Astro Bot is an undeniable win for PlayStation. It’s not just a celebration of the brand and many of the franchises that built it into what it is today, but it’s also a fantastic 3D platformer that uses the PS5 hardware in creative ways. As a Sony-published game spotlighting the history of the company, it’s obviously not on Xbox. In fact, I’ve seen a lot of people lamenting that Xbox does not have a lot of good platformers in the wake of Astro Bot’s well-received launch.
Although it’s accurate to say that Xbox doesn’t have an exclusive quite like Astro Bot, a few excellent 3D platformers are available on Xbox Game Pass. Many of them are even IP now owned by Microsoft or outright published by Xbox Game Studios. If you have an Xbox console and Game Pass subscription and feel like you’re missing out on Astro Bot, consider playing one of these games to make that feeling a little less painful.
Psychonauts and Psychonauts 2
The most recent 3D platformer that Xbox Game Studios played a part in publishing is Double Fine’s Psychonauts 2. It was my favorite game of 2021 and features some excellent level design that even surpasses that of Astro Bot at times. On top of that, it uses its premise about a secret agency that delves into people’s minds to explore topics like mental health, anxiety, and trauma in a way that’s approachable to all ages.
This also applies to its predecessor for the original Xbox, which is backward compatible with Xbox Series X/S and playable through Game Pass. Raz, the protagonist of Psychonauts, is the closest thing to a platformer mascot like Astro or Ratchet that Xbox has right now. Psychonauts 2 is a prime example of the kind of game Xbox should be making more of.
Banjo-Kazooie and its sequels
One of the more frustrating parts of Xbox’s general lack of exclusive 3D platformers is that it has been sitting on a beloved IP within the genre for over a decade. I’m referencing Banjo-Kazooie, Rare’s influential 3D platformer series that started on Nintendo 64 and impressed with its excellent controls, open-ended level design, and memorable characters. Microsoft gained ownership when it bought Rare. It then remastered Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel Banjo-Tooie for Xbox 360. Thanks to Rare Replay, those remasters are available through Xbox Game Pass.
You can also check out the third game in the series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, which focuses more on building vehicles than platforming. While it’s not as good as the first two games, it is better than its poor reputation indicates. It’s shocking that it doesn’t seem like a priority for Xbox Game Studios and Rare to make a new Banjo-Kazooie title, but you can check these games out if you want a better understanding of the 3D platforming goldmine Xbox is sitting on.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
A character featured within Astro Bot has a collection of games on Xbox Game Pass. When Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard, it gained the rights to platforming icons like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Of all the games in those series, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is currently the only one on Xbox Game Pass. It’s an excellent refurbishment of Naughty Dog’s trilogy of PS1 Crash Bandicoot games and the best way to experience all three if you’ve never played them.
As Vicarious Visions is working on Diablo IV and Toys for Bob is now independent from Microsoft, it’s unclear what the future holds for franchises like Crash or Spyro under the Xbox brand. Hopefully, Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy on Game Pass is just a start, and titles like Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time and Spyro Reignited Trilogy will eventually come to Game Pass as well. If nothing else, playing this collection will give you a deeper appreciation of one of Astro Bot’s best cameos.
New Super Lucky’s Tale
During the Xbox One generation, Xbox actually published a 3D platformer that flew under the radar. In 2017, Super Lucky’s Tale offered up an approachable adventure starring a cute fox. It’s not the most original game (outside of Lucky being able to dig under the ground), but it still offers a great time for genre fans who want to play something straightforward.
While Super Lucky’s Tale is on Xbox Game Pass, I’d recommend playing New Super Lucky’s Tale instead. Released for Nintendo Switch in 2019 before coming to Xbox One in 2020, New Super Lucky’s Tale features more story content, as well as some camera control and level design tweaks to make the experience smoother.
Contrast
We don’t know how much platforming will play a part in Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight, but that team did make an underrated 3D platformer in the past. Contrast is an adventure game where players can jump in and out of shadows. Its vaudevillian 1920s aesthetic makes it different from many other games out there, and it uses shadows to create some surprising and unique platforming challenges.
Compulsion made Contrast when it was still a fully independent studio — and it’s over a decade old at this point — so it’s a little rough around the edges. Thankfully, there’s nothing like it in 2024, which is a testament to Compulsion Games’ creativity. If you’ve never tried Contrast, consider checking it out through Game Pass. Playing through it will probably leave you hyped to try out South of Midnight when it finally launches sometime in 2025.
Blinx: The Time Sweeper
Xbox published more platformers and ages-oriented games during the original Xbox generation than it does now. This era resulted in games like Fusion Frenzy, Voodoo Vince, and, most memorably, Blinx: The Time Sweeper. As its title suggests, Blinx is a 3D platformer where players must manipulate time as they play. It’s a clever hook that leads to some moments that are still fresh in 2024 and a throwback to the era of platformers Astro Bot is clearly inspired by.
Like many of the other games on this list, Xbox has not done much with the character since 2004’s Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space. Playing through the original Blinx on Xbox Game Pass will remind you that Microsoft sits on some forgotten all-ages IP. If Rare doesn’t want to bring Banjo-Kazooie back, then it should consider reviving another franchise like this one to respond to Astro Bot.
Third-party 3D platformers
All of the games I’ve mentioned thus far are connected to Microsoft in some way, but there are more third-party options on Game Pass. It Takes Two is an excellent cooperative platformer that won Game of the Year at The Game Awards in 2021. It’s part of the EA Play catalog for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. There’s also SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated, a remake of a fondly remembered licensed platformer from the 2000s, and Lil Gator Game, a cute indie platformer with tons of charm.
While the release of Astro Bot has inspired this idea that Xbox has no platformers, that’s not exactly accurate. This list shows that there are plenty of excellent platformers that you can play through its game subscription service. The bigger issue here is notoriety and consistency. Xbox does not push, promote, or support the franchises on this list as much as it does series like Halo and Forza. These games are not exclusive to Xbox Series X/S either, like Astro Bot is with PS5. Xbox has the IP to respond to Astro Bot with an entertaining 3D platformer if it wants. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s Xbox’s top priority right now.
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