platformer

noun

plat·​form·​er ˈplat-ˌfȯr-mər How to pronounce platformer (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That’s the case here with Echoes of the Unread, an innovative indie NES platformer currently in development. David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025 Baby Steps – September 8, 2025 The ever-growing genre of deliberately bad platformers has yet another entry, hilariously frustrating streamers the world over. Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025 Fez Platforms: iOS, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation, Xbox Phil Fish’s seminal platformer still has one of the most satisfying hooks in video games: A 2D cat with the power to give his world depth. Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 6 May 2025 Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is a 3D platformer with a great history as its producer is Yuji Naka, one of the co-creators of Sonic the Hedgehog, it was developed by Sonic Team, and published directly by Sega, who of course has a great relationship with Nintendo these days. David Jagneaux, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for platformer

Word History

First Known Use

1988, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of platformer was in 1988

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Cite this Entry

“Platformer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/platformer. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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