platformer

noun

plat·​form·​er ˈplat-ˌfȯr-mər 

variants or less commonly platformer game

plural platformers also platformer games

: a video game where the play is primarily focused on moving past obstacles in real time with one's avatar by using various abilities (such as jumping and climbing) and items (such as weapons)

Mario games have traditionally been platformers, where the character has to run and jump, collect items and fight enemies.

—Raju Mudhar

… Stray is not a challenging platformer, but will instead let players safely jump from platform to beam to air conditioning window unit to makeshift gondolas without fear of falling to one's death.

—Michael McWhertor

It's a 2D platformer where you spray flames with water, use your axe to chop down obstacles, and even fly through the air with a jet of H₂O.

—Shaun Musgrave

She can walk and run and jump, like just about any other character from any other platformer game, but she is also capable of balletic dance moves.

—Colin Campbell

called also platform game

Examples of platformer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The game is similar to a platformer, with players moving and using their hands to run, jump and climb throughout the immersive environment. —Felecia Wellington Radel, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2025

The 1983 arcade platformer Mario Bros. famously prefaced its main theme with the opening bars of Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, for instance. —Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 21 Jan. 2025

The likes of Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Super Castlevania IV, and Super Metroid alone make the SNES Mini worth its £79.99 RRP, representing some of the mechanically finest platformers ever crafted. —Matt Kamen, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2017

Met with a stellar reception, the bite-sized platformer was a joy to play and left many wondering when Astro would get his own true game. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above