The best 3D platformers on PS5

Key recommendations

• Moss: Book 2 offers unique 3D platforming in VR on PS5.
• Solar Ash on PS5 focuses on movement mechanics and epic boss fights.
• Neon White offers fast-paced, puzzle-like 3D platforming with a ranking system.

When Mario took his first leap into the third dimension, it was a game changer for the platforming genre and the gaming industry as a whole. while Super Mario 64 still retains many fans, revisiting it today on Nintendo Switch can prove cumbersome and frustrating.

Exposing a fundamental flaw in 3D platformers that still plagues many ambitious titles reveals a general lack of precision when taking 360° movement into account. With the advancement of next-gen consoles, however, many great titles have appeared over the years that take full advantage of the extra axis to produce some excellent and varied platforming challenges. Here are the ones the best 3D platformers on PS5.

This article will give preference to titles where platforming provides the central challenge of the game. Unlike popular titles that contain platform elements, but belong more to another genre, such as
tomb raider
and
Rocket and Clank
.

10 Moss: Book 2

An impressive platformer based on virtual reality

• Platforms: PS5, PS4, MetaQuest 2, PC
• Release: 2022
• Developers: Polyarc

A strange first entry, Moss: Book 2 it's held back a bit by being designed exclusively for VR, but there aren't any 3D platforming experiences that make better use of the technology. Players control the protagonist Quill and also serve as a fourth-wall-breaking reader who controls elements of the world on a macro level.

Platforming involves basic jumping and a combination of Quill's weapon-based abilities, such as using a sword to run away and the reader changing parts of the environment to create climbable walls and bridges.

9 Solar ash

A fluid platformer with creative boss fights

Solar ash boasts some of the smoothest and most satisfying movement of any platformer on the PS5. The game places emphasis on those movement mechanics, as the environments prove to be a lot of fun to grind, fight, and traverse in an attempt to eliminate the toxic excrement plaguing the land.

Once an area is clear, a towering boss will appear and the fight that follows is reminiscent of that seen in the cult classic Team Ico. Shadow of the Colossus. Players must climb the giant enemy and the platform around its body to hit designated weak points. The game has a lot in common with Sonic: Frontiers, offering a tighter indie alternative to Blue Blur's most prominent 3D output.

8 Blue Fire

A platform game where players will rarely touch the ground

• Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Release: 2022
• Developers: ROBI Studios

When players first start Blue Fire, it's easy to dismiss the controls as floaty, something that would usually be an annoying shortcoming in a platformer. Fortunately, players will soon get used to the protagonist's movements on purpose.

Once new abilities start unlocking, like dashes and wall runs, the game relinquishes a huge amount of control to physics, where players will barely touch the ground as they rampage through enemy rooms. The optional Void Chambers also offer some intense platforming challenges for players to demonstrate those skills once they feel brave enough.

7 Neon white

A complicated platformer with a simple premise

Neon white offers a unique frenetic experience that is heavily focused on speed. It basically involves using three trigger buttons to jump, fire a weapon, and unload a weapon for a unique traversal ability. Players must not only find their way through intricate platforming sections, but must eliminate each enemy along the way to unlock the final gate to progress.

This adds a puzzle element to the game, with most levels offering more viable paths to exploit and more red herrings. Players will be ranked based on their completion time, and diving back in to discover increasingly efficient routes is a delightfully addictive premise.

6 Nikoderiko: The Magical World

It pays homage to classic platforms with a modern approach

Nikoderiko: The Magical World wears its influences on its sleeve and pays loving homage to classic platformers, Crash Bandicoot and the Donkey Kong Country series in particular. VEA Games' love for the genre shines through and successfully modernizes many aspects of those old level models.

The game shifts its focus between 2D and 3D as players explore the levels, going from traditional side-scrolling action to 3D chase sequences that see the player running straight up the screen and having to deal with obstacles at a moment's notice.

5 Psychonauts 2

A fun platformer with a creative design

The Psychonauts it remained a beloved sixth-generation classic for many fans, but it took sixteen years for a proper sequel to materialize. Thankfully, when it did, it didn't disappoint, delivering a worthy sequel to the quirky and challenging platformer.

The game is more praised for its creative level design and the addictive premise of exploring the psyche of troubled citizens through platform-based dreamscapes. Psychonauts 2 it's not exactly a precision platformer, some of the parasites are reminiscent of the older generation, but it offers a deep and unique world to explore.

4 Juanant

Task the players to climb a mountain

Juanant requires players to simply climb a large mountain, equipped only with climbing gear and an adorable companion capable of breathing life into certain organic elements of the terrain, providing additional access points and faster traversal opportunities.

There is no death in Juanant; instead, players are simply punished by losing progress. Players have access to three pythons that they can stake as makeshift checkpoints between climbing sections, adding another intriguing layer of puzzle solving. It's a zen and challenging experience that offers something different for long-term platform fans.

3 Sackboy: A Big Adventure

A whimsical platformer and one of the best entries in the LBP series

Sackboy: A Big Adventure successfully takes the charming art and craft style aesthetic the series is known for and delivers it on a grander scale than before.

In this title, Sackboy is equipped with his traditional jumping, grabbing and swinging mechanics, plus some additional tools such as a Jetpack and a “Grabinattor” to help him navigate certain sections. The game offers the same whimsy and character as the best entries in the series, resulting in a worthy return for the PlayStation mascot.

2 Crash Bandicoot 4: The Time Has Come

A modern crash platformer that retains a classic challenge

Crash Bandicoot has certainly had its ups and downs since the beloved PlayStation original trilogy. Picked up by several developers and reinvented several times, the verdict is in on this one, but Toys For Bob followed up their excellent remaster of those classic titles with a true sequel and the best game in the series.

Crash Bandicoot 4: The Time Has Come removes many of the more spammy design choices of older games that often saw players side-swiped by hidden dangers, but retains the series' signature difficulty and modernizes Crash Bandicoot the ethos. The addition of new masks with reality-bending powers also adds new dimensions to the platforming challenges, creating an experience that is capable of constantly throwing up new challenges as the game progresses.

1 Astro Bot

Probably the best 3D platformer available on PS5

Astro Bot proved to be a critical darling right out of the gate. Based on the technology demonstration, Astro's playroomthe game takes full advantage of the features PS5 has to offer to create a truly memorable and dynamic next-gen experience.

It's also a love letter to the history of PlayStation, which arrives in good time as the company celebrates its 30th anniversary. The game is full of collectibles and references to PlayStation staples, some of which even have entire levels designed around them. For those who want to experiment only the best 3D platformers on PlayStation 5, Astro Bot it is a must play.