Originating from the golden age ofarcade video games, pixel art has played a massive role in bringing digital worlds to life. With its beautiful esthetics and a highly adaptable artstyle, pixel art has impressed its fans for generations. With the first examples showcased inPac-ManandSpace Invaders, it’s hard not to find this art style an ageless classic.
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Although we’ve come a long way in developing graphics that feel life-like, pixel art will always hold a special place in our hearts. Even to this day, some modern games dive into having a pixel art style that revives our nostalgia. From bullet hell shooters to calming adventures, here are the greatest pixel art video games to dive into.
Updated By Chris Ng On June 07, 2025: New entries have been added and previous entries have been updated with more information.
Roguelike Poker Madness
In Balatro, players have to form poker hands to score points and reach a target point threshold to the next challenge. However, beneath its simple pixel art and the mocking smiles of its Joker cards, Balatro strikes a perfect balance between aneasy-to-learn poker game and a complex roguelikewith plenty of depth and a variety of buffs and modifiers for players to choose from in each run. These buffs take the form of separate cards like Joker cards andTarot cards, or in the form of stamps which add unique effects to individual cards.
But all of these effects continue to underscore the lively animation surrounding its straightforward mechanics. Cards gently sway back and forth while in your hand, before making a satisfying “tick” as they’re played. “Bosses” at the end of each level will challenge the player with a unique modifier (like disabling all Spades cards) while also treating the player to a dizzying display of swirling colors in its background.
WHERE TO PLAY
14Moonlighter
Store Keeper By Day, Dungeon-Crawler By Night
InMoonlighter, you play as a shopkeeper who’s just trying to make ends meet. To get items to sell, you’ll have to explore several dungeons nearby at night, collect items, and then safely return back to your store so you can put your loot on display for customers to buy. During the day, you’ll open up your shop and play a guessing game with your customers (and the local economy) to figure out what the best price is to get your customers to bite.
In this way, Moonlighter blends dungeon-crawling, store management simulation, and some of the smoothest pixel art animations into one beautiful package. Fans of old Legend of Zelda games like Link to the Past will find a comfy home in Moonlighter’s enthralling gameplay loop.
Moonlighter
13Vampire Survivors
Monster-Slaying Mania
In this gothic horror bullet-heaven, you’ll be relentlessly pursued by a teeming horde of night creatures. However, at your side is an arsenal of monster-slaying weapons, including blessed handguns and bottles of holy water. As you battle your way through the waves of nightmarish abominations, the ever-increasing number of monsters and the rouge-lite elements ofVampire Survivorswill keep you on your toes and make each run a memorable battle for survival.
The pixel art in Vampire Survivors gives this game an old-school arcade feeling. The simple character walk animations and straightforward enemy movements ensure the player is never overwhelmed with figuring out where enemies are located and what’s happening on screen - at least, until youfully build out your survivor. Once that happens, the screen will become flooded in a nonstop hurricane of pixelated explosions and brightly colored experience crystals.
Vampire Survivors
12Coffee Talk
Relaxed, Story-Driven Coffee shop Simulator
If you’ve ever wanted to experience the strange combination of being a barista and talking to mystical beings, thenCoffee Talkwould be right up your alley. Mixing a barista simulator and compelling storytelling devices, everything about this game brings complete serenity.
While managing a unique coffee shop that’s only open at night, you’re greeted by humans and creatures that come to try your coffee. As they frequent the shop, you hear fascinating stories and details about their lives that make you slowly grow closer to them. When it comes to the art style in this game, it’s reminiscent of your classic cozy indie game.
Coffee Talk
11World Of Horror
A Roguelite Horror RPG You Won’t Forget
On the surface,World of Horrormight appear as just a run-of-the-mill interactive narrative horror story. But it accomplishes a whole lot more than just giving you a couple of scares now and then. Inspired by the works of Junji Itoand H.P. Lovecraft, this 1-bit pixel art game tells us a frightening cosmic tale.
This roguelite horror aspect to this game makes World of Horror a bit difficult to play through. However, the story is what truly drives you to continue on, no matter the terrifying figures that stand in your way. Your actions will make the story unfold in different ways, and in turn, it makes World of Horror a unique story-driven game.
World of Horror
10Enter The Gungeon
Roguelike Arcade Shooter With Plenty of Personality
When it comes to notably difficult games,Enter the Gungeonis up there with the hardest. Combining the frantic projectile patterns found in bullet hell shooters and various dungeon crawler mechanics, Enter the Gungeon follows a mischievous group through various firearm-themed rooms as they attempt to reach a secret treasure within the mysterious Gungeon.
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For a game that throws a lot at you right as you start playing, Enter The Gungeon gives you room to tactfully survive each of its room with a little aim, some fast reflexes, and a pinch of strategy. you may dodge-roll and table-flip out of nearly any deadly situation, and building your character well will make short work of even the strongest enemies lurking in the Gungeon.
Enter the Gungeon
9Sea Of Stars
A Jewel For Classic JRPG Fans
Sea of Starsis an homage to classic JRPGs likeGolden Sun,Breath of Fire, andChrono Trigger, except it updates the weakest parts of the genre with better quality-of-life mechanics. To name a few examples, gone are the days of randomized encounters, or boring, noninteractive turn-based combat. Instead, Sea of Stars allows players to see where each enemy is on the map and players are rewarded for timing their blocks and attacks.
This fine balancing act is also seen in the gorgeous pixel art in Sea of Stars. You play as either Zale or Valere who each wield magic that’s empowered by the sun and moon respectively. As you follow these two Solstice warriors on their adventure to stop the Fleshmancer, the player will be treated to beautiful sprite work for both enemies andmembers of your party.While the artwork certainly pays homage to old JRPG games, the smooth, clear animations and wide range of actions your characters can do are a wonderful reminder of just how far the genre has grown from its roots.
Sea of Stars
8Hyper Light Drifter
Dark Soulslike With A Glimmer Of Hope
Hyper Light Drifteris what you would expect from a gorgeous, pixellated take on the soulslike genre. Similar to the Souls games, players are rewarded for recognizing enemy attack patterns; carefully timing dodges through the enemy’s offense while also weaving in their own attacks is the foundation for Hyper Light Drifter’s combat. However, instead of having a 3D plane to work with, players will be exploring the world through a top-down view that emphasizes the dark, sci-fi world the Drifter has awoken into.
Fans of top-down action games like Hades will be immediately familiar with the feel of the high-speed combat in Hyper Light Drifter. Dodging is a pivotal tool for stage traversal, trap avoidance, and of course, staying alive against the many corrupted enemies trying to stop the Drifter in his quest to fix the world.
Hyper Light Drifter
Climbing A Mountain Of Emotions
At the surface,Celesteis a game about climbing a mountain. However, as you get further into the mountain, you’ll soon discover that the player’s character, Madeline, is grappling with her own demons, and climbing the mountain isone way for her to finally overcome her own personal anxieties.
In game, Celeste is a wonderful example of how pixel art can help players reach a happy flow state while playing. Since the pixel art used in Celeste is so minimalist, it’s very easy for a player to glance at a level and determine what the best route is for them. This allows players to appreciate the detail that goes into the climbable parts of each map, along with getting a clear indicator of where the dangerous aspects of the mountain are located. Pair this stellar presentation with a solid story and some of the smoothest movement in 2D platforming, and Celeste earns its place as one of the best pixel art games any person can enjoy.
6Dave The Diver
Fishing, Sushi, And Lost Civilizations
InDave the Diver, players will take control of Dave as he teams up with an old friend to spearfish in a massive fishing hole that has fish from all around the world. to make money, they open up a sushi restaurant near this location and turn whatever Dave catches into the restaurant’s menu for that night.
While the charming graphics and lovable characters will draw players in, Dave the Diver’s surplus of surprises is what will keep players diving again and again. Sometimes their surprises come in anew difficult fishthat refuses to be reeled in, and other times it’s a brand-new mechanic that seemingly has little to do with the game besides being a fun way to pass the time. Without spoiling anything, these surprises are what makes Dave the Diver a fantastic example of just how flexible pixel art can be when it comes to supporting game mechanics and different styles of art.
