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Best Platformer games of 2002

The 12 best Platformer games released in 2002, ranked from 1,472 critic and player ratings.

The best Platformer game of 2002 is Super Mario Sunshine, with a critic score of 92/100 — updated November 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 2002.
  • 12 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,472 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 13 November 2026.

Top 12

Played them? Give your tier with the + next to each game. No account needed to try — create one to keep your tiers.

01 Super Mario Sunshine Super Mario Sunshine 2002 · 535 ratings Super Mario Sunshine is a Mario action-adventure 3D platformer. It follows Super Mario 64, and is the second 3D Mario platformer. Gameplay features a combination of action and puzzle solving, with numerous stages and multiple episodes to each stage, and plenty of hidden secrets and surprises. This game introduced many recurring characters and bosses in the Mario series, including Toadsworth, Bowser Jr., Petey Piranha, Gooper Blooper, Piantas, Nokis, Shadow Mario, and F.L.U.D.D. Super Mario Sunshine pays homage to Mario's Italian heritage and upbringing, with many of the locations in the game having Italian names and sometimes referencing Italian culture. 92 /100
02 Ratchet & Clank (2002) Ratchet & Clank (2002) 2002 · 303 ratings Ratchet & Clank is a 3D platform-adventure game featuring the protagonists Ratchet, a furry alien creature, and Clank, a small robot. The two travel across the galaxy in search of Captain Qwark and ultimately become involved in an effort to prevent a threat to the galaxy. The game follows conventions established by earlier 3D platform games such as Rayman, Sonic, and Mario while introducing its own mechanics and structure. Its levels consist of large environments with detailed buildings and distant areas that can often be reached and explored. The game also includes several gameplay sequences outside its standard platforming, including space combat and first-person turret sections resembling Missile Command. The game contains more than twenty levels, each set on a different planet, along with numerous real-time cutscenes that develop the story. Progression is partly non-linear, requiring the player to revisit previous planets to complete objectives and offering multiple routes through portions of the game. Ratchet can also acquire or purchase a range of weapons, gadgets, and accessories, each providing different functions in combat, exploration, or puzzle-solving. 88 /100
03 Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus 2002 · 180 ratings Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus is a stealth-platformer developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, the game follows Sly Cooper, a skilled raccoon thief, as he and his gang attempt to recover the Thievius Raccoonus, a book containing the secrets of his family's thieving legacy. The gameplay combines stealth, platforming, puzzle-solving, and light combat, and is noted for its cel-shaded visuals and humorous narrative. This game is divided into five worlds, each themed around a particular part of the world and the villain headquartered there. Most worlds are structured as a central hub with entrances to numerous individual levels. Each of the levels has a primary goals which earns the player a key. You must collect all the keys in the world to fight the world's boss. Many of the levels have a platformer structure. The objective of these worlds is to reach the location of the key. There are substantial stealth elements here as the player must dodge searchlights and trips lasers which set off alarms and avoid alerting guards. In addition to the main objective, there are clue bottles to find. Finding all the clues in a level allows you to open a safe with a page from the Thievius Raccoonus which grants a new ability of some sort. After getting this, there is also a master thief sprint where the player must get from the start of a level to the exit within a time limit. 86 /100
04 Sonic Advance 2 Sonic Advance 2 2002 · 69 ratings Sonic returns for a second outing on the Game Boy Advance. Once again, Sonic is called upon to save the world from the evil Dr. Eggman. On this occasion, Sonic is joined by friends Tails, Knuckles and Cream the Rabbit, the latest addition to the Sonic team. Each comes with a set of unique moves, allowing you to reach certain areas through-out the levels. However, unlike Sonic Advance, you must complete the game as Sonic to unlock the other characters. Chaos Emeralds and Special Rings litter the stages. To collect the emeralds (transforming Sonic into Super Sonic for the final battle with Dr. Eggman), you must find the special rings hidden in each stage to unlock the bonus stage. Complete the bonus stage and the emerald is yours. You'll also get the chance to collect and raise chaos, and trade them over to Sonic Adventure 2: Battle on GameCube, through the use of the GBA/GC link cable. 86 /100
05 Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land 2002 · 108 ratings A remake of the original Kirby's Adventure for the NES. 81 /100
06 Ape Escape 2 Ape Escape 2 2002 · 42 ratings Ape Escape 2 is the sequel to Ape Escape. In this platform game it's your goal to catch all the apes jumping, walking and flying around the diverse levels the game has to offer. A large arsenal of gadgets can be used to make it all a little easier, with the catching net being the most important weapons of them all. Other gadgets include a RC Car, to drive over monkey's and collect objects, an Ape Radar, to detect the nearest monkey, a baseball bat, to hit monkeys unconscious, and a magnet, to move certain objects in the maps. Your quest is to catch all monkeys in the levels and to stop the evil Specter from taking over the world. All monkeys in the levels are somewhat unique with their own character abilities and their unique name. Some monkeys just sit on their place, while others attack you with projectiles or run away quickly. 78 /100
07 Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 2002 · 51 ratings Super Mario Advance 3 is a GBA remake for the SNES with the dinosaur Yoshi and his friends as main characters carrying Baby Mario and Luigi on their back. Super Mario Advance is a four-part series for the GBA with Super Mario games of the NES and SNES era. The remakes came with adjusted graphics, sound and additional content. Each game of the series includes additionally the arcade-classic "Mario Bros" which can be played in multiplayer via link cable. 90 /100
08 Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure 2002 · 43 ratings Tired of endlessly doing battle with meddling bandicoots, the nefarious Dr. Neo Cortex shrinks the entire Earth, and Crash and Coco along with it, to the size of a wumpa fruit. Luckily, Coco invents a machine to reverse the effects, but she needs crystals from around the world to power it. Crash must retrieve the crystals to help return the entire planet to its natural state. Experience Crash's biggest adventure yet, with gameplay modes ranging from side-scrolling to 3D chase levels to aerial dogfight combat sequences. Battle your way through over 20 huge levels and six unique locations to defeat Cortex and save the world. 74 /100
09 Super Monkey Ball 2 Super Monkey Ball 2 2002 · 46 ratings The objective of Super Monkey Ball 2 is to guide a monkey trapped inside a plastic ball through a maze to the goal. There are three variations, story mode, challenge mode, and practice mode. In story mode you have an unlimited number of tries to complete a stage, and after clearing 10 stages a movie clip is shown followed by a new world of 10 stages. In challenge mode, you have a limited number of monkeys and a time limit to complete numerous levels of increasing difficulty. In practice mode, you can play any stage already completed in the other two modes. In addition to the main game options, numerous party games are also included. These are monkey race, monkey fight, monkey target, monkey billiards, monkey bowling, monkey golf, monkey boat, monkey shot, monkey dogfight, monkey soccer, monkey baseball, and monkey tennis. The party games can be played by one to four players. 70 /100
10 Sonic Mega Collection Sonic Mega Collection 2002 · 34 ratings Sonic Mega Collection is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. The compilation contains twelve to fourteen games (depending on region) originally released on the Sega Genesis. Ten of the included games are installments of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, while the remaining two to four games are only related to the series through its publisher, Sega. According to the director, Yojiro Ogawa, the purpose of the compilation was to introduce younger players to the original games in the Sonic series. The games are played through a Genesis emulator developed by Sonic Team themselves. Outside of the games, the compilation includes Sonic-themed videos and illustrations, as well as high-resolution scans of the instruction manuals and Sonic the Hedgehog comic covers. 70 /100
11 Star Wars: Bounty Hunter Star Wars: Bounty Hunter 2002 · 30 ratings 65 /100
12 Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (2002) Ty the Tasmanian Tiger (2002) 2002 · 31 ratings 60 /100
Browse all Platformer games

Other years

Best Platformer games of 2021Best Platformer games of 2020Best Platformer games of 2019Best Platformer games of 2018Best Platformer games of 2017Best Platformer games of 2016Best Platformer games of 2015Best Platformer games of 2014Best Platformer games of 2013Best Platformer games of 2012Best Platformer games of 2011Best Platformer games of 2010

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2002Best PlayStation 2 games of 2002Best GameCube games of 2002Best Xbox games of 2002Best Mac games of 2002Best Game Boy Advance games of 2002Best Linux games of 2002

Nearby rankings

Best Platformer games of 2001Best Platformer games of 2003Best RPG games of 2002Best Shooter games of 2002Best Strategy games of 2002

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Platformer game of 2002?

Super Mario Sunshine currently tops the ranking with a score of 92/100 across 535 ratings. Ranking updated November 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.