10 Best Platforming Games on Xbox Game Pass (May 2026)

Want to dive into some of the best Xbox Game Pass platformers in 2026? 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 and puzzle solving, there’s something perfect waiting for you.

What Defines the Best Platformers?

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.

With that in mind, this list ranks top 10 Xbox Game Pass platforming games that offer different strengths, from tight challenge-based stages to slower, more atmospheric journeys. Starting at number 10, here are the platformers worth checking out in 2026.

10. Another Crab’s Treasure

One of the best 3D platformers on Game Pass

Another Crab’s Treasure has Kril, a hermit crab who gets shoved into trouble after his shell is taken for unpaid taxes. Pretty rude, honestly. The adventure then moves through bright reefs, junk piles, royal-looking sea areas, and gloomy corners of the ocean. Kril jumps across gaps, climbs ledges, rolls away from danger, and uses whatever trash he finds as armor. Cans, cups, bottles, and other bits of junk act like shells, so they are more than jokes lying on the seabed. Each shell can protect him from hits, and several shells have special moves that shift how he handles danger.

Combat and platforming sit side by side here, so the adventure is neither only jumping nor only fighting. Kril uses a fork as a weapon, blocks with his shell, dodges enemy swings, and looks for small openings before striking back. Boss fights ask for attention, but the regular travel sections matter just as much. Since Kril is tiny, even normal ocean objects seem threatening. Another Crab’s Treasure deserves a spot on this best Xbox Game Pass games list because it uses familiar platforming actions in a strange sea world, then mixes them with light combat and funny shell swapping.

9. Celeste

Climb a mountain by jumping, dashing, and gripping walls

Celeste is a tight mountain-climbing platformer starring Madeline, who is trying to reach the summit of a strange snowy peak. Here, each room gives a route, a few hazards, and enough space to figure out the jump before trying again. The main actions are jumping, climbing walls, and using an air dash. That dash is the heart of the action, since it lets Madeline shoot in one direction across gaps, past spikes, or toward safe ground. After touching the ground, grabbing a wall, or hitting certain crystals, the dash returns, so each room becomes a little chain of jumps and recoveries. It sounds intense, but the layout usually shows the route with enough visual clues.

Madeline’s climb also carries an emotional side, though the platforming still leads the experience. The mountain mirrors her stress, doubt, and drive to keep going, but the game avoids long speeches. It lets the climb do the talking through tight rooms, harder routes, and moments where reaching the exit brings relief. Optional strawberries sit in risky spots for anyone chasing an extra challenge, while the main path already has plenty to handle. If you are the kind of player who loves hard challenges, Celeste is probably the best platformer Game Pass game for you.

8. Rain World

Sneak past predators and find shelter before the rain floods everything

Rain World follows a small slugcat trying to survive in a broken industrial wildland. Your little creature climbs pipes, crawls through vents, leaps over gaps, grabs food, then searches for shelter before deadly rain floods the area. The catch is that the world acts like a living place rather than a normal platform stage. Lizards stalk tunnels. Vultures sweep down from above. Smaller creatures panic, flee, or get eaten while you are still figuring out a path. It might sound rough, but the basic loop is quite direct. Get food, stay alive, and reach shelter. Each trip outside carries pressure, since rain arrives after a while. Shelter means safety, food lets slugcat rest, and a poor route choice often leads to trouble.

Well, this game doesn’t act like a typical level-based platformer. Rooms connect into a wide network, so every journey becomes a small survival run. You learn by watching. If a lizard cannot climb a certain wall, that wall becomes your escape path. If rain is close, distant food becomes a bad gamble. If a predator is fighting something else, slipping past can save the day. Rocks and spears let Slugcat defend itself or distract enemies, but fighting is rarely the main answer. Better choices usually involve timing, hiding, climbing away, or finding another route.

7. Little Nightmares II

One of the best puzzle-platforming games of all time

Little Nightmares II is a dark side-scrolling adventure where Mono moves through places that seem ordinary from a distance, then get worse the closer he gets. Forest paths, school halls, hospital rooms, and city streets become small obstacle courses filled with danger. Mono climbs furniture, crawls through vents, drags objects, jumps over gaps, and hides when something far stronger is nearby. Six travels with him through several sections, and her presence matters through small team actions. She can pull him up after certain jumps or stand with him to move heavier objects.

Action in Little Nightmares II is slow compared with brighter platformers, but it still has plenty of pressure. You might slide under a table, climb a shelf, push a box into place, or time a jump while something hunts Mono nearby. Puzzle scenes usually use objects already in the room, so the answer often connects to the place itself. Chase scenes change the pace and make the platforming more urgent. Mono runs through breaking floors, squeezes into narrow gaps, and reaches ledges just before danger catches up.

6. It Takes Two

Two dolls repair a relationship through co-op platform adventures

It Takes Two is arguably the strongest 2-player platforming pick on Game Pass to enjoy with a friend. Cody and May are changed into tiny dolls after their daughter wishes for her parents to stay together. From there, their house becomes a strange obstacle course full of toy rails, garden tunnels, toolbox hazards, clock towers, and bedroom inventions. The best part of this game is how every chapter gives each person a different tool or action. Cody might swing across gaps with one gadget while May lines up the route with hers. In the next area, both of you get a totally different pair of skills. This keeps the adventure lively rather than repeating the same jumps again and again.

You still run, jump, climb, swing, ride rails, dodge hazards, and solve rooms together, but the way each section is handled keeps shifting in a fun way. Two people need to talk and figure things out together, but the tasks rarely turn into confusing puzzle math. You can usually understand the goal by looking at the room. Maybe someone needs to launch the other across a gap. Maybe both players need to time a jump at the same moment. Maybe a boss fight requires one person to create an opening while the other attacks. Overall, it is a great pick for couch co-op or online co-op when both players want platforming, jokes, teamwork, and a lot of variety in one adventure.

5. Ultimate Chicken Horse

A perfect Game Pass platforming game for group play with friends

Ultimate Chicken Horse is a party platformer where you and your friends create the route before trying to finish it. Each round gives everyone a piece to place on the stage, such as a platform, spike trap, spring, moving block, or saw. Place something helpful, and you risk letting everyone reach the goal. Place something brutal, and you risk ruining your own path. The funny part is that everyone is secretly trying to make the course possible for themselves and painful for everyone else. After the pieces are placed, the race starts. You jump, climb, dodge hazards, and aim for the flag. Points go to people who make it across while their rivals fail, so the best route is usually risky but still beatable.

Matches build up naturally as the course gets more ridiculous. One round might have a calm jump over a gap. Two minutes after that, the same spot could have a spinning blade, a crumbling platform, and a spring that launches people into danger. Ultimate Chicken Horse stays fun because every round has a little mind game inside it. You watch what your friends struggle with, then place the next obstacle in a spot that pressures them again. Victory is never only about speed. Good timing, careful jumping, and a bit of sneaky thinking matter just as much.

4. Relooted

Break into museums and reclaim stolen African artifacts through heist-style platforming

Relooted is a heist platformer with a neat twist. You guide Nomali, a parkour-skilled thief, through museum spaces to reclaim African artifacts taken by Western institutions. The mission is not random stealing. Each target links to culture, history, and stolen heritage, so the chase carries more weight than a normal grab-the-prize run. Before the escape kicks off, you study the area and prepare the route. Doors, guards, cameras, glass barriers, crew positions, and escape paths all need attention. Once the artifact is taken, all that planning is tested through running, jumping, climbing, and dodging danger on the way out.

Relooted is easiest to picture as planning a movie-style heist, then having to perform the route yourself. You are not just watching Nomali pull off cool moves. You guide each jump, climb over ledges, move through tight spaces, and use the route you prepared earlier. Crew members also support the mission, with each person handling a different task during the plan. This could mean opening a path, dealing with security, or preparing something useful before the final run. For an Xbox Game Pass platformer list, Relooted brings a different flavor from jump-heavy adventures, since the platforming is tied to planning and cultural recovery.

3. Hollow Knight: Silksong

A standout sequel for fans of tough action platformers

Up next on our best Game Pass platformer games 2026 list, we have Hollow Knight: Silksong, a platforming adventure starring Hornet in the insect kingdom of Pharloom. The main gameplay is all about crossing dangerous rooms, fighting strange enemies, and finding paths through a connected world. Hornet moves with more speed and height than the Knight from Hollow Knight, and every room pushes you to jump, dodge, slash, and land with care. Her needle is the main weapon, while silk skills and crafted tools support her in tougher fights.

Moreover, the game keeps the route open enough for wandering, then blocks certain paths until you gain the right skill or item. In simple terms, you explore, survive, unlock routes, then return to older areas with better options. Silksong’s platforming has plenty of bite. Rooms often mix ledges with enemies, so you deal with both spacing and attack timing at once. Also, enemies do more than stand in your way. They jump, fly, chase, block paths, and force you to think while moving.

2. Planet of Lana II

Lana and Mui cross alien lands through puzzles and companionship

Planet of Lana II is the calmer pick near the top of this Xbox Game Pass platforming list, yet it still keeps you involved from scene to scene. You guide Lana through side-scrolling places filled with cliffs, machines, caves, strange creatures, and quiet danger. Her small companion, Mui, travels beside her, and the two move through each area as a pair. Lana handles climbing, crawling, pushing objects, and reaching ledges. Mui reaches spots Lana cannot reach, presses switches, distracts threats, or waits in a safe spot while Lana handles the next step.

When talking about the gameplay, you mostly look at the path ahead, spot what blocks the way, then use Lana and Mui together to solve the problem. If a gap blocks the route, you search for something to move. If a creature blocks the path, you guide Lana into cover or use Mui to draw attention. If a switch sits out of reach, Mui usually becomes the answer. The interesting part is always figuring out how both characters fit into the same space. Among the best platformer Game Pass games in 2026, Planet of Lana II is the strongest choice for players who like story-led side-scrolling adventures.

1. Super Meat Boy 3D

Meat Boy returns in 3D with brutal precision platforming

Super Meat Boy 3D deserves the top spot here because it nails the main thing people want from this series. You guide Meat Boy through short 3D stages filled with saws, gaps, moving platforms, walls, ramps, and awkward little routes that punish sloppy timing. Every level is about reaching Bandage Girl at the end, then doing it again with fewer mistakes. The jump arc is tight, the landings need care, and the 3D layout means you must judge distance in more than one direction. Miss the angle by a bit, and Meat Boy splats.

The retry system is a major reason this structure clicks. After a failed run, the stage restarts right away, so you spend more time trying the next jump than staring at menus. Older Super Meat Boy games were side-scrolling obstacle courses, while this one lets stages bend around corners, rise upward, dip downward, and use depth as part of the challenge. You might run along a thin path, hop over a saw, slide down a wall, then angle a jump toward a platform placed farther back in the stage. All in all, Super Meat Boy 3D is currently the best 3D platforming game on Xbox Game Pass.

FAQs

1. What are the best platforming games on Xbox Game Pass in 2026?

Some of the strongest platformers on Xbox Game Pass in 2026 include Super Meat Boy 3D, Planet of Lana II, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Relooted, Ultimate Chicken Horse, It Takes Two, Little Nightmares II, Rain World, Celeste, and Another Crab’s Treasure. Each one offers a different type of platforming, from tough precision runs to puzzle stages, co-op challenges, and action-heavy adventures.

2. What is the best 3D platformer on Xbox Game Pass right now?

Super Meat Boy 3D is the standout 3D platformer on Xbox Game Pass right now. It takes the short, punishing stage design of the older Super Meat Boy games and moves it into 3D spaces. Players run, jump, slide, and retry stages until they reach the goal with cleaner timing.

3. What are the best Game Pass platformers in 2026 for co-op?

It Takes Two and Ultimate Chicken Horse are two of the best co-op platformers on Game Pass in 2026. It Takes Two is built around two-player teamwork, with each player using different abilities. Ultimate Chicken Horse is more competitive, letting friends place traps and platforms before racing through the stage.

4. Is Hollow Knight: Silksong on Xbox Game Pass?

Hollow Knight: Silksong is part of the Xbox Game Pass lineup in 2026. It is an action-platformer where Hornet travels through a connected kingdom, fights enemies, reaches new areas, and unlocks more tools across the journey.

5. What platformer on Game Pass has the hardest levels?

Super Meat Boy 3D is likely the hardest pick if you want pure platforming pressure. Its stages are short, but the jumps require tight timing. Celeste and Hollow Knight: Silksong are also tough, especially when dealing with advanced routes, boss fights, or optional challenges.

6. What is the best Game Pass platformer for two players?

It Takes Two is the strongest two-player platformer on Xbox Game Pass. Two players must cooperate through puzzle rooms, action scenes, boss encounters, and platforming sections. Each player often gets a different tool, so teamwork is part of almost every chapter.

7. Are there puzzle platformers on Xbox Game Pass?

Yes. Planet of Lana II, Little Nightmares II, It Takes Two, and Relooted all mix platforming with puzzle design. Planet of Lana II uses companion-based puzzles, Little Nightmares II uses environmental problem solving, It Takes Two uses co-op puzzle sections, and Relooted adds heist planning to its platforming stages.

8. What is the best indie platformer on Xbox Game Pass?

Super Meat Boy 3D, Celeste, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Rain World, and Planet of Lana II are all strong indie platformer picks. Super Meat Boy 3D is great for precision stages, Celeste is known for tight 2D climbing, Silksong brings action-adventure depth, Rain World focuses on survival, and Planet of Lana II leans into puzzle adventure.

9. What are the best platformers Game Pass has for short sessions?

Super Meat Boy 3D and Ultimate Chicken Horse are great picks for shorter sessions. Super Meat Boy 3D uses compact levels with instant retries, while Ultimate Chicken Horse has quick rounds that are great with friends. Celeste also has short rooms, though tougher sections can take repeated attempts.

10. Are platforming games on Xbox Game Pass free?

Platforming games on Xbox Game Pass are included with an active subscription. Subscribers can download or stream supported games without buying each title separately. Availability can change over time, so checking the Game Pass library before starting is always useful.