The best metroidbrainia games

Metroidbrainia games are a genre of video games that combines non-linear exploration with knowledge-gated progression. Instead of obtaining items or upgrades to open up new paths, players acquire knowledge instead. No in-game state needs to change to allow further exploration; the core gameplay comes from understanding implicit puzzle rules, environmental secrets, and unexpected consequences from the player character's existing abilities.

The term “metroidbrainia” is a play on “metroidvania”, a related genre of games inspired by Metroid and Castlevania that focuses on non-linear exploration. However, those games typically require players to obtain items or upgrades to progress. For this reason, metroidbrainias are sometimes referred to as “metroidvanias-of-knowledge” or “knowledge-gated games”.

See our in-depth exploration of the metroidbrainia genre for more information.

The games listed below are the most favorited metroidbrainia games in the Thinky Games database.