Originating from the golden age of arcade 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 in Pac-Man and Space Invaders, it’s hard not to find this art style an ageless classic.

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 March 28, 2024: New entries have been added and previous entries have been updated with more information.

15 Balatro

Roguelike Poker Madness

• Easy-to-learn because you’re just making Poker hands
• Simple art style, but lively animations

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 an easy-to-learn poker game and a complex roguelike with 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 and Tarot 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.

14 Moonlighter

Store Keeper By Day, Dungeon-Crawler By Night

• Fun take on the dungeon-crawling roguelike genre
• Store mechanics are surprisingly engaging

In Moonlighter, 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.

13 Vampire Survivors

Monster-Slaying Mania

• Casual roguelike with only four controls
• Old-school graphics
• One of the best Bullet-Heavens to play

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 of Vampire Survivors will 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 you fully build out your survivor. Once that happens, the screen will become flooded in a nonstop hurricane of pixelated explosions and brightly colored experience crystals.

12 Coffee Talk

Relaxed, Story-Driven Coffee shop Simulator

• Laid-back visual novel game with a rich, complex world
• Colorful characters with lively personalities
• Making coffee for these characters is a relaxing way to keep players engaged

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the strange combination of being a barista and talking to mystical beings, then Coffee Talk would 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.

11 World Of Horror

A Roguelite Horror RPG You Won’t Forget

• Inspired by the works of Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft
• Art style feels like moving manga panels
• RPG and Roguelite elements drag you into the story

On the surface, World of Horror might 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 Ito and 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.

10 Enter The Gungeon

Roguelike Arcade Shooter With Plenty of Personality

• Top-down, bullet hell shooter
• Adorable pixel art

When it comes to notably difficult games, Enter the Gungeon is 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.

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 can 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.

9 Sea Of Stars

A Jewel For Classic JRPG Fans

• Gorgeous pixel art
• Modern spin on classic JRPG games
• Amazing turn-based mechanics

Sea of Stars is an homage to classic JRPGs like Golden Sun, Breath of Fire, and Chrono 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 and members 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.

8 Hyper Light Drifter

Dark Soulslike With A Glimmer Of Hope

• Gripping world with a dark sci-fi aesthetic
• High speed combat similar to Hades
• Great story inspired by author’s struggles with heart disease

Hyper Light Drifter is 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.

7 Celeste

Climbing A Mountain Of Emotions

• Addictive game that gets the player into a good flow state
• Fantastic story about overcoming the many trials a person can face – both external and internal
• Smooth movement and beautiful animations

At the surface, Celeste is 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 is one 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.

6 Dave The Diver

Fishing, Sushi, And Lost Civilizations

• Relaxing fishing simulator
• Plenty of mechanics to break up fishing excursions
• A light-hearted, fun game that never takes itself too seriously

In Dave 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. in order 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 a new difficult fish that 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.

5 Terraria

Procedurally Generated Survival Platformer

• Mixes elements of Minecraft and classic platformers
• Players have plenty of freedom to choose what they want to do

If you mixed Minecraft, Metroid, and pixel art all together, you’d get the breathtaking experience of Terraria. Being in the same realm as the iconic survival sandbox, everything is entirely up to you. Through and through, there are endless possibilities to explore the game’s environment with all the creative abilities it gives you.

While it’s typically heavily compared to Minecraft, Terraria takes the concept of the virtual sandbox a step further. Ranging from crafting weapons and fighting bosses to mining dark caverns to find treasure, there’s little that you can’t do. Overall, this game caters to any thrill-seeking adventurer’s heart for how much exploration it lets you accomplish.

4 Undertale

Ageless RPG About Friendship & Family

• Unique combat resolution system
• Heart-warming story that sticks with you long after the credits roll

Undertale has made an indeliable impression on gaming through its captivating story, memorable characters, and just how well it blends storytelling and gameplay elements together. Morals play a big part in getting a specific outcome in Undertale. Whether you like to kill everything in sight or save everyone you can, Undertale’s ending can wildly vary based on the choices you make.

Taking inspiration from games like Mother and Mario & Luigi, the gameplay and plot of Undertale can be comedic, but when this game wants to emphasize a tear-jerking moment, you’d better keep a box of tissues nearby. For its combat, Undertale employs a mini-bullet hell-type combat during boss fights, challenging you to dodge series of projectiles before your chosen action gest the chance to resolve. This challenging mechanic is also what makes pacifist runs so rearding because you have to learn how to dodge (or survive) through everything the game throws at you.. But, at the end of the day, it’s hard not to carry on through the challenging combat to unlock the ending you want.

3 Shovel Knight

A Twist On Classic Side-scrolling Action

• Creative usage of shovel drop mechanic (similar to Hollow Knight’s pogo)
• Straightforward, lightweight story
• Wonderful homage to the side-scrolling genre’s roots

Shovel Knight is a side-scrolling platformer that captures the magic that made retro arcade and SNES games so memorable and adds a modern twist to it. Players start by learning the basics to how their shovel works, taking them through platforming mechanics like those found in the original Megaman and Metroid games, before introducing more creative ways to have the player use skills like Shovel Drop to move through levels and defeat enemies.

The story follows a knight as he travels through the land to rescue his friend, Shield Knight, and stop a villain known as the Enchantress and her Order of No Quarter. As Shovel Knight journeys through the vibrant pixellated world, players are treated to an unforgettable visual experience, making its beautiful homage to retro side-scrollers clear as day.

2 Omori

Managing Emotions & Depression

• Explores sensitive topics through JRPG mechanics and a disarming art style
• The importance of managing one’s emotions is a theme that’s beautifully woven into the very gameplay of Omori
• Bring a tissue box because you’re in for an incredible story

Don’t let Omori’s cheery artstyle and cute characters give you the wrong impression. Juxtaposition between bleak and depressing scenes along with bright and happy imagery is a common theme throughout Omori. This game is a beautiful combination of disturbing psychological horror and heart-warming JRPG. As you dive deeper into the adventures of Omori and Sunny, the story soon unravels into a disturbing exploration of dealing with one’s emotions, recovering from deep psychological traumas, and how one can move forward through all of this turmoil.

The game tags along with the titular character and his friends as they venture through Headspace and Faraway Town. At its very core, Omori is a modernized take on the traditional JRPG experience, being mainly compared to iconic pixel art JRPGs like Earthbound and Yume Nikki.

1 Stardew Valley

An Eternal, Relaxing Classic

• Cozy pixel art and numerous choices make it one of the most comfy games to play
• Quirky cast of characters brings the world to life

Stardew Valley is one of those timeless games that will never lose its unique spark. Utilizing its art style in a nostalgic and comforting way, Stardew Valley is one of the most iconic pixel art video games anyone can play. Its farming simulator mechanics and cozy atmosphere brimming with memorable characters create an enduring, highly replayable classic.

Even though it has been more than five years since its release, Stardew Valley remains a memorable relaxation game. After your grandfather’s death, you’re left with his farm in the town of Stardew Valley. From here, your options are practically limitless. You can make a living by growing crops, raising animals, fishing, or exploring a nearby dungeon, all the while unraveling the many secrets hidden in the valley itself. Along the way, you’ll form close bonds with the quirky cast of characters that call the valley their home.