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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThere is no single objective winner: the best Mario game depends on whether you value inventive 2D levels, free-roaming 3D exploration, or a different kind of Mario game altogether. This ranking compares each pick by design innovation, movement and controls, replay value, and how well it represents its hardware. Handhelds count as Nintendo systems, and games that appeared on more than one system are assigned to the platform associated with their original release in Nintendo’s history.
The list focuses on platformers, with two kart racers included because they are defining Mario games in their own right. It is a curated selection across Nintendo hardware generations, not a claim that every system has exactly one exclusive Mario winner.
How this ranking works
Mario games span several genres, so a kart racer cannot be measured exactly like a platformer. The ranking weighs level and world design, movement and controls, innovation for its generation, replay value, and how distinctly a game represents its platform. It favors games that remain compelling to play, while recognizing the impact of foundational entries.
For platform attribution, the chronology follows Nintendo’s official Mario history. That history covers home consoles and handhelds, and lists original platform entries rather than every later port. A broader Mario-games ranking could include role-playing games or creative tools; this one stays centered on platforming, with two landmark Mario Kart games as genre exceptions.
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Other publications make different choices and place games in different orders. Nintendo Life’s ranking of Super Mario games highlights several of the same platformers, while GamesRadar’s broader Mario ranking also considers games such as Super Mario RPG and Super Mario Maker 2. The order below is an editorial judgment, not a consensus ranking.
The 12 best Mario games, ranked
1. Super Mario Galaxy — Wii
Galaxy turns gravity into the organizing idea for a 3D Mario adventure. Small planetoids, shifting orientations, and carefully staged challenges make each world feel unlike the open landscapes of earlier 3D entries. Its strongest achievement is how often a new physical rule becomes a fresh platforming problem rather than a gimmick.
It ranks first for its combination of inventive level design, precise movement, and a strong sense of discovery. The Wii setting is integral to its original presentation, though the game’s appeal comes from its design rather than from motion controls alone.
2. Super Mario Odyssey — Nintendo Switch
Odyssey brings back broad, explorable 3D kingdoms and gives Mario a new movement and puzzle system through Cappy. Capturing enemies and objects changes what the player can do, while the kingdoms reward both a direct route through the adventure and slower exploration for additional objectives.
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3. Super Mario 64 — Nintendo 64
Super Mario 64 established a durable template for 3D platforming: responsive movement, a camera the player can control, and open stages built around multiple goals. Its world design gives players room to experiment with jumps and routes instead of simply following a fixed path.
Rank #2
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Some camera behavior and presentation reflect its age, but its movement remains the reason to play. It earns a top-three place both as an influential Nintendo 64 game and as a platformer that still rewards hands-on exploration.
4. Super Mario World — Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario World is the standout 2D pick here. Its connected map, hidden exits, secret routes, and carefully varied stages make the journey feel like a world to investigate rather than a sequence of isolated levels. Yoshi adds new possibilities without displacing the precise running and jumping at the game’s core.
It ranks below the 3D leaders only because those games push their formats further in this particular comparison. For players who prefer classic side-scrolling Mario, World is an easy first choice.
5. Mario Kart 8 — Wii U
Mario Kart 8 is the list’s first genre departure. Its racing design turns anti-gravity sections into a visual and mechanical signature, while the familiar item-based competition keeps races lively and easy to share. It is a strong representative of Mario’s multiplayer side, not a platformer competing on the same terms as the games above it.
Nintendo’s chronology assigns the original game to Wii U. Later releases on other hardware do not change that original platform attribution.
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 — Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario Bros. 3 expands the original NES formula with a broader sense of progression, varied worlds, and power-ups that change how Mario moves through a stage. Its map and level variety give the adventure more shape than a straightforward march from one course to the next.
Rank #3
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It remains one of the strongest 2D entries, though World offers a more interconnected sense of place and later games provide more elaborate movement systems. Its position reflects both its design and its role in defining what an 8-bit Mario adventure could be.
7. New Super Mario Bros. — Nintendo DS
This DS entry revived side-scrolling Mario for a new generation, pairing familiar level-based play with a clean presentation and touch-screen features. Its value is less about reinventing the genre than making the classic format accessible on a portable system.
It is a solid starting point for handheld 2D Mario, though its stage design is not as consistently surprising as the series’ best console platformers.
8. Super Mario Bros. — Nintendo Entertainment System
The original Super Mario Bros. made a clear, readable platforming language out of running, jumping, enemies, and hidden secrets. Its stages teach through play, gradually asking for more precise timing and better judgment without requiring lengthy explanations.
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9. Super Mario Sunshine — GameCube
Sunshine gives Mario a distinct setting in Isle Delfino and builds its platforming around FLUDD, a water-powered device that changes movement and traversal. That identity sets it apart from other 3D entries, and the island’s themed areas give the adventure a strong sense of place.
Rank #4
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FLUDD makes the game less purely focused on jumping than its closest 3D rivals, and that shift will suit some players more than others. It ranks here for its memorable setting and mechanics, rather than for matching the consistency of Galaxy or Odyssey.
10. Super Mario 3D Land — Nintendo 3DS
Super Mario 3D Land adapts 3D platforming to a handheld structure, using compact stages and a more guided route than the open-ended console adventures. The result is an approachable bridge between classic side-scrolling Mario and fully three-dimensional play.
Its concise levels work well for portable sessions, but it offers less room to roam than the higher-ranked 3D games. It is the clearest pick here for a player who wants a focused handheld platformer.
11. Mario Kart World — Nintendo Switch 2
Mario Kart World represents the series’ racing branch on Nintendo’s next hardware generation. It belongs in a cross-console selection because the list includes Mario Kart as a distinct pillar of the wider franchise, even though its driving, items, and competition are not directly comparable to platforming.
It ranks below Mario Kart 8 in this list’s judgment of the games’ place in Mario’s history. The available reference list identifies World as a Switch 2 entry, but does not establish a detailed feature-by-feature comparison between the two racers.
12. Super Mario Land — Game Boy
Super Mario Land brought a compact Mario platformer to the Game Boy and gave the handheld entry its own feel. Nintendo’s history dates it to 1989, making it the earliest handheld game represented here.
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Its historical importance and portable format earn it a place, but it is less expansive and less refined than the later selections. It is most appealing to players interested in Mario’s handheld beginnings or a shorter retro experience.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the best Mario game for each Nintendo console?
This selection does not force one exclusive winner onto every system: Nintendo’s hardware history includes systems without a distinct pick in this 12-game list, and some Mario games later appeared on additional platforms. These are the strongest matches among the ranked titles, using the platform on which Nintendo’s history places each game originally.
| System | Best pick in this ranking | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) | Super Mario Bros. 3 | The most expansive NES-era platformer in this selection. |
| Game Boy | Super Mario Land | A compact handheld entry and the earliest portable pick here. |
| Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) | Super Mario World | Excellent 2D level design, secret routes, and an interconnected map. |
| Nintendo 64 | Super Mario 64 | A foundational 3D platformer built around free movement and exploration. |
| GameCube | Super Mario Sunshine | A distinctive island setting and FLUDD-centered mechanics. |
| Nintendo DS | New Super Mario Bros. | A portable return to side-scrolling Mario. |
| Wii | Super Mario Galaxy | Gravity-driven worlds and inventive 3D stages. |
| Nintendo 3DS | Super Mario 3D Land | Short, focused stages suited to handheld play. |
| Wii U | Mario Kart 8 | The ranked selection’s original Wii U Mario Kart entry. |
| Nintendo Switch | Super Mario Odyssey | A broad 3D adventure built around exploration and Cappy’s captures. |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Mario Kart World | The selection’s Switch 2 representative, from Mario’s racing branch. |
Which Mario game should you play first?
Choose by the kind of play you want rather than by rank alone:
- For classic 2D platforming: start with Super Mario World for exploration and secrets, or Super Mario Bros. 3 for a more direct NES-era adventure.
- For 3D movement and exploration: choose Super Mario Odyssey for open-ended kingdoms, Super Mario Galaxy for inventive stages, or Super Mario 64 for a foundational design.
- For a handheld-focused game: try Super Mario 3D Land for guided 3D levels, New Super Mario Bros. for side-scrolling play, or Super Mario Land for a brief look at Mario’s Game Boy era.
- For racing rather than platforming: pick Mario Kart 8 or Mario Kart World according to the platform you want to play on.
Where to play older Mario games
Later availability can make older entries easier to access, but subscription libraries and regional catalogs can change. Nintendo Life notes that Super Mario 64 is available through Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, while Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World appear among games accessible through Nintendo Switch Online. Check Nintendo’s current service catalog for your region before subscribing or planning around a specific game.
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For a modern 2D option, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a Switch release listed in Nintendo’s official history and reviewed by Nintendo Life. It is not part of this 12-game ranking, but it is a relevant choice if you want a current-generation side-scrolling Mario adventure.
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