10 ninja games ranked easy to hard, from one tap to shuriken fights
Not everyone who types ninja games into a search bar wants the same thing. Some people want a few quick runs with one thumb on the bus; others want to sit at a keyboard and juggle sword strikes, throwing stars and parries against a level boss. So we ranked these 10 games from easy to hard. At the bottom of the ladder are one-tap jumping and running games, in the middle are two pandas dressed for combat, and at the top are fighting platformers with three separate attack keys. All are single-player and run in the browser. The top tier does not play on a phone, and it is better you know that up front.
How we set the difficulty order
We ranked by two things: how many keys a game asks for, and how much a mistake costs you. In a one-button game the only decision is timing. In a game with three attack keys you are weighing distance, enemy type and your health bar all at once. Controls and phone support for each game come from its own page on the site.
Step one: one-tap ninja games
These four have a single input: a click or a tap. You learn them in seconds, and getting good is all about rhythm. If one-button play is your thing, our list of one-button games rounds up the rest of the genre.
GN Ninja Run
A little ninja runs across wooden plank bridges on his own; your only job is deciding when to jump. Hold the button and the leap gets longer, which is exactly what the wider gaps between bridges call for. You grab gold and steer clear of bombs. It is an endless runner that keeps speeding up, and the softest possible start if this is your first ninja game.
Ninja Jumper
This ninja goes up instead of forward. Each tap sends him bouncing to the opposite wall, where he clings on, and the rhythm of your taps sets the climbing speed. Fruit adds points, while spinning and shooting traps end the climb. The higher you get, the shorter the safe stretches of wall, so you also learn when to hold back. For more on wall-climbing technique, see our climbing game tips.
Ninja Rabbit
A ninja rabbit goes after the monsters who kidnapped the village children. The rabbit never stops moving, and your tap turns it around instead of making it jump. Turn at the wrong moment and you run straight into a monster, which restarts the level. It is still one button, but it asks for a different habit than the jumping games: reading the path ahead before you commit.
Ninja Escape 2
The toughest game on the first step. Your ninja runs nonstop; a click makes him jump, and a second click in mid-air gives a double jump and a longer glide. Touch a spike, clip a narrow passage or fall into a gap and the level starts over. Clear every level and an endless mode opens up, scored on how long you last. To get the double-jump timing right, have a look at how to jump better in platform games.
Step two: two pandas with fighting spirit
The samurai panda and the kung fu pandas are not ninjas, strictly speaking, but they make a good bridge for anyone who likes the theme. Both work on phones. We collected every panda title separately in our panda games list.
Samurai Panda
A panda in a samurai outfit clears gaps and dodges stars flying through the air. It uses the same hold-to-jump idea as GN Ninja Run, but the platforms shrink with distance and your margin for error shrinks with them.
The panda brother
Two pandas, two sides, two hands. A move coming from one side has to be answered by the panda on that side; the wrong side or a late press breaks your streak. Think of it as a halfway step that trains both hands separately before you move on to the keyboard fighters.
Step three: sword and shuriken ninja games
These three need a keyboard and will not play on a phone. Timing is no longer the only decision: close attack, ranged throw or dodge, and you make that call again for every enemy. If blocking and combos are new to you, read blocking and combos in fighting games first; it will make this tier much easier.
Dragon Ninja Warriors
A fighting game with a 3D look. The arrow keys handle both moving and attacking, and enemies come at you in waves. Special powers in the bottom-right corner fill up over time, and using them the moment they are ready is the easiest way to break up a crowded wave. With so few controls to learn, this is the entry point to the top tier.
Shadow Ninja Warriors
A lone shadow ninja pushes through a dark land. Move with WASD or the arrow keys, jump with W, the up arrow or Space. J throws a shuriken, K dashes you forward, and L hides you in the shadows so patrols lose sight of you. The dash is useful both for escaping traps and for slipping behind an enemy. Shadow Ninja Warriors is the only game here that makes stealth part of the plan.
Ninja Rian Adventure
The top of the ladder. You fight through side-scrolling levels to rescue a kidnapped princess. A and D or the arrow keys move you, Space jumps; J is a melee attack, K throws a shuriken, L parries. Close-range hits are quick but risky, while shurikens are the safer choice for enemies at a distance. Strong bosses wait at the end of each level, and both falling into gaps and touching enemies cost you health. It asks you to use three attack keys together, which is why it comes last.
Take a breather: a ninja jigsaw
Ninja Gorilla Jigsaw Puzzle
Hands tired from all that reflex work? Put together drawings of a mighty ninja gorilla piece by piece. Pick a picture and a piece count, then drag the pieces onto the board; a piece that gets close to its spot snaps in, and one dropped in the wrong place goes back to the tray with no penalty. It works with a finger on a phone too.
Which one to start with
- Never played a ninja game: GN Ninja Run, then Ninja Jumper.
- Want a real challenge on your phone: Ninja Escape 2, which unlocks an endless mode once every level is done.
- Warming up for keyboard combat: start with Dragon Ninja Warriors, then move to the shadow ninja.
- Want boss fights: Ninja Rian Adventure.
- Just need a short break: Ninja Gorilla Jigsaw Puzzle.
For more side-view games, browse platform games; for characters who never stop running, try running games. And if you want longer runs, how to beat your endless runner record has practical advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which ninja games work on a phone?
GN Ninja Run, Ninja Jumper, Ninja Rabbit, Ninja Escape 2, both panda games and Ninja Gorilla Jigsaw Puzzle all play on a touchscreen. Dragon Ninja Warriors, Shadow Ninja Warriors and Ninja Rian Adventure need a keyboard.
Which key throws a shuriken?
It depends on the game. In Ninja Rian Adventure, K throws a shuriken and J is the melee attack. In Shadow Ninja Warriors it is the other way round: J throws and K dashes. Check the controls list before you start and you will not mix them up.
Which ones suit kids?
The one-tap games have no fighting at all; they are about jumping and dodging. The gorilla jigsaw is a calm pick too. The three sword and shuriken games involve combat and need keyboard skills, so it is worth looking at them together before deciding.
Can two people play?
No, all 10 games on this list are single-player.