What does platformer mean?
A platformer is a video game built around movement through an environment. The player typically controls a character who runs, jumps, climbs, swings, or otherwise traverses platforms while collecting objects, solving obstacles, or progressing through stages. Although many platformers use side-scrolling views and emphasize precise timing, the genre also includes games presented in three-dimensional space or from perspectives other than the side. The term is widely used in reviews, game descriptions, and informal conversation. It identifies a broad family of games rather than a single rigid format: what matters is that navigation and physical challenge form a central part of play. Platformers are often associated with retro-style arcade design, but contemporary examples may combine the genre's jumping mechanics with elaborate narratives, elaborate animation, puzzle design, or highly customizable systems.
nounA video game in which the player controls a character who moves through an environment by running, jumping, climbing, and avoiding obstacles. Platformers are often associated with side-scrolling stages, though the term can also include games viewed from other perspectives.
- A video game whose central activity involves moving a character through a structured environment, usually by jumping between platforms and overcoming obstacles.
"The young player completed the challenging platformer by finding every hidden coin."
"That platformer has a demanding final level and a surprisingly thoughtful story."
"The studio released a new platformer featuring hand-drawn backgrounds and fluid animation."
The plural refers to multiple platform games or instances of the genre.
"The exhibition featured independent platformers from around the world."
The humble jump became the foundation of one of video gaming's most enduring genres.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of platformer
The word combines platform with the suffix -er, a form that can indicate a person or thing associated with an activity. Platform itself comes through French plateforme from a Latin form based on Greek words meaning “broad” or “flat.” The gaming sense developed from the earlier term platform game, applied to games in which the player moves across elevated surfaces and jumps between them.
Related word forms
How platformer is actually used
The term is standard in games criticism and player communities. In casual speech, it may also be used to refer more broadly to games in which movement and jumping are important, even when the game is not strictly a platformer.
Easily confused with platformer
A platformer is a specific kind of platform game, emphasizing movement, jumping, and traversal through an environment.