The 10 Greatest Mario Video Games of All Time, Ranked

Published Sep 25, 2026, 3:08 PM EDT

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In terms of immediate recognition combined with consistent quality and influence throughout the gaming industry, no singular video game franchise comes close to the impact and importance of the Super Mario series. Whether it be the hundreds of memorable spinoffs or the timeless platforming experiences that made the character an icon, each generation of gaming manages to have its own must-play Mario masterpiece that defines the generation.

These platformers, both 2D and 3D, are often the immediate examples of perfection within the genre, elevating and defining the strengths of the genre as they influence just about every other platformer ever made. Many of Mario's most acclaimed and recognizable outings have stood the test of time as some of the greatest video games ever made. Video gaming as an art form simply wouldn't be the same without Nintendo's iconic plumber mascot, as these games see the character at his absolute best.

10 'Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury' (2021)

Image via Nintendo

Super Mario 3D World was already a prominently underrated entry in the Super Mario franchise, building upon the strengths of the level-based 2D platformers while utilizing seamless controls in a 3D multiplayer environment. It was massively limited due to its release on the failing Wii U console, making its Nintendo Switch port all but inevitable. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury proves to be much more than just a simple port, however, including an entirely new 3D Mario experience alongside the original underrated gem.

Bowser's Fury takes a completely different approach to 3D Mario compared to 3D World, acting as a short yet highly engaging proof of concept for an open-world Mario game, where all of the levels and platforming seamlessly connect in a single area without any major loading screens. While this concept will hopefully be explored even more in the next big 3D Mario game, it still stands now as one of the best games that the Switch has to offer.

9 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' (2023)

Image via Nintendo

After so many 2D Mario games under the "New Super Mario Bros." banner were released and felt like extensions of the same game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder reintroduced vibrant creativity and originality to 2D Mario not seen since the SNES era. It takes the best attributes of modern and classic Mario platformers to create a true evolution of the formula, with each level delivering an unpredictable blast that constantly reshapes gameplay mechanics and rules.

It also helps that the game has a truly stellar art style, overflowing with personality and charm in every way, even to the point of actual gameplay with goofy new power-ups like Elephant Mario. It made for a truly great return to form for 2D Mario that paints a great picture for the future of the character in the post-New Super Mario Bros. and post-Super Mario Maker world.

8 'Super Mario Sunshine' (2002)

Image via Nintendo

While considered by some to be the black sheep of 3D Mario platformers due to several distinct choices it makes in its design and evolution of the formula, Super Mario Sunshine has grown to be an undeniable fan favorite for many fans, as an absolute must-play GameCube title. The game sees Mario traversing the tropical Isle Delfino, clearing his name as he is framed for the crime of polluting the island while collecting Shine Sprites and restoring the Island's beauty.

It's all the little things that come together to make Super Mario Sunshine such a memorable and endearing experience, from the core dynamic of utilizing the water jetpack F.L.U.D.D. for platforming to the intricate worldbuilding of each of the main levels of the game. Even if some of its gameplay elements haven't aged the best, there's so much underlying charm and passion to this game that it still makes it a delight to revisit all these years later.

7 'Super Mario Bros. (1985)

Image via Nintendo

It's impossible to have a list of the best Mario games without including the one that put him on the map as an inescapable icon of gaming. While not his first appearance in a video game, Super Mario Bros. is a platformer so timeless and exceptional in its craft that it nearly single-handedly revitalized the entire video game industry following its notorious crash in 1983. The game's influence and stature in the realm of platformers and video games as a whole are still felt to this day, with it easily being one of the most important video games of all time.

The only thing that holds it back in the context of this list is that Mario as a franchise has evolved and grown so much since these humble early days. That isn't to take away from the timeless strengths and impactful level design of this original masterpiece, only to say that this formula has grown and evolved so much that what was originally a savior of the industry helped pave the way for games even greater and even more exceptional.

6 'Super Mario Galaxy 2' (2010)

Image via Nintendo

One of the only times that a 3D Mario platformer received a direct sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2 really can just be boiled down to more of what made the original game such a masterpiece. While some may look at the game and take issue with it not forging its own identity or doing much to separate itself from the original, the absolute fun factor that comes from playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 cannot be ignored. With even more creative galaxies to explore and new power-ups galore, the game continued to deliver the same greatness as the original in the eyes of many gamers.

The game features constant memorable levels back to back to back, always keeping things fresh and finding ways to be inventive with the level design to keep the game from feeling too similar to the original title. The level of polish is also absolutely immaculate, having some of the best graphics on the Nintendo Wii and adding small quality-of-life improvements to the flow and feel of the game.

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

01

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

NEXT QUESTION →

02

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

NEXT QUESTION →

05

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

NEXT QUESTION →

06

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

NEXT QUESTION →

07

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

NEXT QUESTION →

08

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

• You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
• You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
• Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
• The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

• Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
• You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
• Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
• Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

• The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
• You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
• Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
• That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

• Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
• You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
• Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
• Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

• Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
• You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
• The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
• You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Super Mario Odyssey' (2017)

Image via Nintendo

After a long string of more linearly designed 3D Mario games, Super Mario Odyssey was a glorious return to form for the classic style of 3D Mario platformer, with vast open worlds filled with collectibles and secrets to explore. With exceptionally fluid controls and personality exuding from each of the game's worlds, Super Mario Odyssey is a 3D platformer delight that may just be the most approachable and endlessly replayable Mario game to date.

The movement controls play a major part in the game's continued success and legacy, finding this perfect balance between being simplistic enough for those unfamiliar with platformers to enjoy while having the depth that allows skilled gamers to express themselves in the game's movement. Time has only been kind to this icon of modern Nintendo mastery, with this easily being one of the best Nintendo games of the past 10 years.

4 'Super Mario World' (1990)

Image via Nintendo

Upgrading the classic 2D Mario style into 16-bit graphics and the new SNES system, Super Mario World is, to many, still the absolute standard for 2D Mario platformers, as one of the most timeless and well-crafted platformers ever made. This amazing Nintendo game delivers exactly what one wants out of a 2D Mario experience, with a wide variety of levels and a great progression of difficulty, making it an unmistakable classic of the era.

From the introduction of beloved series icon Yoshi to the exceptional execution of its level design and visual charm, Super Mario World is one of the most important Mario games ever released and still greatly influences the entire franchise all these decades later. There is a good reason that there are still original ROM hack experiences that utilize Super Mario World as the baseline game, as it executes upon classic 2D platforming gameplay better than any other game of the 90s and beyond.

3 'Super Mario 64' (1996)

Image via Nintendo

With the advent of 3D graphics in the 90s completely revolutionizing the gaming industry, it soon became the standard for many popular franchises to make the jump to 3D. Super Mario 64 is arguably the absolute best of these shifts to 3D, with the platforming fun and vast creative worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom working perfectly for a 3D platforming collectathon. The game is undeniably the most important and influential 3D platformer ever made, completely revolutionizing the concept in the same way Super Mario Bros. did for 2D platformers 11 years prior.

While other early 3D games have faced some difficulties with stilted and awkwardly aged controls, Super Mario 64 is still incredibly fluid and fun to play in the modern day, feeling timeless in its execution as it perfectly understood how to make platforming in 3D both fun and engaging. While the game technically received a remake in Super Mario 64 DS, its lack of analog controls makes it pale in comparison to the fluid feeling of the original game.

2 'Super Mario Galaxy' (2007)

More than just one of the greatest Mario games ever made, Super Mario Galaxy is an absolute masterpiece of the platformer genre that is often celebrated as one of the greatest gaming achievements of the 21st century. With exceptional gravity physics complementing the level design and platforming perfectly, Super Mario Galaxy is a constant display of creative ideas brought to life with even more impressive execution. Its more linear design sets it apart from previous 3D Mario games while allowing for even more variety of levels and worlds to explore.

The space thematics and otherworldly feel of the game prove to be much more than just gravity gameplay mechanics, as it works in tandem with the tone and feel of the game to create one of the most beautiful gaming experiences that Nintendo has ever released. The game has been celebrated as one of the very best Nintendo games ever since its release, to the point of it even being the focal point of the second animated Mario movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.

1 'Super Mario Bros. 3' (1988)

With so many masterpieces to choose from, it really does feel like any number of these games have a justification for taking the top spot on this list thanks to their endless qualities and strengths. However, in terms of which singular Mario platformer most distinctly exemplifies and symbolizes the greatness of the Mario series as a whole, it's difficult to deny the stature of Super Mario Bros. 3. One of the very best games on the NES, Super Mario Bros. 3 pushed the console to its absolute limits and improved upon the already influential previous games in every possible way.

The controls and gameplay mechanics are more responsive and fun to play; the worlds and level design are much more varied, with each level and world feeling vastly different from the last; and the game helped define and set in stone the visual style that would define the franchise going forward. When gamers think of truly great Mario games, Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the first that comes to mind, whether it be the NES original or one of the many great remasters for the SNES and Game Boy Advance.

Super Mario Bros. 3