Best Of
10 Best Mario Games to Play
Explore ten Mario games for platforming, RPG stories, creative course building and racing, with edition details and official trailers.
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Mario’s name covers much more than a single style of platformer. This selection includes racing, RPGs, creative tools, and traditional adventures, so each entry explains the kind of session it offers. The aim is to help you choose a game, not to treat the oldest or newest release as an automatic winner. Where a game has a remade edition, that edition is named. These are ten distinct recommendations across the broader Mario franchise, rather than ten versions of the same adventure.
For more options, explore our Zelda Games guide.
10. Super Mario RPG
Super Mario RPG turns the Mushroom Kingdom’s familiar faces into a party-based adventure. Battles mix turn-based decisions with timed inputs, making them more active than simply selecting a command. The Switch remake is the edition recommended here. Choose it if you want a focused RPG that keeps a playful tone and does not require knowledge of a long-running storyline. It is also a useful bridge for platformer fans curious about RPGs, because attention and timing still have a practical role in a fight.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Super Mario RPG – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
9. Mario & Luigi: Brothership
Mario & Luigi: Brothership makes cooperation between the brothers the foundation of its puzzles and battles. Exploring islands and reconnecting a divided world gives the adventure a different rhythm from a straightforward trip across platforming stages. Choose it if you enjoy watching familiar characters solve problems together and want a longer RPG journey. Its combat still expects involvement in the action, so the turn-based format does not mean setting the controller down after every decision. This is a Switch release, with its own story and systems.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Mario & Luigi: Brothership — Launch Trailer — Nintendo Switch.
8. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope gives Mario a tactical battlefield to solve. Positioning your team, combining abilities, and deciding which threat to address first provide the challenge, while exploration supplies breathing room between encounters. It is the pick for players who want strategy in a colorful setting. The Rabbids and Mario cast keep the presentation playful, but the tactical choices are the main attraction. Choose it when planning a good turn sounds more appealing than mastering a difficult series of jumps.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope – Cinematic Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
7. Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker 2 hands much of the creative work to the player. Building a course makes you think about how a jump teaches an idea, while playing other creators’ stages reveals how many variations fit within Mario’s familiar rules. The included Story Mode also offers designed challenges without requiring online browsing. Choose it if experimentation and replayability matter more than one continuing campaign. Nintendo Switch Online is required for its online sharing and course-playing features, so account for that when deciding how you intend to use it.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Super Mario Maker 2 – Overview Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
6. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury offers two related but distinct attractions. The main game works through compact stages that can be enjoyed alone or with a group, with playful power-ups and room for friendly confusion. Bowser’s Fury provides a more continuous environment to explore. Choose this Switch package if you want varied platforming and the option of local shared play. The two components do not use identical multiplayer structures, so check their player details rather than assuming the whole package supports the same group size.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2 builds short, inventive platforming challenges around shifting gravity and unusual spaces. A new stage can introduce an idea, develop it, and move on before it becomes routine. That makes it appealing when you want concentrated level design rather than a large map full of optional tasks. The Nintendo Switch release packages it with Super Mario Galaxy; this ranking recommends Galaxy 2 once, rather than counting the collection as an additional game. Choose it for precise platforming and Yoshi’s contribution to the adventure, with the understanding that it differs from Odyssey’s freer exploration.
Official Nintendo Switch collection trailer featuring Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 — Launch Trailer — Nintendo Switch.
4. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
The Thousand-Year Door makes its paper presentation part of both the humor and the adventure. Partners bring useful abilities, towns have their own small dramas, and battles combine turn-based planning with timed participation. The Switch remake is the version highlighted here. It suits players who want a Mario story with room for eccentric characters and puzzles between fights. The journey is more about meeting people and understanding places than maintaining the pace of a traditional platformer, which is exactly why it earns a separate recommendation.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — Launch Trailer — Nintendo Switch.
3. Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World makes racing part of a connected landscape rather than a collection of isolated courses. Its different event formats give a familiar rivalry new ways to develop, while the wider world provides space to explore outside the main competition. This is a Nintendo Switch 2 game, an important distinction from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Choose it when a current Mario racing game is the priority. It is competitive rather than a conventional cooperative adventure, so match it to a group that enjoys trying to outdrive one another.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Mario Kart World – Nintendo Direct | Nintendo Switch 2.
2. Super Mario Bros Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder gives side-scrolling Mario a continuing supply of surprises. Wonder effects can change how a level behaves, while badges let you adjust part of your movement toolkit. The result is a strong choice for players who want recognizable platforming with room for unexpected ideas. The original Nintendo Switch release is the version discussed here. It works particularly well when you want a lively adventure in manageable stages. Its multiplayer options can change the experience, but the central platforming remains enjoyable alone.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Launch Trailer – Nintendo Switch.
1. Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey gives Mario compact worlds full of reasons to take a detour. Cappy’s capture ability changes how you move and interact, making a new creature or object a possible solution rather than background scenery. You can follow the main objective or spend a session investigating overlooked corners. Choose it for a broad, welcoming 3D platforming adventure with substantial optional challenges. Its local second-player role controls Cappy, so do not confuse that arrangement with two equally independent characters exploring the whole world side by side.
Official trailer — Nintendo of America. Super Mario Odyssey – Journey to Launch – Nintendo Switch.
Which Game Should You Start With?
Choose Odyssey for 3D exploration, Wonder for side-scrolling platforming, or Mario Kart World for Switch 2 racing. RPG fans should look at The Thousand-Year Door or Super Mario RPG. Sparks of Hope offers tactical battles, while Mario Maker 2 suits players who want to build as well as play.
