Spyro the Dragon is a series of video games. The first title was released for Sony's PlayStation. The Spyro series has become very popular since the first release and several sequels and spin offs. The Spyro series has sold more than 20 million units worldwide. The original Spyro series was restarted in 2006 with the release of the Legend of Spyro series. The series was rebooted again in 2011 when Skylanders was released. The first three games got a remake called Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018).

The Original Series

Console Games
Spyro the Dragon was released on the Playstation in 1998. It features Spyro, a small, purple dragon; his dragonfly companion, Sparx; and a multitude of fellow dragons. It takes place in the Dragon Realms, an imaginary fantasy world, which is itself divided in six worlds: Artisans, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, Dream Weavers, and Gnasty's World. At the beginning of the game the main antagonist, Gnasty Gnorc (a half gnome, half orc hybrid), seeks revenge against the dragons for banishing him and traps them in stone. Spyro was out playing hooky and was spared from a crystal prison. The point of the game is to charge, fly, and flame your way through each world, defeating enemies, saving dragons, and eventually facing and taking down Gnasty.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! is the sequel to Spyro the Dragon. It was released on the Playstation in 1999. Spyro and Sparx accidentally stumble upon the realm of Avalar, where the antagonist, Ripto (a tiny, mean dinosaur with a magic staff), is taking over the once-peaceful lands. Spyro was looking forward to having some rest but instead is dragged into a new adventure. In this episode of the series, the small dragon also meets a number of new allies, including the Professor, Hunter the cheetah, Elora the fawn, and Zoe the fairy, and must face Ripto and his henchmen, Crush and Gulp, two other dinosaurs who are not very smart. The game introduces some new movements which Spyro can do to advance in his quest, including swimming, climbing, and head-butting.

Spyro 3: Year of the Dragon (2000) is the last game developed by Insomniac Games before the series got a different developer. The dragons are celebrating the coming of dragon eggs. This event takes place every twelve years. A mysterious girl steals all the eggs. Spyro, Sparx, and Hunter must follow her down a rabbit hole to the Forgotten Realms on the other side of the world. There they meet many new allies, which are also playable characters - Sheila the kangaroo, Sgt. Byrd the flying penguin, Bentley the yeti, and Agent 9 the monkey. The third game of the Spyro series also feature levels in which the player controls Sparx in a bird's eye view shooting game. Spyro and his new friends must find out why the Sorceress stole the eggs, what she plans to do with them, and how to stop her.

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (2002) was released for both the Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles. In this game, Ripto steals the dragonflies from the dragons, and Spyro has to find them all and defeat Ripto. 

Spyro: A Hero's Tail (2004) is available for Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. In this game, a dragon named Red uses evil Dark Gems to poison the Dragon Worlds.

GameBoy Advance Games
The following Spyro games are available for the Nintendo GameBoy Advance portable console:
Spyro: Season of Ice (2001)  is the first Spyro game on the GameBoy Advance. Spyro must use his fire breath to rescue the fairies who have been frozen by a monster named Grendor. 
Spyro 2: Season of Flame (2002) is the sequel to Season of Ice. In this game, Spyro must get back the stolen fireflies.  
Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs (2003) tasks Spyro with collecting the "Heart" of each land to stop Ripto's latest evil plan. 
Crash Bandicoot Purple: Ripto's Rampage and Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy (2004) are two crossover games that were released at the same time. Spyro Orange features Spyro in Crash Bandicoot's world, and Crash Bandicoot Purple features Crash Bandicoot in Spyro's world.

Nintendo DS Games
Spyro: Shadow Legacy (2005) is the first and only Nintendo DS Spyro game. It is also the last Spyro game in the original series before the Legend of Spyro reboot. Spyro has to save everyone who lives in The Dragon Realms, Avalar, The Forgotten Worlds from a place called the Shadow Realm.

Original Series Characters
Spyro, the main protagonist, a purple dragon.
Sparx is Spyro's companion. In the game, Sparx acts as a "living" health bar: his color indicates how many hit points Spyro has. Sparx can get more hit points if Spyro kills several animals (sheep, frogs, etc.)
Hunter was Introduced in Ripto's Rage. Helps the player learn different abilities and occasionally challenges Spyro to various races.
Moneybags, a wealthy bear who sells Spyro the ability to climb, swim, etc. as well as unlock bridges and passageways.
The Professor, the creator of the Super-portal in Avalar.
Elora, a fawn and one of Spyro's friends.

The Legend of Spyro Series
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning (2006) is the first game in the Legend of Spyro series. Spyro was raised by a family of dragonflies, including Sparx. One day he realizes he is not a dragonfly, but a dragon. Spyro meets a dragon Guardian named Ignitus, who tells Spyro that because he is purple, he is a special dragon who can breathe all four elements: fire, electricity, ice, and earth. This kicks off the start of his journey to save the remaining Guardian dragons in the world, Volteer, the Guardian of electricity; Cyril, the Guardian of ice, and Terrador, the Guardian of earth.  They teach Spyro to master their elements after he rescues them. Spyro also has to defeat Cynder, a mysterious, evil dragon, who is working for the main antagonist of the series, the Dark Master.

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night (2007) is the sequel to "A New Beginning." Cynder leaves the Dragon Temple because she feels guilty for what she did before she became good. Spyro goes after her. The Temple is then attacked apes, and Spyro has to defeat them. Spyro is eventually captured by pirates and has to escape. He also has to save Cynder, who has also been captured.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (2008) is the last game in the Legend of Spyro series. The characters and graphics are very different than the other two games. This is the first Spyro game that allows a player to fly at any time (free-fly mode). The game also has a co-op mode with Cynder. The story of game starts three years after the end of "The Eternal Night." Spyro and Cynder escape from the crystals that trapped them and are then bonded together with mysterious green energy chains created by the Dark Master. They have to work together to defeat the Dark Master, Malefor, once and for all.

Skylanders
Skylanders is a multi-platform spin-off series of games that replaced the Spyro series. The game is played with real toys that can be used in the game.

Skylanders Games
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (2011) – Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, OS X, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Wii U

Skylanders: Giants  (2012) – Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360

Skylanders: Swap Force (2013) – Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Skylanders: Trap Team (2014) – Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One

References

Other websites
 Spyro the Dragon universe on MobyGames

3D platform games