Jumping Games

Jumping games are played with almost a single button, and that's where the fun comes from: everything depends on pressing it at exactly the right moment. There are more than 160 in this section, and they're less alike than they look.

From platformers to parkour

The classics are platformers, where you move through a level jumping over gaps, enemies and blocks. Super Mario World Xtreme is the best-known example, and Pixel Boy and Pix Hop follow a similar line with a pixel-art look.

Run-and-jump games mix moving forward on their own with jumping when it counts: SpongeBob in SpongeBob Adventure Run and Jump or Sponge Bob Star Runner, Penguin Dash or Halloween Run. You never brake, you only decide when to jump.

For something more realistic, Expert Parkour 3D has you moving in three dimensions. And close to the Flappy Bird formula is Flappy Halloween Pumpkin, where each tap keeps you in the air between obstacles. If you like oddities, look at Royal Helix Jump 3D, with a ball dropping down a tower, or Pucca Jumping Rope, about skipping rope.

Tips

Jump a split second later than instinct tells you. Almost everyone jumps early, and you have more margin if you wait until you're nearly at the edge. In many games, holding the key longer gives a higher jump and releasing early keeps it short; use that to adjust.

Don't jump blind. Before you take off, check where you'll land and what comes after. If you land fine but without the momentum for the next jump, you'll still miss.

To start, Super Mario World Xtreme is the most familiar if you already know platformers, and Pix Hop or Pixel Boy have a slower pace for getting the hang of it. Run-and-jump games like Penguin Dash or Halloween Run make sense in seconds and work as a warm-up. Expert Parkour 3D takes more practice, because now you have to judge distance in depth, not just sideways. In the games where you hold the key, the most useful thing is to learn how high the character goes on a short tap and on a long one, instead of jumping wildly. And if a level has you stuck, check whether the next jump needs momentum you aren't building before the edge.