Super Mario Games

The game that defined the platformer genre and saved the North American video game industry. Super Mario Bros. is the archetypal adventure that introduced Mario to the world.

The controversial sequel that introduced Toad, Princess Peach, Wario's nemesis Wart, and the character-selection mechanic — a beloved oddity in the Mario series.

The NES platformer that rewrote the rulebook — eight massive worlds, 90+ levels, new power-ups, and a scope that made every previous platformer feel small.

The Game Boy launch title that proved Mario could thrive on handheld hardware. Super Mario Land takes Mario to four exotic kingdoms — Sarasaland — in a globe-trotting adventure to rescue Princess Daisy. Shorter and quirkier than console Mario games, it was an essential early showcase for the Game Boy.

Nintendo's answer to Tetris — Dr. Mario tasks players with eliminating colored viruses by matching them with colored pill halves thrown into a bottle. One of the best puzzle games on the NES.

The SNES launch game that defined the 16-bit era. Super Mario World introduced Yoshi, expanded Mario's move set, and delivered 96 exits across a vast, joyful world that remained the gold standard for platformers for years.

The game that invented kart racing. Super Mario Kart's Mode 7 pseudo-3D tracks, item combat, and eight beloved characters launched one of gaming's most enduring and beloved racing franchises.

The Game Boy masterpiece that introduced Wario to the world. Super Mario Land 2 massively expanded on its predecessor with a large overworld, six distinct zones, and the Bunny Ears and Carrot power-up that let Mario float. The final showdown with Wario in Mario's own castle is one of gaming's great villain reveals.

Nintendo's SNES anthology of remade NES Mario classics — Super Mario All-Stars updates Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and The Lost Levels with 16-bit graphics and saves.

A SNES technical masterpiece — Yoshi carries Baby Mario across 48 stages in a hand-drawn art style that pushed the SNES hardware with real-time sprite scaling and rotation that defined the series' visual identity.

The collaboration that shouldn't have worked but produced one of gaming's greatest surprises. Square's RPG design applied to Mario's universe created a game of warmth, humor, and unexpected depth.

The game that invented 3D platforming as a genre. Super Mario 64 launched alongside the Nintendo 64 and demonstrated, definitively, that video games could work in three dimensions. Its influence on every 3D game that followed is incalculable — this is where the template was written.

Nintendo's kart racing series made its landmark 3D debut with Mario Kart 64, delivering sixteen imaginative tracks, eight beloved characters, and the four-player multiplayer that made it a mandatory purchase for any N64 owner. The game that made group gaming on consoles a standard part of social life.

Intelligent Systems' charming RPG gave Mario the storybook treatment — flat paper characters in a colorful 3D world — and delivered a warm, witty adventure with a battle system accessible enough for beginners yet deep enough for RPG veterans. Paper Mario is pure Nintendo joy in interactive form.