Best Side Scrolling
Metal Slug 3 is a side-scrolling action video game developed by SNK. Released in 2000 for the Neo-Geo MVS arcade system, it’s known for its intense run-and-gun gameplay and challenging level design. The game continues the series' tradition of over-the-top action featuring diverse characters and weap...
Super Mario Maker is a 2015 platform game created by Nintendo. It features a system for players to design and play courses utilizing elements from classic Super Mario titles like *Super Mario Bros.*, *Super Mario Bros. 3*, and *New Super Mario Bros. U*. The game’s initial release occurred in Septemb...
Limbo is a 2D side-scrolling puzzle-platform game created by Playdead. The game features an unnamed boy navigating dangerous environments, encountering traps, and searching for his sister. The design incorporates a physics system and utilizes “trial and death” mechanics with gruesome imagery to guid...
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time is a 1991 beat 'em up developed by Konami for arcades and based on the 1987 animated series. It followed the original TMNT arcade game and was initially released in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Turtles in Time. A Super Nintendo port, titled Tee...
Contra III: The Alien Wars was released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Developed by Konami, it is the third installment in the Contra series featuring Bill and Lance battling an alien invasion across six stages. The game incorporated cinematic elements and tighter stage design,...
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a 2009 platform game for the Wii featuring eight worlds and Bowser’s army. It introduced simultaneous cooperative multiplayer gameplay supporting up to four players controlling Mario, Luigi, and two Toads. The game also included "Super Guide," a feature allowing players...
Metal Slug is a side-scrolling run and gun video game notable for its over-the-top action and distinctive pixelated graphics. Developed in Japan during the 1990s for the Neo Geo system, it follows the adventures of soldiers Marco Rossi and Tarma Roving as they battle against various enemies across d...
Metal Slug 2 is a run and gun arcade game created by SNK, following the 1996 original. The title introduced new weapons, vehicles, and character transformation mechanics to the established gameplay formula. Subsequent releases included a modified version, Metal Slug X: Super Vehicle-001, and ports a...
Wario Land II is a 1998 action platformer for the Game Boy. Players control Wario as he undertakes a treasure hunt across diverse environments, pursuing the villainous Captain Syrup. Notable for its inventive level design and comedic gameplay, it’s enjoyed by fans of retro gaming and classic platfor...
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is a 1994 Game Boy platform game featuring Wario, who seeks to acquire a castle by exploring an island. Gameplay involves navigating side-scrolling levels, overcoming obstacles, and gathering coins and treasure. The title serves as a spin-off of the Super Mario Land se...
New Super Mario Bros. U was released in 2012 by Nintendo as a Wii U launch title. It continues the story of Mario’s quest to save Princess Peach and her castle from Bowser, building upon the gameplay mechanics established in previous New Super Mario Bros. games. The game includes cooperative multipl...
Mega Man V is a classic action platformer for Game Boy released by Capcom in 1990. Developed by Minakuchi Engineering, it features Mega Man’s battle against the Stardroids to protect Earth. Notably, this handheld title introduced unique boss designs not found in previous games within the series. It'...
Turrican is a side-scrolling action video game developed by Factor 5 and notable for its fast-paced gameplay and impressive audio. It combines shooting elements with platforming challenges requiring precise movement. Primarily aimed at arcade players and PC enthusiasts who enjoy retro shoot-em-up ti...
One Way Heroics is a turn-based PC game built around a unique core mechanic: escaping a relentless, procedurally generated darkness. Players control a single hero navigating a side-scrolling environment, constantly moving right to avoid being consumed. The game’s difficulty stems from limited resour...
The Pedestrian is a 2020 puzzle-platformer by Skookum Arts in which a stick figure traverses and rearranges public signs within a 3D city.
The House of the Dead is a 1997 arcade shooter where players control agents Rogan and “G” against undead experiments. Developed by Sega AM1 for the Sega Model 2 hardware, the game features a horror-inspired story and non-linear level design. It was later ported to various platforms following its ini...
Jetpack Joyride is an endless runner developed by Halfbrick Studios and initially launched on iOS in 2011. Subsequent releases followed across multiple platforms including Android, PlayStation consoles, BlackBerry devices, and Windows Phone systems. A mobile version was later adapted for KaiOS devic...
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was a 1986 Famicom Disk System title created by Nintendo R&D4. Players control either Mario or Luigi to navigate thirty-two levels designed with increased difficulty, including new obstacles like the Poison Mushroom. The game features eight worlds and twenty bonus...
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 is a 1998 platform game developed by Epic MegaGames for Windows and Macintosh. It expands upon the original’s side-scrolling gameplay with multiplayer modes accessible via LAN or internet connections. The title was remastered and re-released on GOG.com in 2017 alongside Jazz Jackra...
Liero is a distinctive PC strategy game originating from Finland in 1998. It’s notable for its unique isometric perspective and focus on chaotic, close-quarters combat utilizing diverse weaponry and environmental traps. The game’s innovative design influenced later titles like Soldat and Noita. Lier...
Contra: Shattered Soldier is a two-player action game developed by Team Kijirushi as part of the Contra series. It returned to the series’ traditional side-scrolling gameplay style, following its release on PlayStation 2 in 2002 and later platforms. The title served as a sequel to Contra: Hard Corps...
Mega Man 6 is a 1993 platform game developed by Capcom for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It’s the sixth title in the original Mega Man series and was initially released in Japan and North America before later appearing on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2013. The game's initial release occu...
Kid Icarus is an action-platform game created by Nintendo for the Family Computer Disk System, NES, and other systems. The game debuted in Japan in December 1986, followed by European releases in February 1987 and North American releases in July of that year. It was developed and published by Ninten...
New Super Mario Bros. 2 was developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS, continuing the series established in previous installments. Released in 2012, it represents the third title within the New Super Mario Bros. franchise, building upon earlier games from 2006 and 2009. The game marked a debut for...
Mega Man 7 is a 1995 action game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Capcom. It represents the seventh installment within the original Mega Man series, released initially in Japan on March 24, 1995, with subsequent localization releases in North America and Europe later that yea...
Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge is a platform game for the Game Boy developed by Minakuchi Engineering and published by Capcom. The title follows Mega Man’s continued battles against Dr. Wily, who utilizes his Robot Masters alongside a new adversary, Enker. It was initially released in Japan in 1991 an...
Mega Man & Bass is a side-scrolling action game developed by Capcom blending shooter and platformer mechanics. Released in 1998 for the Super Famicom, it features Mega Man and Bass as playable characters navigating underwater levels filled with enemies and bosses. The game’s innovative use of naval...
Metal Slug 7 is a run and gun video game developed for the Nintendo DS, serving as the final installment of the main Metal Slug series. It represents the first title in the series to be released exclusively without an arcade counterpart. The game was initially launched in Japan on July 22, 2008, fol...
Jazz Jackrabbit is a fast-paced platformer originally developed by Epic MegaGames in 1994. The game’s distinctive art style and responsive controls made it a popular action title for PC gamers of the 1990s. It remains notable as one of the earliest examples of a mascot platformer and is now accessib...
