Who doesn't like a free game? They're quick to install (usually), they're short and sweet, and, well, they don't cost a penny. If that isn't reason enough to at least try out a free game, I wouldn't know what is. In my own experience, I've found that in this department, platformers do the best work. Whether they are 2D or 3D platformers, free-to-play games flourish with tight controls and clever design instead of big budgets.

So, when you stumble upon a good one, it's made all that more impressive by the fact that you didn't spend a dime on it. September may be a month of huge AAA releases, but if you don't want your wallet getting any lighter, here are some incredible free platformers you can download off of Steam right now.

Hellevator will turn you into a creative puzzle-solver

Get out of hell... by dying over and over

If you're feeling a hankering for a short and sharp platformer, Hellevator will absolutely scratch that itch for you. A chaotic game with a simple premise, Hellevator puts you in a hotel in Hell, and the only way to get out is to... die. With each platforming section, you're presented with a new puzzle you must figure out so you can find the newest, most creative way to die and then possess other characters that lie beyond your obstacles. Every frame of this game is a puzzle that feels immensely rewarding to figure out.

Hellevator is fast, unforgiving, and, of course, free. Failure is what feels fun and deliberate, and if that isn't a spin on the traditional platformer formula, I don't know what is. This game is pure, distilled chaos, and when it only takes a couple of clicks and a few seconds to add it to your Steam library and get going, there's no excuse not to try it out.

Slash/Jump is a deceptively addicting one-hour adventure

Tough to learn, incredibly rewarding to master

An incredible platformer that is as simple as it is addictive, Slash/Jump will have you hooked for hours. Trust me, it took me a bit of effort to stop playing, and then to stop thinking about it. Deceptively simple in its controls, Slash/Jump just gives you a sword to swing around, and each swing pushes you in the opposite direction. That's it – that's the memo. You've got full 360-degree control over the sword and where to aim its recoil, but it's very tough to get the hang of.

However, once you do get going and become tuned to the sword to get around the map, its platforms, and its obstacles, each slash of the sword is a tiny reward in itself for nailing it. Perhaps the closest comparison in terms of vibes are Celeste and Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, although Slash/Jump is less emotionally-charged than the former, and a lot more forgiving than the latter. A quick one-hour adventure, this game is one you should absolutely try on any random day while you're probably trying to figure out what to play before hitting the hay.

Doorways: Old Prototype is a horror-platformer

I wish we got more from this sub-genre

In Doorways: Old Prototype, platforming meets horror, and incredibly, the two never meet your wallet. A horror-themed first-person 3D platformer, Doorways: Old Prototype is effectively what it says it is — a prototype for what became the Doorways games. You're going to be doing what you'd do in any regular platformer — jumping, climbing, avoiding obstacles and gravity's worst effects, but in hell.

However, it's the second half of this game that you're never going to forget. A grayed-out, void-like auditorium with columns and ledges that present the simplest of all platforming challenges, this particular area will also introduce you to demons that chase you if you take a wrong step here or miss a jump there.

The Expendabros is a quick 1-hour movie tie-in

As long as movie tie-ins are this good and engaging, make more

As much as The Expendabros looks like a parody game at first glance, it actually is a movie tie-in with The Expendables 3. All the seven playable characters in the game are from the cast of the movie, and you play through tough platforming sections and insanely fast-paced gunplay and action.

This game is actually based on Broforce, and plays exactly like it, with guns, bullets, explosions, and grimaces everywhere on the screen. Each new character unlocks as you progress through the game, and each of them comes with a unique moveset and abilities, which makes sure that there's never a dull moment in the gameplay. Inarguably the best part about The Expandabros, however, is how impressively destructible the environments are, which only makes this 1-hour joyride that much more visually memorable. Movie tie-in games are generally considered terrible (and not without reason), but this is definitely one of the exceptions.

Mimpi Dreams is for the animal-lover in you

Four legs against a whimsical world

Charming. That's the best word to use for Mimpi Dreams. A platformer where you play as Mimpi the cartoon dog, Mimpi Dreams is about this adorable canine's mission to save his friends as he moves through pastel-colored levels filled with puzzles and platforms. This isn't a difficult or even mildly challenging game by any means. It's just cozy and comfortable — the kind of game you can put on for a toddler to stay busy.

Still, there is a little bit of depth to the gameplay as you tug at objects and drag them to solve a puzzle here and there. I think the best part about Mimpi Dreams is how relaxing it is. The game feels like a warm cup of tea, beckoning you to forget about all the shooters you have in your library and just kick back with a controller to breathe a little.

Neon Beats is minimalistic and musical

I'd recommend you download this first

A platformer that doubles as a rhythm game, Neon Beats throws you into a neon-soaked world where every jump, dash, and slide you execute is synced to a thumping electronic music soundtrack. It's also got an incredibly unique visual style you won't soon forget, going for ultra-minimalism with a white-on-black, outline art style as you navigate a tiny little square through mostly traditional platforming obstacles. The twist? Every obstacle is synced to the music, so you're going to have to keep both your eyes and ears open to nail the timing of your movements down pat.

This is effectively Geometry Dash stripped down to its bare essentials, and what is left is Neon Beats, and boy is it downright hypnotic at times. Once you get that first rush of the score swelling as you chain together moves to escape a moving platform filled with spikes, there's no going back, and the only complaint you'll have after that is that the game ends.

KnightLight is a visual journey

The most innovative little platformer on this list

This one is my favorite, since it's one of the first few 'minimalist' games I played with my partner. Well, she played while I watched on Discord. It's part Metroidvania, part platformer, but what it definitely is, is a visual tour de force. In KnightLight, you play as literal light — an orb that illuminates the pitch black darkness around it to see and explore the levels you're in. Not only would you have to take your time to not run into life-ending obstacles as you illuminate each step of your way slowly, but you'd also have to remember said pathways if you have to go back to pull a plug or collect a new item, for example.

In fact, you'll even be possessing a suit of armor in the game, which can help you cross obstacles that would otherwise have killed you in orb form, but it can't jump nearly as high as you could before. As such, the core gameplay loop revolves around balancing your time in and out of the suit, slowly exploring this gorgeous world that's made beautiful only once you touch it. Oh, and if you end up putting a space in the middle of 'Knight' and 'Light' while searching for it on Steam, you get another interesting-looking free game. Fun!

Ghostrunner 2 is free right now

It's not free on Steam, but it's free regardless

If you're surprised to see Ghostrunner 2 on this, that's because you should be. It's a first-person 3D platformer, yes, and it's also incredibly slick and clearly the biggest game on this list, but it's not free... on Steam. On Epic Games Store, however, Ghostrunner 2 is completely free until September 18. So one storefront and a couple of clicks later, you could play the sequel to one of the best 3D platformers ever. It may not have the highs its predecessor had, but Ghostrunner 2 is still a brilliant game that you should definitely be keeping in your library, especially since it's free right now.

As a cyber ninja, you will stave off the end of the world in a dystopian future where an authoritarian regime rules over all, and you'll do it all with a one-hit katana, a whip, and a motorcycle. Every moment in Ghostrunner 2 is a platforming puzzle, and even the combat, which is bloody and brutal, isn't quite traditional. In every arena, it's up to you to figure out the right walls to run along or jump off to avoid bullets while slashing enemies with a katana. However, if they go down in one hit, so do you.

Platformers will never go out of style

It's true — platformers are one of the oldest genres in gaming, and they really will never go out of style. They could be rough prototypes or tiny little adventures that a bunch of college kids threw together, but the joy of running around, jumping, and getting past obstacles on a moment-to-moment basis is, and will remain, absolutely timeless.