Celeste is a fun indie platformer that combines challenging difficulty level with adorable pixel-art visuals and adds a fitting soundtrack to the mix to make the whole experience even more enjoyable.
With overwhelmingly positive reviews from both critics and players alike, it became a source of joy for many people across the globe. If you already played it and loved it, then it’s only natural that you want to know if there are any similar games out there. And that’s where we come in.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Olliolli2 Welcome To Olliwood | 2015-08-11 | Indie | Roll7 |
 | Rayman Legends | 2013-08-29 | Adventure | Ubisoft |
 | Splasher | 2017-02-07 | Action & Shooter | Splashteam |
 | Dustforce | 2012-01-17 | Arcade & Platform | Hit Box Team |
 | Super Meat Boy | 2010-11-30 | Indie | Team Meat |
 | The End Is Nigh | 2017-07-12 | Adventure | Edmund McMillen, Tyler Glaiel |
 | Ori And The Blind Forest | 2016-04-27 | Action & Shooter | Moon Studios |
 | The Messenger | 2018-08-30 | Action | Sabotage |
 | Hollow Knight | 2017-02-24 | Action & Shooter | Team Cherry |
 | Hollow Knight (Switch) | 2017-02-24 | Action & Shooter | Team Cherry |
 | Cuphead | 2017-09-29 | Indie | Studio MDHR |
 | Cuphead (Xbox Live) | 2017-09-29 | Indie | Studio MDHR |
 | Risk Of Rain | 2013-11-08 | Arcade & Platform | Hopoo Games |
 | Risk Of Rain 2 | 2019-03-28 | Indie | Hopoo Games |
 | Rayman Legends (Xbox Live) | 2013-08-29 | Adventure | Ubisoft |
5. Super Meat Boy
| Release: | 2010-11-30 |
| Genre: | Indie |
| Developer: | Team Meat |
If you’re looking for games like Celeste, Super Meat Boy would be a great start. Celeste is considered by some a slower and slightly easier version of Super Meat Boy. SMB will let you control an adorable piece of meat as he tries to rescue Bandage Girl, but the journey certainly won’t be an easy one.
Levels are full of traps and obstacles, and even the smallest mistake may force you to restart the area. It can be very unforgiving, especially at later stages, where completing the levels require deadly precision and masterful controls, and it becomes even more true if you think about getting all the collectibles and achieve 100% completion. There is a bright side, though – fully beating such a difficult game feels extremely rewarding.
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4. The End Is Nigh
| Release: | 2017-07-12 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Tyler Glaiel |
If we have SMB on the list, it wouldn’t be fair to not include The End Is Nigh here as well. The End Is Nigh is a game from the creator of Super Meat Boy and it’s quite similar on several levels. It’s worth mentioning, however, that it’s slower-paced even than Celeste, and instead puts more emphasis on precise controls.
There are also some subtle differences, like the fact, that levels in The End Is Nigh are self-contained challenges, and there is no zoom or screen scrolling going on – the entire level is visible, from spawn point to the goal, which allows you to better plan the route to take. There is not much story going on, but who needs it anyway. Literally, any reason would be good enough to make us jump into the post-apocalyptic world full of challenging puzzles to complete.
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3. Ori and the Blind Forest
| Release: | 2016-04-27 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Moon Studios |
If you wish to take a different approach when looking for games like Celeste, you could try Ori and the Blind Forest. Ori and the Blind Forest is a stunning title focused on the adventures of a little guardian spirit. While it may appear that the game is casual-friendly and emotional, don’t let the game’s looks fool you.
It’s a game that offers moderate challenge but can become really hard if you choose to play on the more demanding playing modes available in Definitive Edition, where most enemies and traps can basically kill you in a hit or two. But don’t get discouraged – Ori is an amazing and beautiful experience you surely don’t want to miss.
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2. The Messenger
| Release: | 2018-08-30 |
| Genre: | Action |
| Developer: | Sabotage |
Get ready for a nostalgia-inducing trip – The Messenger is a great Celeste alternative for those who love retro style. The Messenger pays homage to classic games from the golden era of NES and Sega Genesis, especially the Ninja Gaiden series.
It’s done so well, that you wouldn’t even know that it’s a 2018 game if we didn’t tell you. It perfectly captures the retro spirit, thanks to its 8-bit 2D sprites and music, but it’s also the gameplay that feels like it’s genuinely a game from the early nineties. If you loved Celeste and old Sega Genesis games, you definitely have to try The Messenger.
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1. Hollow Knight
| Release: | 2017-02-24 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Team Cherry |
For the final game that can serve as a great Celeste alternative, we’ve got Hollow Knight – a game about exploring an ancient kingdom inhabited by large hostile insects.
Hollow Knight is one of these games that prove the truth behind “don’t judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, Hollow Knight looks like a simple game, but the more you play, the more depth and beauty you start to discover. The game focuses on exploration and adds some combat to the mix – various minor enemies will try to stop you from reaching the goal, but there are also some more dangerous and formidable opponents that need to be dealt with.
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Celeste is a fun and difficult platform game, but when looking for a Celeste alternative, you need to think about what you value in Celeste the most. Is it gameplay? Or visuals? Level design? Or maybe difficulty level? Depending on your answers, your idea of what should the best Celeste alternative look like, will be different.
Hopefully, with our help, you’ll be able to find a game that will give you as much entertainment as you had while playing Celeste. In final words, we can only add that there are more games that could be worth checking out. Honorable mentions would include titles such as Risk of Rain, Dead Cells, Dustforce, or even fLaiL, which is free, so you can try it right now.