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
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
Michael McWhertorIt'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
Shaun MusgraveShe 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
Colin Campbellcalled also platform game
Examples of platformer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nearly 30 years after release, Banjo-Kazooie still runs circles around so many contemporary platformers with its charm.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
There is one puzzle in Animal Well, the beguiling platformer set in an underground maze with a menagerie of creepy creatures, that requires the player to rely on just such a mental map.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
From cooperative platformers to historical epics, NPR staff and contributors have rounded up the latest from the best and biggest games of 2025 so far.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
When the sidescrolling platformer was first released for the PlayStation One (and later, the Dreamcast) a year after The Phantom Menace reignited Star Wars fever in cinemas, it was almost universally panned.
—Joshua Lamb, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for platformer
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Luke Winkie, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
There is one puzzle in Animal Well, the beguiling platformer set in an underground maze with a menagerie of creepy creatures, that requires the player to rely on just such a mental map.
—Lewis Gordon, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025
From cooperative platformers to historical epics, NPR staff and contributors have rounded up the latest from the best and biggest games of 2025 so far.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 28 Mar. 2025
When the sidescrolling platformer was first released for the PlayStation One (and later, the Dreamcast) a year after The Phantom Menace reignited Star Wars fever in cinemas, it was almost universally panned.
—Joshua Lamb, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for platformer
Cite this Entry
“Platformer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platformer. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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