History Main / TemporaryPlatform

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' has tons of these, including both ones that collapse shortly after Crash lands on them and ones that steadily alternate between being present and being absent (such as by sliding in and out of walls, or phasing in and out of existence on their own). In many games, it's common for sometimes extensive stretches of a level to be made out of collapsing and/or temporary platforms, forcing a rather frantic style of play. It's also very common for platforms to be made out of boxes, which break the moment Crash bounces off of them, and Slippery Climb in the original game in particular is [[ThatOneLevel infamous]] for using ''enemies'' as one-shot {{Goomba Springboard}}s.

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' has tons of these, including both ones that collapse shortly after Crash lands on them and ones that steadily alternate between being present and being absent (such as by sliding in and out of walls, phasing in and out of existence on their own). In many games, it's common for sometimes extensive stretches of a level to be made out of collapsing and/or temporary platforms, forcing a rather frantic style of play. It's also very common for platforms to be made out of boxes, which break the moment Crash bounces off of them, and Slippery Climb in the original game in particular is [[ThatOneLevel infamous]] for using ''enemies'' as one-shot {{Goomba Springboard}}s.

* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' has tons of these, combined in every way possible with floating platforms that alternate in and out of existence on their own. The original game likes making these out of boxes, and Slippery Climb in particular is [[ThatOneLevel infamous]] for using ''enemies'' as one-shot [[GoombaSpringboard Goomba Springboards]].

* ''VideoGame/OneThousandAndOneSpikes'' has multiple breeds of this - Platforms that only stay active for a limited time after hitting a switch, and the classic VideoGame/MegaMan variety.

* A film example: double-striped candy cane branches in the ''Sugar Rush'' game in ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph''. Strangely enough, ''Sugar Rush'' is an arcade racer, not a platformer; no human player is ever going to encounter this obstacle, only the game characters themselves when exploring the environments on-foot.

* The console version of the video game of TheFilmOfTheBook of ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' has a level that consists almost entirely of these and more open air than you can shake a stick at.
* The ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' franchise is replete with all varieties:
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' has pairs of platforms, each connected to a cable strung over a pair of pulleys. As the side you stay on descends, the other side rises, but if one side rises too far, both platforms will fall into the bottomless expanse below. If the platforms fall off, you get 1000 points.
** The Donut Lifts from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' and subsequent games fall after a couple of seconds of Mario standing on them. Also in many games since ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' are moving platforms on rails, some of which are on open-ended tracks that allow the platform to fall off at the end. Lastly, most 2D Mario games since the aforementioned 1988 title have coins that turn into temporary platforms (as well as permanent ones that turn into coins) when you step on a P Switch.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'' has both temporary platforms with a countdown of four seconds or less as well as Donut Lifts that start to drop as soon as you step on them. [[GameMod Romhackers]] love both types.
** In the special obstacle course of Gelato Beach in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine'', there are blocks of sand that erode as soon as Mario steps onto them, so he has to move quickly.
** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy'': Several puzzles feature green checkered platforms that start to shrink and disappear after landing on them. It also features similar tiles found in all three [[BigBad Bowser]] levels that get smashed to pieces upon contact just right before fighting Bowser. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'' introduces Beat Blocks, which blink in and out of existence in time with the music. The Prankster Comet challenge for that galaxy doubles the rate, which increases the difficulty so much that the player is offered a checkpoint and Yoshi's flutter jump to partially ease it. The same type of block (as well as its faster variation) returns in ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''.
** ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' has blocks with a number printed on them. When you step on a platform of this type, the number is decreased by one, and when it hits zero, the platform explodes. The Donut Lifts also appear in this game.
* A lovingly NintendoHard staple of the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. Almost every game includes a few screens where blocks appear and disappear in a set pattern. The fandom tends to refer to them as [[GratuitousJapanese "yoku blocks."]]
** The longest such sequence is in Heat Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'', which spans ''several screens'' (above a lethal LavaPit and then a BottomlessPit). Most people don't even bother with the platforms, instead flying across with the Item-2, an early version of the Rush Jet.
** In Magnet Man's stage of ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'', one sequence includes a magnet on the opposite side threatening to pull you off into the BottomlessPit below.
** In the final level of ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', a particular set of appearing blocks alternates between two nearly identical patterns. As a rather cruel trick, the sole difference between them is that the second pattern is missing the final block you'd need to use to reach a ladder, meaning a hasty player will plummet into the spikes below if they observed the blocks forming once and then tried to traverse them on the second appearance.
** As well as Plug Man's stage from ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'', where the patterns are different if you're playing on the harder ("Hero" or "Superhero") difficulty levels.
** Sheep Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'' included not only the staple timed platforms (with different patterns for each difficulty level), but color-coded blocks that blink and disappear after stepping on them, and platforms that have to be energized by running on nearby conveyors.
** The fan game ''[[VideoGame/MegaManUnlimited Mega Man Unlimited]]'' goes ahead and makes a Robot Master ''based'' on those blocks. So of course [[BrutalBonusLevel his stage is packed with them]].
** Another series staple are the Count Bombs - platforms with timers displaying how much time you have to use them before they explode.
** Guts Man's infamous stage from ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' involves a sequence of moving platforms affixed to rails that, despite clearly advertising when they are or aren't solid, sending so many players to their deaths ''from the very outset of the level'' that they almost single-handedly earned the game its NintendoHard reputation. In ''VideoGame/MegaManPoweredUp'' you can at least play as Guts Man and give ''him'' a taste of his own terrible platforms. It does not help that when these unstable platforms tip over, they dump Rock off at a vastly-accelerated falling speed, so it appears that when they pass over the unstable section of their railing and tip, Rock seems to just go poof with little-to-no warning.
** Gyro Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan5'' features a bridge composed entirely of platforms that fall after a second of walking across them.
** Chill Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan10'' features ice blocks that, crack the first time you strike them, then disappear quickly after being struck a second time. You can, however, walk across them fine.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManX'' series often has platforms supported by smoking, malfunctioning jets, letting you know they won't hold your weight for long. Just to make your life a living hell, the fourth Zero stage in ''X5'' has disappearing blocks over a BottomlessPit and is nearly three screens long. No memorizing, just move and hope you're fast enough not to die. If you're playing as X, you can just fly over it. Play as Zero, and better hope your reflexes are good.
** The ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' series naturally picks up the torch, since it's much more NintendoHard than the X series was. For bonus points, the first game in the series adds them in a section straight after two minibosses, and while thankfully not over a bottomless pit, is sitting is above a platform filled with enemies. And the invisible blocks ''shoot at you'' (or rather they shoot down in unhelpful places). Remember that this game has a ranking system that penalizes you for taking damage and dying.
** In his commentary for ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'' Dave Anez admits that he always uses Rush to fly over those platforms.
** The [[LiftOfDoom Lifts of Doom]] in Spark Man's stage with BottomlessPits below and SpikesOfDoom above.
** Trapdoor platforms in Shadow Man's stage and parts of Wily's Castle.
** In the final dungeon in ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends 2'' there are red tiles that will crack and break if you stand on them for too long of a period of time. [[MissionControl Roll constantly warns you]] that "the floor's weak."
** VideoGame/MegaManZX has one in the BonusDungeon leading to the BonusBoss. For [[RuleOfThree bonus]] points, the ceiling and floor of the disappearing platforms hallway are also spiked, and once you beat said BonusBoss, you have to travel the hallway ''in reverse'' to get back to the SavePoint. Have fun!
* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen IV: Secret of the Oracle'' has these in the Miragia level. Accurate to its name, this level has platforms that fade in and out of existence. Solid for about five seconds, intangible for another five, repeat. [[GoodBadBugs Hilariously]], you can cling to the edge of such platforms and remain there while it fades out of existence, so long as you don't attempt to climb up until it is solid again. The game also has "unstable" floating platforms that start falling out of the sky once you stay on them for a second -- but they stay solid and only fall a certain distance (enough to force you to go back and redo a puzzle, but not enough to kill you unless the level designer specifically put a tarpit or flames before the end of their travel).
* ''VideoGame/MutantMudds'' for the 3DS has these very frequently.
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'':
** The [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1 first game]] has dropping platforms, and a GimmickLevel ("Tanked-up Trouble") with a moving platform that will fall if you dodn't keep it constantly fueled up. There is another level, "Platform Peril", that consists almost exclusively of various moving platforms that shake and fall after a certain distance.
** ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry2DiddysKongQuest'':
*** The game has crocodile heads that dive and resurface, and temporary ropes in the form of ghosts that wail as they disappear/reappear.
*** The spider sidekick Squitter has the ability to create these as well, in the form of webs. Naturally, there's a [[GimmickLevel level dedicated to this ability]].
** One GimmickLevel in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry3DixieKongsDoubleTrouble'' has appearing/disappearing cannon barrels, most of them pointing at bees or [[FakeDifficulty in a random direction every time they reappear]].
** The majority of the levels in ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' contain these in some form. If you aren't [[IndyEscape running from]] boulders, spiders, or other stuff, whatever is under your feet is often either crumbling, sinking, or a [[MinecartMadness minecart]]. A notable example is the aptly-named "Platform Panic", where the level terrain appears only at close range, then shakes and starts falling when the player touches it. This also holds true for ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'', which in addition has a level where many platforms fall down while having a vertical position through magnetic rails but switch to horizontal position when they go through the lit segments of the rails; the huge difficulty of this level due to the requirement of quick reflexes is why it happens to be one of the game's {{Brutal Bonus Level}}s.
* Most ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games noticeably lack these -- the ability of unaided flight'll do that. However, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' gave Kirby a limit on his flying ability, and so threw in a few temporary platforms here and there to allow you to recharge. Some games in the series also have platforms held up by ropes; the ropes can be cut using certain abilities, causing the platforms to fall. Sometimes these platforms block off access to certain paths or items, or have hazards on top of them, requiring players to cut the rope in order to access the blocked areas and/or stay safe; however, such platforms can also cause trouble for reckless players who use the wrong ability in the wrong place and find that the platform they were standing on is now falling into oblivion, [[OhCrap with them still standing on it]].
* The old Namco videogame ''VideoGame/{{Mappy}}'' (originally for arcade) has trampolines that can only be bounced on three times in a row before breaking; if a solid platform or nothing was below, you would lose a life. Later levels have true Temporary Platforms worked inside normal platforms--including one on a platform with only one survivable way off.

* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' is littered with these, namely in more "ruined" areas. Came to an interesting point in ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'' when (during a tutorial stage) you have to slow down time just to be able to cross the platform.
* ''Franchise/PrinceOfPersia'':
** ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'' has loose floor tiles that dislodge and fall moments after the [[NoNameGiven Prince character]] ran across them. Nearby vibrations (from you jumping up and down, for instance) will cause them to shake a little, allowing the player to identify them from a distance. They are useful on occasion for making running jumps off, and permanently holding down {{Pressure Plate}}s where they landed. They can also be dislodged by jumping from underneath, to access secret parts of levels, though standing below falling ones will hurt you if you don't duck.
** In the sequel ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2: The Shadow and the Flame'', they can kill {{Mook}}s and destroy potions.
** The ''Sands of Time'' trilogy, especially ''Warrior Within'' features a lot of these as crumbling wooden platforms and poles. They visibly shake whenever you walk on them and dust falls off below. What makes it worse is that jumping on top of them, or grabbing down the edges will force them to fall without warning.
** Interquel ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheForgottenSands'' features two types of temporary platform, firstly the ability to pause water to turn it into something you can grab onto, and then later remaking formerly existing platforms reappear with the power of memory. This can quickly cause DamnYouMuscleMemory rage during sections where you have to use both at once, turning one off to jump through something that would otherwise block your way to a platform you just turned on with the other ability...
* ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'':
** The game has no end of {{Temporary Platform}}s, usually situated near SpikesOfDoom. Since it's a PlatformHell pastiche of NES games, it takes the disappearing blocks from Heat Man's stage in ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' to new heights of frustration, as the player must use JumpPhysics to stay on a single block that teleports around over a spiked floor.
** And in a spiked room just below the start of the game, once you've memorized the platform's pattern, the pattern ''changes'' as you start jumping across, with you falling into the spikes below when the next platform doesn't appear where you expected it to.
** In the Mega Man level, there's a few unlabeled blocks that drop the moment you step on them, and then one inexplicable block which shoots upwards as soon as you touch it, hurtling you into a spiked ceiling.
* Also seen in ''Naruto: The Broken Bond''. Can be both in water (annoying as if you sink, you go back to the last part of land you were on) and in the air (again annoying, as usually spikes fill the area underneath).
%%* ''VideoGame/ManicMiner'' has a lot of these.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' universe has a few of these, most often found in proximity to Vex structures.
** During the raid 'The King's Fall', the tomb ships used to transport the Hive blink in and out with a large area and the guardians have to time when to jump in order to reach the next tomb ship and not fall into the bottomless depths below ... and the ships may not have appeared when you need to jump...
* In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', if you return to the bridge you crossed to claim the Pride of Lion at the start of Level Three, it's risen from the ocean (having collapsed as you crossed it), but in pieces. These pieces fall as you jump on them, and don't respawn unless you fall into the ocean (which makes you repeat the fight from Level Two, then boots you back to the start of the bridge). You can either jump across both ways without retracing steps, or cross once, claim the [[HeartContainer Blue Orb Piece]], and leap into the sea for a quick way back.
* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' has several in the jungle chapter when playing as Nero. Instead of using the "disappear a while after being touched" scheme, however, those have a schedule of their own.
* ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'' has these. ''Videogame/SuperCastlevaniaIV'' has the crumbling platform variety. Some of the games, such as ''Videogame/SuperCastlevaniaIV'', have trapdoor platforms.
* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' has tons of these, combined in every way possible with floating platforms that alternate in and out of existence on their own. The original game likes making these out of boxes, and Slippery Climb in particular is [[ThatOneLevel infamous]] for using ''enemies'' as one-shot [[GoombaSpringboard Goomba Springboards]].
* ''VideoGame/TyTheTasmanianTiger'' has temporary platforms in all three games of the series. There are two sorts: ones that operate on a timer, and ones that vanish about a second after you stand on them.
* Most ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have them; though the series isn't as fond of them as Mario, there's still a fair amount of variety. They frequently take the form of temporary ledges attached to normal platforms, which collapse moments after you step onto the ledge, but there are also regular platforms which collapse when walked on, and platforms that appear and disappear at set intervals.
** The games sometimes also throw in platforms which don't ''disappear'' but are similarly unsafe, such as ones which have sharp objects such as spikes or spears emerge from them at set intervals, ones which are sometimes electrified, and ones which burst into flames when touched. Naturally, these sometimes appear alongside the disappearing ones.
** The early games enjoy some [[NintendoHard Sega Hard]] FakeDifficulty in some places, such as Marble Zone, in which the temporary platform and stable platform use the ''same sprite''.
** The 16-bit version of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2'' in particular features a sequence in Wing Fortress Zone where you have to jump across several platforms which appear and disappear at a very unforgiving interval above a bottomless pit.
** The Wii-exclusive Blue Wisp from ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' allows Sonic to temporarily turn blue rings into blocks and vice versa, similar to a P-switch.
* ''VideoGame/{{Spelunky}}'' has temporary platforms in its third area. Oddly, while your character can not normally fall more than seven times his height without taking damage, the platform and your character fall at the same rate and you can "ride" it down to lower ground without taking damage.
* ''VideoGame/WarioLand'' has platforms that appear and disappear. They visibly fade in and out though, so you can always tell how they are going to act. As a result they aren't really too difficult to cross.
* In ''VideoGame/LaMulana'', many floating platforms start to crumble when you step on them.

* One of the features of the stage builder in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' are these -- and odds are, if you know someone who has built stages there, they've built at least one heavily featuring them. They regenerate as well, which results in problems both ways -- the platform might be missing when you're scrambling to get back up, and you also might have to deal with a platform appearing right where you were trying to go to save yourself.
* ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}'':
** One level in a [[EternalEngine lava-filled factory]] in ''He's Back!'' has numerous platforms that open up about four seconds after Frogger hopped on them, and sometimes faster. The level is appropriately titled ''Platform Madness''.
** From ''The Rescue'' onward, every level features cracked platforms that break away after a few seconds. Good thing these come back, since in ''Ancient Shadow'', the game will occasionally force you to use the same platform twice due to a FetchQuest restricting the controls.
* The original ''VideoGame/{{Frogger}}'' has groups of turtles that periodically dive underwater, drowning you if you are still riding on their backs at the time.
* There are a few of these in the ''VideoGame/HarryPotter'' games- Ones that disappear after you step on them (although if you have autojump on and keep your finger pressed on the forward key, you can get past them) and ones that fold in and out of the wall at intervals.
* ''VideoGame/BioMenace'' has these in a couple of levels. At least one set is not required to finish the level in which it appears.
* The first ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' game features many of these, also including one type of ''cloud'' platform. They only disappear temporarily, but while some just disappear for a few moments after you've stepped on them, others will disappear and reappear of their own accord, which can really cause you trouble if you don't notice it vanish and reappear by itself or time your leap correctly before you actually jump on it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Jumper}}'' series feature two types of temporary platforms. One, coloured blue, falls shortly after Ogmo stands on it, but can still be used once it lands. The second one, red, crumbles instead of falling. It appears in ''Jumper Two [[LevelEditor Editor]]'' and ''Jumper Three''.

* There are blocks which disappear after touched in ''VideoGame/MeatBoy''. ''Super Meat Boy'' also adds blocks which appear and disappear on fixed intervals.
* The Wii ''VideoGame/ABoyAndHisBlob'' has these. Unlike other versions of the trope, however, they can actually be beneficial: If you ride one while it's falling, [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou you can safely survive falls that would normally prove fatal.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Bonk}}'s Adventure'' has platforms that pull themselves apart horizontally when the player land on them.
* ''The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout'' has girder-like floating platforms that look as if they could move up or down, but instead disappear and reappear.
* ''VideoGame/FancyPantsAdventures'' has sand platforms in World 3, usually used to reach high places or to complete a timed challenge.
* ''VideoGame/RollAway'' contains Timed platforms, marked by their translucency, and Crumbling platforms, which implode as soon as the ball rolls or bounces over them.

* In ''VideoGame/SpinDoctor'', ring dots vanish forever once you let go of them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Zool}} 2'' has eggs which disappear as you run over them.
* The main feature of area 2-D in ''Legend of Grey Moon''. Here, cracked grey platforms form parts of "jump mazes" where the player must make a series of precise jumps in quick succession.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendaryAxe II'', some of the skull platforms in Stage 4 and normal blocks in Stage 6 crumble when stepped on.
* ''VideoGame/QuackShot'' has lots of dropping blocks, including bridges made of them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Qwak}}'' has blocks that dissolve from the bottom up when players stand on them.
* In ''VideoGame/TheAngryVideoGameNerdAdventures'' has the appearing and disappearing [[DeadlyWalls Death Blocks]], which kill the player. There are also standard ''VideoGame/MegaManClassic'' style disappearing and breakaway blocks, as well as block snakes similar to ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
* ''VideoGame/DontLookBack'' includes the collapsing variant in the lava cave section.

* ''VideoGame/OneThousandAndOneSpikes'' has multiple breeds of this - Platforms that only stay active for a limited time after hitting a switch, and the classic VideoGame/Megaman variety.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Gruntz}}'', there are two kids of bridges that fall into this: ones that will crumble shortly after being stepped on, and ones that appear and disappear in a predetermined pattern.
* ''VideoGame/EverybodyEdits'' has timed doors that switch on and off every five seconds. There are also key gates, which stay solid for five seconds after touching a key.
* ''VideoGame/TinyToonAdventuresBustersHiddenTreasure'' has two of these instances. The first is in the [[SlippySlideyIceWorld Ice Mountains]], where they are placed over SpikesOfDoom that [[OneHitKill instantly kill you]] if you fall off them. The second is in Montana Max's [[EternalEngine factory]], wherein there are switches to turn them on so they can lead you to Gogo Dodo.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** Some corridors in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'' have fragile stone bridges that gradually disintegrate as Link walks onto them, and beneath them is usually deep water or lava, both of which mean instant death upon fall.
** There are disappearing platforms that appear in an early dungeon of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames'', where you must use the Roc's Feather to jump through them.
* In ''[[Literature/{{Magic20}} An Unwelcome Quest]]'', a former wizard (actually, one of the hackers who have discovered a way to manipulate reality by editing a file) named Todd traps four other wizards in a game he wrote. Several times, he forces the wizards to rush on these, only for one of them to figure out that in his laziness, only the graphic of the platform (a bridge section the first time and a boulder later) collapses. The actual physical model is still there. Also, the chain of boulders only starts shaking when the wizards jump on it, but will keep on shaking until the last of them jumps off. Only then the boulder falls.
* ''VideoGame/BionicCommando Rearmed'' has both trapdoor-style and timed retracting platforms. The final stage has you run a long gauntlet of the latter.
* ''VideoGame/OriAndTheBlindForest'' has a part in the Misty Woods where you have to cross SpikesOfDoom with platforms that either change position when you jump, with one corridor combining them with [[DeathRay laser traps]], or only appear for a second or two. Another sequence in Mount Horu has a set of destroyable platforms.
* ''{{VideoGame/Guacamelee}}'' has a cave with a bunch of these, over a bottomless chasm. The problem with these is that they are from the "timed" variety, and they don't fade in or out, they simply instantly disappear after a second or so while others appear nearby at the same time, giving you no time to react. Furthermore, except for the very first few ones, there's no real rhyme or reason to their location, so you have to randomly jump on any that appears and pray that you don't get confused about which side to jump to next. You need ridiculously good reflexes to at least lower the frustration a bit. And while the item at the end of the cave isn't necessary to complete the game, it is needed to get the good ending.
* Getting across water in ''Arc Doors'' typically requires leaping across a row of lily pads, which keep sinking and resurfacing. There are also bubbles which, once stepped on, vanish after a moment.
* ''VideoGame/{{Croc}}'', being based off of ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'' and ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', naturally has these.
* ''[[VideoGame/{{Prehistorik}} Prehistorik Man]]'' has a few platforms that drop after some time. They fall faster than you, so if you're still on the platform when it drops, then it's too late to jump off it.
* ''VideoGame/KaoTheKangaroo'': All games have those. In the second and third game, you can find clouds that vanish after jumping off them 3 times, and wooden platforms that retract after standing on them. The first game has a secret area where you have to quickly jump on rapidly vanishing platforms in order to reach the prize at the top.
* ''VideoGame/UltimateChickenHorse'' has a one-time platform and a few sizes of breakable blocks that you can place. The platform breaks once one player jumps on it and reappears for the next round, while the blocks take a few jumps to destroy and keep their damage the entire game, disappearing forever once they're gone. Both are great ways to create sneaky paths that only the fastest player can get on.
* ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsSuperSponge'' features the Bubble Wand which is a power-up that lets you blow bubbles and jump on them as platforms for a short amount of time and you have limited bubbles which you can refuel by collecting bubble bottles.
* ''VideoGame/Me2017'': "Hope" platforms fall as soon as "Me" touches them.
* ''VideoGame/DoodleJump'': Has both the "Crumbling" type (platforms that disappear just after you bounce on them) and the "Timed" type (platforms that disappear after an undisclosed time interval).
* ''VideoGame/SuzyCube'': Dark grey platforms with rock patterns will crumble when Suzy Cube steps on them, then collapse after a brief pause.
* Shows up in later levels of ''VideoGame/SuperLuckysTale''. Notable because you can actually borrow through the platforms.

* A lovingly NintendoHard staple of the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. Almost every game includes a few screens where blocks appear and disappear in a set pattern. The fandom tends to refer to them as "yoku blocks."

** In the final level of ''VideoGame/MegaManAndBass'', a particular set of disappearing blocks alternates between two nearly identical patterns. As a rather cruel trick, the sole difference between them is that the second pattern is missing the final block you'd need to use to reach a ladder, meaning a hasty player will plummet into the spikes below if they observed the blocks forming once and then tried to traverse them on the second appearance.

** ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'' has loose floor tiles that dislodge and fall moments after the [[NoNameGiven Prince character]] ran across them. Nearby vibrations (from you jumping up and down, for instance) will cause them to shake a little, allowing the player to identify them from a distance. They are useful on occasion for making running jumps off, and permanently holding down {{Pressure Plate}}s where they landed. They can also be dislodged by jumping from underneath, to access secret parts of levels, though standing below falling ones will hurt you if you don't duck. In the sequel ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2: The Shadow and the Flame'', they can kill {{Mook}}s and destroy potions.

* A lovingly NintendoHard staple of the ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series. Almost every game includes a few screens where blocks appear and disappear in a set pattern.

** The fan game ''[[VideoGame/MegaManUnlimited Mega Man Unlimited]]'' goes ahead and makes a Robot Master ''based'' on those blocks. So of course [[BrutalBonusLevel his stage is packed wth them]].

* A film example: double-striped candy cane branches in the ''Sugar Rush'' game in ''Disney/WreckItRalph''. Strangely enough, ''Sugar Rush'' is an arcade racer, not a platformer; no human player is ever going to encounter this obstacle, only the game characters themselves when exploring the environments on-foot.

* In ''[[Litearture/{{Magic20}} An Unwelcome Quest]]'', a former wizard (actually, one of the hackers who have discovered a way to manipulate reality by editing a file) named Todd traps four other wizards in a game he wrote. Several times, he forces the wizards to rush on these, only for one of them to figure out that in his laziness, only the graphic of the platform (a bridge section the first time and a boulder later) collapses. The actual physical model is still there. Also, the chain of boulders only starts shaking when the wizards jump on it, but will keep on shaking until the last of them jumps off. Only then the boulder falls.

*** The game has crocodile heads that dive and resurface, and temporary ropes in the form of ghosts (that [[MostAnnoyingSound wail]] as they disappear/reappear).
*** The spider sidekick Squitter has the ability to create these as well, in the form of webs. Naturally, there's a [[ThatOneLevel level]] [[GimmickLevel dedicated to this ability]].

* [[VideoGame/OneThousandAndOneSpikes 1001 Spikes]] has multiple breeds of this - Platforms that only stay active for a limited time after hitting a switch, and the classic VideoGame/Megaman variety.

* Most ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have them; though the series isn't as fond of them as Mario, there's still a fair amount of variety. They frequently take the form of temporary ledges attached to normal platforms, which collapse moments after you step onto the ledge, but there are also regular platforms which collapse when walked on, and platforms that appear and disappear at set intervals.

* ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' is littered with these, namely in more "ruined" areas. Came to an interesting point in ''VideoGame/Jak3Renegade'' when (during a tutorial stage) you have to slow down time just to be able to cross the platform.

* Most ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games noticeably lack these -- the ability of unaided flight'll do that. However, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' gave Kirby a limit on his flying ability, and so threw in a few temporary platforms here and there to allow you to recharge.

* Most ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have them, though the series isn't as fond of them as Mario. The first game enjoyed some [[NintendoHard Sega Hard]] FakeDifficulty in the Marble Zone, when the temporary platform and stable platform that moved up and down used the ''same sprite''. The Wii-exclusive Blue Wisp from ''VideoGame/SonicColors'' allows Sonic to temporarily turn blue rings into blocks and vice versa, similar to a P-switch.

* Doublestripe candy cane branches in ''Disney/WreckItRalph''

* In ''Franchise/DevilMayCry'', if you return to the bridge you crossed to claim the Pride of Lion at the start of Level Three, it's risen from the ocean (having collapsed as you crossed it), but in pieces. These pieces fall as you jump on them, and don't respawn unless you fall into the ocean (which makes you repeat the fight from Level Two, then boots you back to the start of the bridge). You can either jump across both ways without retracing steps, or cross once, claim the [[HeartContainer Blue Orb Piece]], and leap into the sea for a quick way back.

* ''Franchise/DevilMayCry 4'' has several in the jungle chapter when playing as Nero. Instead of using the "disappear a while after being touched" scheme, however, those have a schedule of their own.
* ''Videogame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'' has these. ''Videogame/SuperCastlevaniaIV'' has the crumbling platform variety. Some of the games, such as ''Videogame/SuperCastlevaniaIV'', have trapdoor platforms.
* ''Franchise/CrashBandicoot'' has tons of these, combined in every way possible with floating platforms that alternate in and out of existence on their own. The original game likes making these out of boxes, and Slippery Climb in particular is [[ThatOneLevel infamous]] for using ''enemies'' as one-shot [[GoombaSpringboard Goomba Springboards]].

* Most ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games noticeably avert this -- the ability of unaided flight'll do that. However, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' gave Kirby a limit on his flying ability, and so threw in a few temporary platforms here and there to allow you to recharge.

* The ''Franchise/{{Destiny}}'' universe has a few of these, most often found in proximity to Vex structures
** A variant on this can be found during the raid 'The Kings Fall' where the tomb ships used to transport the Hive blink in and out with a large area and the guardians have to time when to jump in order to reach the next tomb ship and not fall into the bottomless depths below ... and the ships may not have appeared when you need to jump ...

* '''Crumbling platforms''' appear solid at first, but once the player steps on top of one it will shake, sag, descend, (etc.) and after a few seconds disappear entirely -- the player must locate the next safe footing, and ''fast''. These usually have some kind of visual cue (cracks, etc.) to warn the player of their unstable nature, but not always. A SubTrope of this is the FakePlatform, which affords no warning or time for the player to leap off of it, instead immediately crumbling/falling/exploding/vanishing upon contact. Sometimes, the platform will inexplicably reform on its own, whether some time later, or when it goes offscreen (especially if it's necessary to prevent an {{Unwinnable}} situation where permanent disappearance of platforms would prevent you from reaching your goals.) The platform may also crumble in sections.

* Non-timed variations of the above can also occur, such as platforms that only disappear ''after'' the player leaps off of it, or platforms that allow multiple uses before disappearing.

* One of the features of the stage builder in ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]'' are these - and odds are, if you know someone who has built stages there, they've built at least one heavily featuring them. They regenerate as well, which results in problems both ways - the platform might be missing when you're scrambling to get back up, and you also might have to deal with a platform appearing right where you were trying to go to save yourself.

* A {{Literature}} example in ''[[Litearture/{{Magic20}} An Unwelcome Quest]]''. A former wizard (actually, one of the hackers who have discovered a way to manipulate reality by editing a file) named Todd traps four other wizards in a game he wrote. Several times, he forces the wizards to rush on these, only for one of them to figure out that it's a subversion. In his laziness, only the graphic of the platform (a bridge section the first time and a boulder later) collapses. The actual physical model is still there. Also, the chain of boulders only starts shaking when the wizards jump on it, but will keep on shaking until the last of them jumps off. Only then the boulder falls.

* ''VideoGame/ClarencesBigChance''
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' has a non-disappearing variation with elevators: while standing on a platform as it moves won't kill you, it can trap you in a small box with an angry creature attacking your units (or worse, with ranged enemies either above or below your platform).

* Most ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'' games noticeably avert this -- the ability of unaided flight'll do that. However, ''Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards'' gave Kirby a limit on his flying ability, and so threw in a few {{Temporary Platform}}s here and there.