Metroidvanias are everywhere. What was once a relatively niche genre has become extremely popular in recent years, especially as AAA and indie publishers alike explore their own distinct takes on the genre with added mechanics, interesting settings, and worlds to explore. The best metroidvanias are games that provide massive maps to explore, obstacles to conquer, and progression systems with constant “eureka” moments during your journey. There are so many to choose from that it can be hard to find the one that’s right for you.

We’ve combed through the massive library of games in the genre, and found tons of examples to help you get started on a 2D dive into this stylish field of games. This isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the best of all time, but rather a sampling of great games that are widely available to play right now. The selections below are listed in alphabetical order, and we regularly reexamine this list to add the latest and greatest.

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