, while the world around you feels big and tense. The tension never drops, and every little mistake has a consequence. No health bars or weapons appear here — survival relies on careful movement. Overall, it is one of the best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass for its unique and quiet adventure.

9. Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a fast-paced action platformer where you explore a large castle filled with traps, enemies, and secret paths. The game is a roguelike, which means the layout of levels changes every time you start a new run. Combat is the main focus, and you fight enemies using swords, bows, shields, or special skills you find along the way. Movement is quick, with rolling, jumping, and climbing to avoid danger and reach new areas. When your character is defeated, the run ends, and you return to the start with some permanent upgrades unlocked. Its mix of smooth combat and exploration makes it one of 2025's best Game Pass platformers.

8. Celeste

Pixel-perfect jumps and heartwarming storytelling make this indie gem special. Its reputation as one of the best platformers on Game Pass comes from its mix of challenging platforming and emotional depth. Climbing the tall mountain means dealing with tricky levels that test your timing and patience. Every chapter introduces new mechanics like moving blocks and strong winds. Difficulty is high, yet the controls are precise, so every mistake feels fair. The journey becomes more than a platforming test; it turns into a personal adventure that pushes you to keep going.

7. Jusant

Jusant invites players to climb a massive, silent tower covered with rocks, ropes, and natural paths. The journey starts at the base where you slowly move upward, using handholds on walls and securing ropes to avoid falling. Stamina plays a big role, so you must plan where to rest and how to move between ledges. Puzzles appear as blocked routes or tricky climbing sections that need smart positioning. Movement is slow and thoughtful, focusing on climbing rather than running or fighting. Its careful pace and focus on vertical exploration make it a relaxing adventure about reaching the top.

6. Little Nightmares II

Up next on our list of best platformers on Game Pass, Little Nightmares II puts you in the tiny shoes of Mono, a boy lost in a world of oversized and threatening creatures. The gameplay focuses on moving through side-scrolling levels filled with obstacles, traps, and larger enemies. So, hiding under furniture or behind objects is important to avoid enemies that are much bigger and stronger than you. Some moments involve running through collapsing rooms or jumping across gaps as objects fall around you. The game combines stealth, light puzzle-solving, and dramatic chase scenes to create a suspenseful platforming adventure that is both memorable and thrilling.

5. Unravel Two

Unravel Two is a co-op puzzle-platformer where two small yarn characters are tied together with a single thread. The game starts with the pair landing in a natural world full of rivers, forests, and rocks. Here, moving through levels means jumping over gaps, swinging from branches, and climbing ledges using the yarn between them. Many puzzles need both characters to work together, like pulling objects or creating a rope bridge to cross water. The yarn connection is the core of the gameplay, and solving challenges depends on using it smartly. It can be played solo by switching between the two characters or with a friend for true co-op fun.

4. Another Crab’s Treasure

This game takes place underwater where a small crab explores colorful ocean areas while fighting sea creatures in a style inspired by Souls-like games. Combat is the focus, and enemies hit hard, so learning attack patterns is important. The crab collects random objects like cans or shells to use as temporary armor, which is a unique feature that changes how you take damage. Its mix of underwater combat and creative armor-swapping gives it a spot among the best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass.

3. Ultimate Chicken Horse

Well, Ultimate Chicken Horse isn't a regular platforming game where levels are already made. The game is a party platformer where friends build the stage together before trying to cross it. At the start of a round, everyone gets to pick items like platforms, traps, or obstacles from a shared list. These pieces are then placed onto the empty stage to create the path. After building, the round begins, and the new stage is played instantly. The fun comes from how the stage keeps changing, because new traps and blocks are added after each round.

2. Shady Part of Me

Shadows and light form the core idea of this puzzle-platformer. The screen shows a young girl walking in a 3D environment while her shadow moves along flat 2D surfaces on the walls. Both the girl and her shadow interact with the world in different ways, and puzzles often rely on switching between the two perspectives. Objects in the environment create shadows that form paths for the shadow version to travel across, while the 3D world provides routes for the girl. Solving challenges comes from thinking about how light changes the environment and how the two versions of the character help each other move forward.

1. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition

Final game on our list of best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass is Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition, a huge 2D adventure set in an underground insect kingdom. The world is packed with unique areas where strange creatures live, and dangerous enemies appear at every corner. Moreover, the battles focus on close combat against a wide range of insect-like enemies and massive bosses. Exploration leads to hidden rooms, secret passages, and special upgrades that change how the hero fights and survives. The game is known for its large, interconnected world that lets players discover new paths and uncover mysteries at their own pace.