Best games
Best Platformer games on Sega Saturn
The 8 best Platformer games on Sega Saturn, ranked from 1,250 critic and player ratings.
The best Platformer game on Sega Saturn right now is Tomb Raider (1996), with a critic score of 88/100 — updated September 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 80 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: 1970 to 2026.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,250 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 8
01
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider is a 3D action game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures. The objective of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. The game was critically acclaimed and widely influential, it spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media.
88
/100
02
Rayman
Rayman is a side-scrolling platformer starring the titular Rayman, a big-nosed chap with no arms or legs. Rayman can jump and use his hair to hover for a short period of time. He can also attack by throwing his fists, or winding up his fists for a more powerful punch. He can occasionally find special power ups that grant him unlimited flying power, giving him the ability to navigate through tricky mazes.
84
/100
03
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a side-scrolling platform game that continues the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Sonic seeks to prevent Dr. Robotnik from repairing the Death Egg and obtaining the Master Emerald, while Knuckles attempts to protect Floating Island. Players can control either character through a series of zones, collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds while defeating enemies and bosses. Knuckles can glide, climb walls, and break certain obstacles, while Sonic can use abilities granted by elemental shields.
80
/100
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider is a 3D action game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. The game follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures. The objective of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. The game was critically acclaimed and widely influential, it spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media.
88
/100
02
Rayman
Rayman is a side-scrolling platformer starring the titular Rayman, a big-nosed chap with no arms or legs. Rayman can jump and use his hair to hover for a short period of time. He can also attack by throwing his fists, or winding up his fists for a more powerful punch. He can occasionally find special power ups that grant him unlimited flying power, giving him the ability to navigate through tricky mazes.
84
/100
03
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic & Knuckles is a side-scrolling platform game that continues the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Sonic seeks to prevent Dr. Robotnik from repairing the Death Egg and obtaining the Master Emerald, while Knuckles attempts to protect Floating Island. Players can control either character through a series of zones, collecting rings and Chaos Emeralds while defeating enemies and bosses. Knuckles can glide, climb walls, and break certain obstacles, while Sonic can use abilities granted by elemental shields.
80
/100
04
Mega Man X3
Mega Man X and his trusty partner Zero have a new force to reckon with. Who or what has caused a riot of Mavericks to break out in the experimental utopia known as Doppler Town? Named after the scientist reploid, Doppler Town was supposed to be a place where humans and reploids could live in harmony. After discovering a virus that was turning reploids to Mavericks, Doppler's anti-virus was a big success. But Doppler itself became infected with the virus and assembled a team to take out the Maverick Hunter Units. The Doppler Effect is about to unfold, with Mega Man X and Zero the only cure for the deadly virus!
78
/100
05
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
With its enchanted storybook look beautifully translated into 3D, lush, vibrant colors, funny enemy designs, and clever jumping puzzles, Rayman 2 is platforming perfection. No arms, no legs, no problem for the little French creation that could.
68
/100
06
NiGHTS into dreams...
The story follows the teenagers Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, who enter Nightopia, a dream world where all dreams take place. With the help of Nights, an exiled "Nightmaren", they begin a journey to stop the evil ruler Wizeman from destroying Nightopia and consequently the real world. Players control Nights flying through Elliot and Claris's dreams to gather enough energy to defeat Wizeman and save Nightopia. The game is presented in 3D and imposes time limits on every level, in which the player must accumulate points to proceed.
68
/100
07
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
Sonic 3D Blast is a 1996 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, and published by Sega for the Genesis, Saturn, and Windows. Part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game abandons previous Sonic games' side-scrolling style in favor of isometric gameplay, making use of some pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites. The game features creatures known as Flickies, which first appeared in the 1984 arcade game Flicky. Controlling only Sonic himself, the player's goal is to collect Flickies and carry them to safety, periodically sparring with the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, who is imprisoning them within robots.
59
/100
08
Earthworm Jim 2
From Evil the Cat’s’Circus of the Scars’ to the planet of Meat, join Jim on a madcap chase across the galaxy. Saving cows, thwarting lawyers and outsmarting Psy-Crow are all in a day’s work for Jim. Are you up to the challenge? Can you handle the awesome new weapons? Excellent! Then stop reading this. Try it now! Trust no one, play it yourself.. or EAT DIRT!
45
/100
Mega Man X3
Mega Man X and his trusty partner Zero have a new force to reckon with. Who or what has caused a riot of Mavericks to break out in the experimental utopia known as Doppler Town? Named after the scientist reploid, Doppler Town was supposed to be a place where humans and reploids could live in harmony. After discovering a virus that was turning reploids to Mavericks, Doppler's anti-virus was a big success. But Doppler itself became infected with the virus and assembled a team to take out the Maverick Hunter Units. The Doppler Effect is about to unfold, with Mega Man X and Zero the only cure for the deadly virus!
78
/100
05
Rayman 2: The Great Escape
With its enchanted storybook look beautifully translated into 3D, lush, vibrant colors, funny enemy designs, and clever jumping puzzles, Rayman 2 is platforming perfection. No arms, no legs, no problem for the little French creation that could.
68
/100
06
NiGHTS into dreams...
The story follows the teenagers Elliot Edwards and Claris Sinclair, who enter Nightopia, a dream world where all dreams take place. With the help of Nights, an exiled "Nightmaren", they begin a journey to stop the evil ruler Wizeman from destroying Nightopia and consequently the real world. Players control Nights flying through Elliot and Claris's dreams to gather enough energy to defeat Wizeman and save Nightopia. The game is presented in 3D and imposes time limits on every level, in which the player must accumulate points to proceed.
68
/100
07
Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
Sonic 3D Blast is a 1996 platform video game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, and published by Sega for the Genesis, Saturn, and Windows. Part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the game abandons previous Sonic games' side-scrolling style in favor of isometric gameplay, making use of some pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites. The game features creatures known as Flickies, which first appeared in the 1984 arcade game Flicky. Controlling only Sonic himself, the player's goal is to collect Flickies and carry them to safety, periodically sparring with the series antagonist Dr. Robotnik, who is imprisoning them within robots.
59
/100
08
Earthworm Jim 2
From Evil the Cat’s’Circus of the Scars’ to the planet of Meat, join Jim on a madcap chase across the galaxy. Saving cows, thwarting lawyers and outsmarting Psy-Crow are all in a day’s work for Jim. Are you up to the challenge? Can you handle the awesome new weapons? Excellent! Then stop reading this. Try it now! Trust no one, play it yourself.. or EAT DIRT!
45
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Platformer game on Sega Saturn?
Tomb Raider (1996) currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 288 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.