10 Best Platforming Games on Xbox Game Pass (June 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 Makes a Great Platformer on Game Pass?

Great platformers aren’t just about jumping from one place to another. The best ones mix smooth controls, smart level design, and a fun style that keeps you playing. Some games focus on fast action and tough challenges, while others tell a beautiful story as you move through the world. What matters most is how the game feels to play and how each level keeps things fresh and exciting. The top picks on Game Pass do exactly that.

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

These are the platformers that offer something special — games that are fun to play and easy to enjoy, whether you're new or experienced. Let’s jump right in!

10. Inside

Inside starts with a boy running in a forest, chased by guards and dogs. There is no background information, no instruction, and no dialogue — only silence and the sense that something is wrong. The world around the boy feels cold and lifeless, filled with machines and strange people. Every scene adds more mystery as you move deeper into this strange place. Gameplay is a mix of platforming and puzzle-solving. Most puzzles are about finding out how to safely move through dangerous ground, often under pressure. It's easy to play but always catches you out. This combination of mystery, movement, and thought is what makes it one of the best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass.

9. Dead Cells

Fast-paced action and non-stop movement drive every second of this game. You play as a reanimated warrior, fighting your way through procedurally generated levels packed with enemies, traps, and secrets. The combat is the star here, with dozens of weapons, powers, and upgrades that let you customize your fighting style. The visuals have a retro, pixel-art look, but the movement and gameplay feel smooth and modern. Every time you die, you start over, but you learn something new with each run, making progress feel satisfying. This Game Pass best platformer game leans more on action than puzzles, but there’s still a lot to figure out if you want to survive longer.

8. Another Crab’s Treasure

An underwater world filled with charm, secrets, and surprising depth welcomes you into this clever action-platformer. You play as Kril, a small hermit crab who gets his shell taken away and sets out to get it back. What seems like a funny and light story quickly turns into a huge adventure with deep ocean areas to explore, strange sea creatures to fight, and challenges that test your timing and skill. Furthermore, shells are your defense. You don’t carry just one shell through the game. Instead, you find and use different kinds of trash and ocean junk as your shell. The game stands out as one of the best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass not just for its fun world, but for how smart the shell system is in both gameplay and strategy.

7. Jusant

Jusant is a slow and peaceful climbing game where you play as a quiet traveler going up a huge, empty tower. There is no talking, no enemies, and no fighting — just you, your ropes, and the tall tower ahead. The game focuses on calm movement and puzzle-solving as you figure out how to climb each wall safely. You use hand grips, ropes, and smart thinking to reach new heights. Every part of the tower is different and makes you think in a new way. Sometimes you swing on your rope, sometimes you climb sideways, and sometimes you stop to look around and choose the best path.

6. Crypt Custodian

Crypt Custodian is a fun and quirky platforming adventure where you play as Pluto, a mischievous cat who’s been sentenced to clean the afterlife forever. After getting kicked out of the palace by the Guardian Kendra, you explore a huge, ghost-filled world with nothing but your broom to battle monsters, clean up dungeons, and unlock new areas. The game mixes simple combat, clever puzzles, and hidden secrets to discover across a big interconnected map. With charming art, funny moments, and lots of freedom to explore, it delivers a fresh and lighthearted take on the platforming genre.

5. Unravel Two

Two yarn creatures connected by a single thread bring one of the most heartwarming co-op experiences in platforming. The goal is to guide them through nature-inspired levels filled with obstacles, puzzles, and tricky jumps. You can play alone by switching between the two characters, or play with a friend in local co-op. Both need to work together to move forward, using the yarn to swing across gaps, climb walls, and pull objects. Each level offers something different, some are peaceful and calm, while others are more fast-paced and full of danger.

4. Carrion

You play as a deadly red creature escaping from a secret science lab, using your growing powers to hunt down every human in your way. This platformer flips the usual roles — you’re not running from the monster, you are the monster. Movement is smooth and fast as you slide through vents, ceilings, and tight spaces with your many arms. The more you explore and destroy, the more powerful you become with new abilities. The game looks brutal but plays like a clever mix of horror and platforming. That’s what makes it stand out as one of the most original platforming games available right now on Game Pass.

3. Contrast

Shadow and light become the main tools in this magical platforming experience. Players control a girl’s imaginary friend who can shift between a 3D world and 2D shadows. This shadow-shifting mechanic turns ordinary buildings and walls into climbing puzzles. Solving each one requires paying close attention to how light casts across the environment. It’s clever, stylish, and full of surprises. While it might not be loud or flashy, it delivers one of the more creative takes on platforming on Xbox Game Pass. The shadow mechanics are more than a gimmick, they’re central to both gameplay and storytelling, which makes it special.

2. Shady Part of Me

There’s a beautifully drawn puzzle-platformer where players control both a little girl and her shadow. The game switches between 3D and 2D perspectives as you move through dream-like environments filled with puzzles. The girl walks through a 3D world, while her shadow moves along the walls in 2D. To solve each challenge, both must work together by helping one another reach new places and unlock the path forward. It’s perfect for anyone looking for a quiet, thoughtful platformer that feels both creative and meaningful.

1. Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition

Hollow Knight: Voidheart Edition is a 2D action-platformer where you explore a vast underground world filled with mystery, danger, and hidden secrets. Players take control of a small knight armed with a nail-like weapon. The game focuses on smooth movement, tight combat, and detailed exploration. Every area is connected, and as you unlock new abilities, more of the world becomes reachable. Packed with tough boss battles and tricky platforming sections, it offers a long and rewarding adventure. The hand-drawn art style and haunting music make every part of the journey feel alive. For those searching for one of the best platformer games on Xbox Game Pass, Hollow Knight delivers a rich experience full of challenge, beauty, and discovery.