Best Platformer Games on the GBA

Platformer Games are one of the things the Game Boy Advance is genuinely for. The ones worth playing start with Metroid Fusion, Metroid Zero Mission, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow.

The GBA and Platformer Games

A portable SNES with a better colour palette, and the last great 2D library before handhelds went 3D.

This is one of its strengths. 2D action, strategy RPGs and metroidvanias. Advance Wars, Fire Emblem and the Castlevania trilogy are all here, and all near the top of their genres.

Filtering to platformer means you want the movement itself to be the pleasure. It is the right filter when the thing you liked was getting from one place to another.

The Platformer Games Worth Playing

  1. 1. Metroid Fusion

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Metroid Zero Mission

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Mega Man Zero

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  6. 6. Wario Land 4

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  7. 7. Sonic Advance

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  8. 8. Drill Dozer

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good Platformer Game

A game you can judge in ten seconds. Platformers live or die on the jump, and a good one feels right before anything else happens.

Weight. Platformers rarely carry a story you will think about afterwards, and the collectible-led ones can become checklists if you let them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best platformer game on the GBA?

Metroid Fusion is the usual first answer, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

Was the GBA good at platformer games?

Yes — it is one of the things the machine is known for, and there are 8 in the library we cover.

What separates a good platformer from a bad one?

Whether the move set is complete early. The great ones give you everything in the first level and spend the rest asking better questions of it; the weak ones drip-feed abilities to disguise thin level design.

2D or 3D?

Different games. 2D platformers are about precision on a single screen; 3D ones are about reading space and camera. Each pick below says which it is.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the Game Boy Advance, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

Platformer Games on Other Consoles

More From the GBA

Or browse the whole Game Boy Advance library.