The Best 2D Games

Update 20 January 2024: World Tour added at rank #33.

Here are our 10 Best 2D Games:

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef (2022)

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Screenshot of Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef

PC Windows Mac OS Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 Playstation 4 Xbox One Xbox Series X

Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef is a side-scrolling shooter with a generous helping of verticality, wherein you play as a gleeful greenskin seeking revenge after being wronged by his boss. You'll trek across the surface of Luteus prime, encountering native Orks and cutting through them on your mission with all manner of ramshackle munitions at your disposal. Plus, its price point does wonders for forgiving that it isn't an 18-hour epic adventure.

What we like:

Generous checkpoints and gun store
Variety of denizens to oppose you
Colossal combatant bosses lifted from the Warhammer 40
000 universe
Up to four players in its co-op space
Unique abilities and passive bonuses to change gameplay experience

What could be improved:

Short game length (2 hours)
Abundant load screens

shooter
twin-stick
2d
warhammer-40k
cooperative
platform
pvp
boss-fight
boss
cartoony
beat-em-up
bullet-hell
hand-drawn
scroller
side-scrolling

Kalinur (2023)

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Nintendo Switch Xbox Series X Playstation 5 Playstation 4 PC Windows Xbox One

Defeat the mage Kalinur and bring peace back to the kingdom in this mini metroidvania with a lot of action.

metroidvania
2d
swordplay
retro
fantasy
platform
demons
pixel
dark
adventure
exploration
medieval
action
nonlinear

Katana ZERO (2019)

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PC Windows Xbox One Mac OS Nintendo Switch

Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.

platform
2d
pixel
cyberpunk
assassin
violent
instant-death
manipulation
time
hack-and-slash
story
action
ninja
fast-paced
gore

fig. (2022)

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Xbox One Android Playstation 4 Mac OS PC Windows

You do not know anything, yet you have to move forward. Wander through the corridors of a mysterious factory and recover your abilities. Fight patroling drones and break through to demanding boss battles. Seek a way out and find the meaning of the game's title.

2d
platform
arcade
action-adventure
cyberpunk
hand-drawn
aliens
casual
robots
fight
dark
post-apocalyptic
pixel
sci-fi
shooter

Dad's Monster House (2021)

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Xbox One Xbox Series X PC Windows IOS iPhone Mac OS

Dad's Monster House is a hand-drawn puzzle game featuring horror and fantasy. It tells the story of Carlos' journey after he receives a distress call from his father, pleading for him to return to his old home and rescue his dad.

2d
adventure
puzzle
rpg
fantasy
hand-drawn
seek-and-find
wonderland
frankenstein
featuring
casual
comic-book
surrealist
horror
platform

Ghost Song (2022)

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PC Windows Xbox Series X Playstation 5 Nintendo Switch Playstation 4 Xbox One

In Ghost Song, discover the secrets of the mysterious moon of Lorian while battling strange creatures and customizing your battlesuit. With stunning 2D graphics and a haunting story, Ghost Song is an adventure game you can't miss.

What we like:

Beautifully crafted game with eerie atmosphere
Unique paths to explore and interesting boss fights
Good dialogue and compelling story
Fluid and fun combat with unique modification combos and weapons
Moving main character with personal stories

What could be improved:

Excessive backtracking and frustration without enough fast travel locations
Limited replayability and short-lived experience
Some creative decisions fall flat
Nearly non-existent story that lacks item description
Lack of depth and tactics in combat, and poor damage output

metroidvania
2d
platform
boss
hand-drawn
sci-fi
atmospheric
scroller
exploration
boss-fight
metroid
horror
dark
robots
controller-support

Donut Dodo (2022)

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Nintendo Switch PC Windows

If a long lost arcade game from 1983 resurfaced today, it would be Donut Dodo - a classic 2D platformer from the golden era, tough as nails and challenging for the whole family! Ready to top the high score table?

arcade
attack
score
2d
1980s
platform
chiptune
linear
funny
retro
cartoony
old-school
pixel
action
sprite-work

Nuclear Blaze (2021)

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PC Windows Xbox One Playstation 4 Nintendo Switch

Nuclear Blaze is a unique 2D firefighting game from the creator of Dead Cells, with all the devastating backdrafts, exploding walls and sprinklers you could expect. Fight your way through a mysterious facility and try to keep the blaze under control.

platform
2d
action-adventure
mystery
scroller
exploration
atmospheric
pixel
colourful
rogue-like
action
investigation
full-blown

Square Off (2023)

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PC Windows IOS iPhone Android

Square Off is a mayhem filled local party arena brawler where you must roll to move, move to aim, and aim to win by battling it out with up to 3 of your friends in short-chaos filled matches.

2d
platform
character
cartoony
4-player
arena
pvp
shoot-em-up
beat-em-up
bullet
customization
arcade
colourful
scroller
local

Nocturnal (2023)

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Xbox One PC Windows Nintendo Switch Playstation 5 Xbox Series X Android Playstation 4

After years of traveling, Ardeshir finds his native island covered in a mysterious fog. Carve your way with fire and steel to find out what happened to your people in this action-platformer game. You’re the only one who can discover the secrets that lie beyond the Mist.