Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best Puzzle-Platformer Games, sorted by NextGameLike Score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the NextGameLike community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Monument Valley, Celeste and INSIDE lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 89/100, out of 70 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best Puzzle-Platformers (2026)”: Monument Valley (94.4/100). Close behind: Celeste and INSIDE.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 70 games catalogued
Monument Valley is one of the few Puzzle-Platformer Games where players and critics say the same thing. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 98%. That is why it tops the ranking.
Players and critics agree on Celeste, which is rarer than it sounds in Puzzle-Platformer Games. Enough for the podium: number 2.
No argument here: INSIDE wins over players and critics alike. That puts it at number 3.
Players and critics agree on It Takes Two, which is rarer than it sounds in Puzzle-Platformer Games. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 260,412 Steam reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 4.
No argument here: Journey wins over players and critics alike. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 93/100. Number 5, inside the top 10.
Split Fiction is one of the few Puzzle-Platformer Games where players and critics say the same thing. It is the newest on the list (2025), and has already earned its place. That gets it into the top 10, at number 6.
Players and critics agree on GRIS, which is rarer than it sounds in Puzzle-Platformer Games. That gets it into the top 10, at number 7.
No argument here: N++ (NPLUSPLUS) wins over players and critics alike. That gets it into the top 10, at number 8.
Webbed is carried by its players more than by its reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 9.
Braid is here because of its players — they are who it won over. Number 10, inside the top 10.
No argument here: Psychonauts wins over players and critics alike. It sits at 11 of 20.
Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus® is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It is the oldest game in the ranking (1998) and still here. It sits at 12 of 20.
Ico earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It sits at 13 of 20.
Tinykin is one of the few Puzzle-Platformer Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 14 of 20.
Limbo is carried by its players more than by its reviews. It sits at 15 of 20.
Players and critics agree on BattleBlock Theater®, which is rarer than it sounds in Puzzle-Platformer Games. It sits at 16 of 20.
No argument here: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 17 of 20.
Chants of Sennaar is one of the few Puzzle-Platformer Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 18 of 20.
No argument here: Rayman Legends wins over players and critics alike. It sits at 19 of 20.
Trine is carried by its players more than by its reviews. It lands at 20 of 20.