Series guide
All Rayman games in order
Rayman is Ubisoft’s limbless mascot, and his series is short but confusing: half the cartridges on the second-hand market are ports wearing new names. Below are the six mainline releases in order, the Rabbids detour included, with the platforms linked — because those are the copies we stock and test. The ports get their own buying notes, because that is where people buy the wrong game.
The short answer
Rayman (1995) → Rayman 2: The Great Escape (1999) → Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (2003) → Raving Rabbids (2006, party) → Origins (2011) → Legends (2013). Rayman DS and Rayman 3D are both Rayman 2; Rayman Advance is the 1995 original. Start with Legends.
Every mainline Rayman game in order
- Rayman · 1995 · PlayStation & more — the famously tough 2D original
- Rayman 2: The Great Escape · 1999 · Nintendo 64 & more — the leap to 3D — later reissued on DS and 3DS under other names
- Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc · 2003 · GameCube & more — the wisecracking 3D sequel
- Rayman Raving Rabbids · 2006 · Wii & more — the party detour — the Rabbids soon took over their own series
- Rayman Origins · 2011 · Wii, 3DS & more — the hand-drawn 2D comeback
- Rayman Legends · 2013 · Wii U, later Switch — still the newest mainline platformer; Definitive Edition on Switch (2017)
Do you have to play them in order?
No. The 2D games (the original, Origins, Legends) and the 3D pair (2 and 3) are separate flavours, and only 2 → 3 share any continuity. What order does explain is the gap in the middle: after Rayman 3 the Rabbids party games took over for half a decade, until Origins brought the platformer back.
Which Rayman should you buy now?
- Playing, today: Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition (Switch) — the complete version of the series’ best-regarded 2D entry.
- The 3D classic, portable: Rayman DS or Rayman 3D — both are Rayman 2, pick per console.
- The tough original: Rayman Advance (GBA) — the 1995 game, uncut.
- Family party night: the Raving Rabbids era — minigames, not platforming, and honest about it.
Buying Rayman second-hand
Rayman DS and Rayman 3D are both Rayman 2
Neither box says so, but Rayman DS (2005) and Rayman 3D (2011) are ports of Rayman 2: The Great Escape. Buy one of the two for the 3D classic on a handheld — or both cartridges knowingly, not by accident.
Rayman Advance is the 1995 original
The GBA cartridge is the full first game; the earlier Game Boy Color “Rayman” is its own cut-down take on the same adventure rather than a straight port. Both are region-free, like every Game Boy generation.
Raving Rabbids is a party game, not a platformer
The Rabbids entries — including Raving Rabbids 2 on DS — are minigame collections. If you want Rayman the platformer, that is the Land of the original, Origins and Legends; the short answer above keeps the two apart.
Legends on Switch is the complete edition
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition (2017) carries the full game on a region-free cartridge and plays on Switch 2 as well. The 3DS version of Origins is region-locked, so a European 3DS needs the European release — our listings state the region.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Nintendo gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Rayman games in order?
No. The platformers are self-contained; only Rayman 3 loosely follows on from Rayman 2. Start with Origins or Legends for modern 2D, or with Rayman 2 for the 3D classic.
Is Rayman DS the same game as Rayman 2?
Yes — Rayman DS is a port of Rayman 2: The Great Escape, and so is Rayman 3D on 3DS. The naming hides it, which is exactly why this list exists.
What is the newest Rayman game?
Rayman Legends (2013) is still the newest mainline platformer; its Definitive Edition arrived on Switch in 2017. After Legends the spotlight moved to the Rabbids spin-offs.
Are the Rabbids games Rayman games?
They started as one — Rayman Raving Rabbids (2006) — but the Rabbids quickly got their own series without Rayman in it. On this page only the 2006–08 era counts as Rayman.
Which Rayman should I start with?
Rayman Legends on Switch: the complete edition of the series’ high point, playable by the whole family. Origins and Legends carry PEGI 7.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates were sometimes a few months later. Onze Nintendo DS-collectie in het Nederlands.
