Best Super Mario Games Of All Time

50. Mario Tennis: Power Tour (GBA)

Veteran developer Camelot proved it still belonged on Centre Court with this one.

With a comprehensive story mode, tight and entertaining tennis gameplay mechanics and a surprising amount of depth, Mario Tennis: Power Tour (or Mario Power Tennis as it's known in Europe) is a winning return for the plumber and his pals.

It's pretty dialogue-heavy, but there’s a deep, rewarding experience to be found underneath all the waffle, with the story mode serving up a satisfying sense of progression from the very beginning to this Game-Set-Match.

49. Mario Superstar Baseball (GCN)

Developed by Namco and tapping into the Japanese and US obsessions with whacking a little ball with a big stick (we prefer a big plank in this green and pleasant land), 2005's Mario Superstar Baseball gave the titular sport the colourful Nintendo-character treatment.

Being the first game in the line, it lacked some of Camelot's depth from the RPG-inspired Golf and Tennis lines. However, a neat Chemistry mechanic that affected your team's performance and a hefty roster that included a cluster of Kongs gave Mario and co. a sporting chance off the bat - enough to garner a sequel on Wii, at least.

48. Super Mario Advance (GBA)

The first of the GBA's Super Mario platformer ports (and the one that kicked off the most convoluted naming convention in gaming history), Super Mario Advance brought Super Mario Bros. 2 to the GBA in the 16-bit style of Super Mario All-Stars.

With the ability to choose between four characters carrying over from the original, it gained a point system in addition to its facelift, as well as several collectibles to find throughout each stage.

Overall, it's still one of the best ways to revisit the game, and you also get the remake of original Mario Bros. bundled in — that little multiplayer bonus would feature on multiple other entries in this GBA port series going forward.

47. Super Paper Mario (Wii)

Super Paper Mario blends classic platformer with some of the RPG elements of its predecessors and throws in a world-flipping mechanic that gives you a whole new perspective on traditional 2D platforming courses. It diverges heavily from Thousand-Year Door's way of doing things, and as a result, divides series fans.

Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of fandom, the Wii entry is a beautiful game with fiendish puzzles and an intriguing, unique flip mechanic.

46. Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA)

Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a fantastic portable golf game and then some.

Camelot nailed the mixture of RPG and straight-up golf action in the Game Boy Color entry, and it works this time around, too — so well, in fact, that there's not much need to rely on the stable of Mario characters to flesh out the experience, although we're always happy to join the plumber on the fairway, or for the various minigame modes available.

Throw in multiplayer options and Advance Tour is still worth firing up when tee time comes around.

45. Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)

Mario Super Sluggers never saw the light of day in PAL regions - probably a wise decision based on the lacklustre performance of its predecessor on these shores, though curiously we're still waiting for our region-appropriate 'Mario Wicket Whackers'.

This Now Production and Namco Bandai-developed slugger was a sequel to Namco's GameCube entry three years earlier and put the plumber and his pals on the ball field in a thoroughly serviceable take on the sport that let you indulge your proclivities for either waggle or Nunchuk input.

44. Mario Power Tennis (GCN)

Mario Power Tennis was packed with cool courts, items, and effects that had forms or simpler equivalents on N64 but this entry nevertheless stepped it up a notch. It really was the core experience from the 64-bit entry once again, but powered up.

In addition to Mario Kart-esque items and quirky court types there were also plenty of modes, with various tournaments that were straight-up tennis or 'gimmick' focused. There were also eight minigames, some of which were fun diversions, but like with its home console predecessor, many fond memories revolve around local multiplayer.

43. Mario & Luigi: Partners In Time (DS)

Although everyone has an individual preference, and Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time may not be the strongest entry, that's more a reflection of just how great the Mario & Luigi games are.

While the story might hover just below the level of other instalments, it's still creative, appealing and laugh-out-loud funny, and mastering the four-button setup of battles is as fun as ever. Bowser's Inside Story might have the edge, but it's tough to go wrong with this series.

42. Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)

Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom pals put down their jumpers for goalposts and had another crack at the beautiful game in this follow-up to their first time on the pitch on GameCube in 2005.

Mario Strikers Charged delivers exactly the brand of arcade pyrotechnical take on football you'd expect, with Next Level Games once again on dev duties as the studio went up another rung on the ladder in Nintendo's estimations on their way to such gems as Punch-Out!!, Luigi's Mansion 2, and the sublime Luigi's Mansion 3 - and ultimately being acquired and brought under Nintendo's first-party umbrella in 2021.

41. Mario Smash Football (GCN)

Proving that there's little that the portly plumber can't turn his hand (or foot) to, Next Level Games' Mario Smash Football (or Super Mario Strikers in the US) offered solid soccer action in a colourful package with Mushroom Kingdom residents brightening up the beautiful game and adding a little flair and excitement to proceedings - no nil-nil draws here!

The polar opposite of the simulation style that 'proper' football games were going for, this is a fast-paced five-a-side frenzy that did well enough to get a similarly satisfying sequel on Wii. And a fun fact: it started out life as a soccer-platformer hybrid in the prototype stage!

40. Mario Tennis (GBC)

What's a Mario sports game without iconic characters such as *checks notes*... Alex, Kate, and Harry, eh?

Camelot's handheld Mario sports entries were bizarre; not only is Mario absent from this game until you unlock him in the story mode... but there's a story mode.

Mario Tennis may not have swords, magic, or random encounters, but each Tennis match is tied together in a charming overworld that feels like it's ripped straight out of a traditional RPG. Just imagine rounds of Tennis replacing battles and it becomes much clearer why many consider these more than simple sports games - and some of the best games in Mario's sporty lineup.

39. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (GBC)

At the time, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe felt like something a bit special. This handheld port offered not only a great version of the original game, but also packed in The Lost Levels, plus bespoke red coin collecting challenges and minigames to enjoy which almost made up for the reduced view of the Mushroom Kingdom on the Game Boy Color's diminutive screen.

For some reason, one thing that sticks in our memories is the Calendar. The ability to look into the dim and distant future — or look back and see the exact day of the week we were born — felt like witchcraft back in those pre-millennium days.

Or it did to us! Perhaps we'd melted our brain a bit by playing too much Super Mario Bros. in the back of the car.

38. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)

While divisive among fans of the 8- and 16-bit classics, there was no denying the popularity of the 'New' series. In 2006, the original New Super Mario Bros. opened up 2D Mario to an entirely new generation, even if gives off a 'been there, done that' vibe these days.

The minigames were fun, and although we might pine for pixels and the 'classic' games, or wax lyrical about the myriad enhancements Mario Wonder brought with it, that shouldn't detract from what remains a remarkably solid Mario platformer.

So, absolutely essential it is not, but faults aside, there's plenty to like in Mario's oldest New adventure. Is that enough qualifications?

37. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)

Billed as a stepping stone between the 2D and 3D games, Super Mario 3D Land scaled down the grand playgrounds of the mainline titles into smaller courses that worked better on a handheld screen.

Beyond a handful of obvious and gimmicky perspective puzzles, this platformer showcased the console’s autostereoscopic 3D by subtly signalling distance and perspective – you weren’t relying on Mario’s shadow quite so much (a fact we more fully appreciated when we first played this game’s ‘big brother’, the excellent Super Mario 3D World).

It was games like this and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds which really showed off the 3DS' namesake feature and how it could enhance the gameplay experience without poking your eye out. Comfortably contained and wonderfully tailored to the hardware, Mario 3D Land should really be in your collection already.

36. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a must-have for Switch-owning fans of turn-based tactical games. More importantly, such is the style and depth on offer that it's also ideal for those who haven't played much of the genre - for whom 'XCOM' sounds like a silly acronym from a war movie. Kingdom Battle and its excellent DK DLC introduce the concept in the best possible way, and then add their own ideas for what becomes a smart, surprising, and, at times, deliciously challenging experience.

Even if you don't actually like the Rabbids, this game — and its familiar Mario cast and setting — is so good that Ubisoft's mascots become likeable. Well, almost.

35. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)

The first 2D entry to come to a home console since Mario World in the early '90s, 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii brought chaotic — a little too chaotic for some — four-player local multiplayer to the series for the first time.

This game gave old-school fans yearning for a side-on Mushroom Kingdom adventure something to chew on, with plenty of clever nods to the past, although as with the rest of the 'New' series, you could argue that the visual presentation was a little bland. Cracking music in this one, though.

Arriving in a red Wii case which really made it stand out on the shelf, anyone put off by the New series' 'wah's and cuteness missed out on a real platforming treat in NSMB Wii.

34. Mario's Picross (GB)

The start of a long and fruitful puzzle-based relationship between Jupiter and Nintendo, Mario's Picross contained 192 'regular' puzzles and an extra 64 Time Trial puzzles, so you can't argue with the value of this little cart.

These nonograms aren't very hard compared to some of the brainteasers in the later games, which also have various extra features, but it's still an addictive piece of software and a great start for Picross beginners, or those who just want some more puzzles to crack. Easy to check out via NSO, too

33. Mario Golf (N64)

Camelot brought Mario and his golfing pals onto the 3D fairways in this excellent entry in his catalogue of sports games. This game also linked up with the superlative Mario Golf for Game Boy Color. They're very different games, and the handheld version is probably even better thanks to its brilliant RPG elements, but together they make an unbeatable pair.

When we're disappointed that later games like Mario Golf: Super Rush don't match the quality of older entries, it's Mario Golf that we're remembering with a faraway wistful look in our eyes.

32. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

The DS entry in the series did a marvellous job of giving players the full-blooded 3D experience, but 3DS’ extra horsepower made this feel more like a home console release than ever before. Mario Kart 7 (the first game in the series to have a number at the end of its title, fact fans) is perhaps one of the finest racers ever made, and certainly one of the best on the 3DS.

Bringing back coins during races and introducing vehicle customisation and underwater driving to the series, its excellent autostereoscopic 3D once again proved that, in the right hands, the system's namesake feature could really add some special sauce, helping flesh out the world just that little bit more. Booting it up now makes us miss having the option — roll on Nintendo 3DSwitch! (Calm down, that’s a joke… or is it?)

31. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Mario's decades-long run of hit after hit after hit is incredible when you think about it. The expectations each new mainline entry creates are astronomically high and we're continually gobsmacked that, more often than not, those expectations are surpassed with the next one.

Available on Switch if you have a copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Mario Sunshine lacks the immaculate polish we've come to expect from the Mario series thanks to its rushed development. However, there's a unique charm and brilliance to its mechanics and setting which make it an underdog Mario game, and who doesn't love one of those?

As a direct sequel to Super Mario 64, it is not the genre-defining classic everyone hoped for. However, decades later we can look back and appreciate the many things Sunshine does superbly. The Sunshine Defence Force may be overcompensating — it's certainly got its flaws — but at the very least, it's still very good in our eyes.

The joyful, bouncing Isle Delfino theme alone makes it worth revisiting, so if you've skipped this entry in Mario's back catalogue, don't let its reputation put you off.

30. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GCN)

We're quite partial to the Nintendo 64 entry in the series, but developer Camelot didn't do much wrong when it came to the excellent GameCube iteration, either.

Featuring 16 characters and courses containing Mushroom Kingdom staples such as warp pipes and Chain Chomps, Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour takes things up a gear without reinventing the game, making every bunker and green look suitably lovely and introducing some fun extra modes.

Given the dev's history and impressive catalogue of games involving Mario smacking balls of various sizes as hard as possible, MGTT is hardly revolutionary. But there's only so much you can do with golf before it turns into something that isn't really golf anymore. Ultimately, there aren't many better ways to spoil a walk than this.

29. Mario Tennis (N64)

The first in the Mario Tennis series (second, if you count Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy) was one half of a winning doubles team in the Mushroom Kingdom sports department from Camelot — the studio also released the brilliant Mario Golf for N64, as well as Game Boy Color versions of each game that linked up with their home console cousins via the Transfer Pak.

Mario's played a lot of tennis over the years, but this remains one of his finest on-court displays.

28. Super Mario Bros. (NES)

So much of the foundation of the series — and the medium at large — was put down in Super Mario Bros. that it's tough to evaluate all these years later without considering its historical importance.

This game, perhaps more than any other, has passed into the popular cultural consciousness and influenced countless developers since 1985. Artefacts like this delineate epochs; when it comes to video games, there was 'Before SMB' and 'After SMB'.

Going back today, it has aged, naturally, and it doesn't control quite as tightly as the Super Mario Bros. theme in the Mario Maker games. But it's still the original and, some would say, the best. Not us, but some.

You've played this many, many times before, no doubt, and you'll play it many, many times again. Good game.

27. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (GB)

The original Super Mario Land was a solid start for the series on Nintendo's Game Boy system, but nothing prepared us for what Nintendo R&D1 was able to do with this sequel.

Every aspect of the game is improved to the point that it genuinely feels of a piece with its 8-bit, home console brethren, delivering a longer, more in-depth handheld Mario adventure. It's a bit on the easy side, but it remains one of the best Game Boy titles ever released and a testament to just how capable a system it was in the hands of talented devs.

If you're a Super Mario fan, you absolutely must play Super Mario Land 2; if you're not, this legendary handheld entry is good enough to make you one.

26. Mario Kart 64 (N64)

While the racers themselves might not have been truly 3D (rather they were detailed Donkey Kong Country-style sprites created from 3D character renders), Mario Kart 64's huge, undulating circuits still showed off the benefits of 64-bit hardware. It added inclines, items, obstacles, and a four-player multiplayer mode to the winning formula Nintendo cooked up on Super NES. This is also the game which gave us Toad's Turnpike.

Each iteration of the Mario Kart series adds a little something new, but following on from the flat circuits of Super Mario Kart, there's arguably been nothing quite like this first jump to 3D-except-for-the-racers. Like any Mario Kart game, add three friends and you'll have an epic time in no time.

25. Super Mario Maker 2 (Switch)

Super Mario Maker 2 took everything you loved about Super Mario Maker and turned it up to 11.

It's added more of everything: the Super Mario 3D World style, enemies, gizmos, power-ups, vertical levels, the Story Mode having an actual story, multiplayer, and more (including slopes, of course). The list of additions is truly massive.

There are a few small issues here and there — the online is still hilariously obtuse in a way only Nintendo could make it, and the slight awkwardness of button-based building is disappointing after how natural it felt on the Wii U GamePad — but they're overwhelmingly dwarfed by the sheer joy and unbridled freedom on offer.

Free updates and tweaks to the formula evolved the experience over time, much like the original, with Ninji Speedruns and various new elements — like the ability to create world maps — added to this expansive, essential Mario toybox.

24. Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

The original Wii U Super Mario Maker, with its multiple updates, additions, and tweaks over time, was a game which arguably justified the Wii U GamePad on its own.

Enabling you to craft levels in the style of the original game, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and the New series, the elegant user interface and overall polish made this an exceptional Mario experience, one that was tailored perfectly to the second screen of the Wii U GamePad. It was the system's true 'killer app', but it arrived too late in the lifecycle to make a difference.

Its Switch sequel might have added slopes and other fun doohickeys, but the sequel stands on the shoulders of the original, and the basic course creation experience is arguably still at its most intuitive on a Wii U GamePad.

You can't share your creations online via Nintendo's bafflingly backward course-sharing system anymore, but if you've ever enjoyed a 2D Mario game and have a creative, playful spirit (and a Wii U), then the original Mario Maker still deserves your attention.

23. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)

Following the online exploits of Mario Kart DS, it was almost a given that Mario Kart Wii would follow suit and include the ability to play against the world — thankfully, despite the console's rather anaemic online capabilities, the experience was nothing short of stunning.

From the outside, the Wii entry might have sacrificed some of the kart racing series' personality, but the online multiplayer with support for up to twelve players, optional motion controls (who could forget that plastic wheel accessory?), and additional vehicles and characters helped make it one of the most accessible entries in the series.

Successful, too. It sold a staggering 37.38 million copies.

22. Mario Kart DS (DS)

Whether you can forgive its snaking ways or not, this was still a cracking entry in a series which arguably doesn't have a dud.

If you're unfamiliar, 'snaking' — a technique which involves using power slide boosts — did admittedly dampen the online experience back in the day if you hadn't mastered it, but online (sadly) isn't an option now. So if you're unhappy with how your local competitors are snaking, you can simply lean over and communicate your dissatisfaction in a direct manner. In the ribs, perhaps.

It should also be remembered that Mario Kart DS was the first in the series to offer online play – and that was a real game-changer in 2005. Of course, it's been surpassed since by its sequels, but having a fully 3D Mario Kart in your hands was a special feeling back in the day, and MKDS holds a special place in many a kart-lover's heart, including ours.

21. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (GB)

With Wario Land, Nintendo completely reinvented its portable platformer and gave its greedy new character his own game, instead of merely plopping him down into the middle of another standard Super Mario Land presentation.

Indeed, anybody who might have picked up this ‘sequel’ expecting something similar was in for a shock. A wealth of new gameplay features combined with a unique visual and musical style make this title stand on its own and it gives fans of the previous Mario Land releases a fresh spin on the series.

If you want to experience some of the best platforming the Game Boy system has to offer, you needn't look any further.

20. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (DS)

Alpha Dream created a fantastic take on the Super Mario RPG idea on Game Boy Advance, but they took the concept to new heights with Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.

The third title in the series, it would be easy to rave on and on about this one, but the best way to sum everything up is to say Bowser's Inside Story is the kind of game that reminds you why you loved playing video games in the first place.

It's easily one of the best DS releases and although it received a 3DS update that we'd probably take in a straight contest thanks to the added Bowser Jr.'s Journey, you really can't go wrong with either version. If this one passed you by, we recommend you get intimately acquainted with the King of the Koopas, pronto.

19. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)

Some believe that your favourite Mario Kart game depends on which one you played first, or which you've played the most in multiplayer. This can lead to much contentious debate, but we have wonderful memories of Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

While not overflowing with new ideas, the racers were presented as gorgeous fully 3D models for the first time, the two-driver gimmick was extremely satisfying and introduced a new layer of strategy as you switched characters and juggled items, and it has some all-time great courses, including DK Mountain (ah, that little shortcut at the end!) and perennial favourite Baby Park, the hilariously hectic mini-loop.

It might lack a certain je ne sais quoi if you're devoted to other entries in the series, but this remains a chaotic karting classic in our book. We love it.

18. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga's lengthy main adventure felt pretty unique back in 2003. It was only the third RPG-style Mario adventure, but developer AlphaDream's Mario debut hit the jackpot right away with its addictive battle systems and dual-brother gameplay.

With plenty of side quests to seek out and minigames to replay for high-score chasers, Mario and Luigi's amusing animations and "voice acting" played into the game's great sense of humour and it hasn't lost its ability to raise an ear-to-ear smile. Available on Switch if you've got an NSO Expansion Pack subscription, so check it out.

17. Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World (GBA)

When it comes down to choosing between Super Mario World or Super Mario Advance 2, you really can't lose whichever version you pick.

The GBA rework is a faithful rendition of the timeless original where it counts most, and the parts where it strays can either be seen as handy little improvements or minor inferiorities — it truly comes down to personal taste.

If forced to choose, the original has the edge for us due to its more consistent sound quality, two-player capabilities, and larger screen real estate. However, if you've already played the SNES original a ton and want to take on something a little bit different — or finally feel up to nabbing all those pesky Dragon Coins — then the GBA option remains a stellar choice. Everyone's a winner.

16. Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (GBA)

This game made navigating this series' obtuse naming conventions absolutely worth it, even if you played Super Mario Bros. 3 on NES (which of course you did).

Assuming you had the requisite kit to access the e-Reader levels — many of which were never released in North America — Super Mario Advance 4 contained a bevy of fresh Nintendo-designed levels to play through, making it an essential purchase for the Mario connoisseur (and the Wii U Virtual Console release and the Nintendo Switch Online version actually include all 38 levels without the need to have the e-Reader, the cards, and a second GBA to scan them with).

Aside from the extra levels, this feels like playing the version of SMB3 from Super Mario All-Stars on a handheld. Whether you're a NES purist or you prefer the updated look and feel of the SNES version, Super Mario Bros. 3 shines brightly in any form.

15. Paper Mario (N64)

Over two decades later, Paper Mario might not look as sharp as it once did, but it holds up very well where it matters and jostles with The Thousand-Year Door for the title of 'Best Paper Mario Game'.

The N64 original does very well to ease Mario fans into a new style of adventure while providing a depth for RPG gamers that you might not expect from the paper-thin premise. With a great supporting cast and buckets of trademark Nintendo charm, the OG is up there with the best. Play it on Switch if you missed out.

14. Donkey Kong (GB)

It's rare that the echo triumphs over the voice, but if we had to pick between playing arcade DK or the Game Boy port, there's really no choice.

Donkey Kong on Game Boy — Donkey Kong '94 as it's often called — is far more than just a simple sequel or port. After finishing the first four levels, you might assume that's it, but with over 101 levels in total, there's a whole other game awaiting you. In fact, it laid the groundwork for spin-off series Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Adding a metric ton of new features while still managing to keep the ‘arcadey’ feel of the original, the visuals and music are outstanding and complement this impressively expanded take on an icon. It's up there with the Game Boy's finest, and another wonderful portable title featuring Mr. D. Kong.

13. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury takes everything that made the cat-filled Wii U original special and throws in various small gameplay tweaks to make it even more enjoyable. The first four-player 3D Mario game fuses the freedom of the third dimension with the more constrained (yet no less imaginative) courses from his 2D games to wonderful effect.

The cooperative multiplayer element brought Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad back into the fold, mirroring Super Mario Bros. 2's lineup, and both Cat Mario and Captain Toad were also introduced here. It's the additional open-world-y Bowser's Fury mode that makes this Switch version a must-buy, even if you 100%'d the Wii U original.

The only real mark against the awkwardly acronymed SM3DW+BF is patchy online multiplayer implementation, but this Switch release is otherwise up there with the very best of the plumber's portfolio.

Bowser's Fury is probably the best Mario game for people who have never played a 3D Mario before, serving as an unintimidating introduction to a larger three-dimensional Super Mario world that can also be played with friends and family.

12. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES)

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is not only a brilliant game in its own right, it's a history lesson in how the Mario role-playing series began.

Anyone who has played the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series should play Square's original title that started it all - either in original 16-bit form or via the excellent Switch remake.

Super Mario RPG paved the way and inspired both, and we should be eternally thankful to Squaresoft for injecting character and humour into the plumber's repertoire.

11. Super Mario All-Stars (SNES)

An extremely impressive package featuring the NES Super Mario Bros. games with a 16-bit lick of paint, Super Mario All-Stars was a convenient way to revisit the classics back on Super NES.

Ultimately, with the exception of Super Mario Bros. 2 — we'd say that All-Stars actually contains the 'best' version of that game — the originals arguably still offer the prime, 'canon' experience these days. (If you're playing this via Nintendo Switch Online, they're all accessible so you can easily see for yourselves.)

However, for anybody who first experienced the NES games in this package, we understand if All-Stars represents peak 2D Mario for you and offers the ultimate nostalgia trip. Everyone's a winner, however you play 'em.

10. Super Mario 64 (N64)

The 3D platformer that defined what that label meant, it's remarkable just how much Shigeru Miyamoto and his team got right with its first foray.

It feels effortless, as if these mechanics were somehow self-evident or arrived at through natural evolution. Nintendo absolutely nailed the formula from the very beginning – so much so that the basic 3D template hasn't really changed much, even today. We still control Mario much as we first did with that wonderfully odd-looking N64 controller.

Super Mario 64 is available on Switch if you nabbed a time-limited copy of Super Mario 3D All-Stars or as part of a Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscription, and blather on endlessly about its genre-birthing mechanics, how it set the stage for 3D gaming as we know it, and the infinity of tiny details that make this a joy to fire up all these years later.

But you know all that. Do yourself a favour and blast through a couple of dozen stars next time you're pondering what to play. It still feels almost as good as it did the very first time.

9. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)

Mario Kart 8 took a while to arrive, but was worth the wait. The vehicles and racers have never handled better, the collection of courses is possibly the best ever, while replayability through Ghost Races or — primarily — online races and Tournaments is almost endless.

While the Deluxe version on Switch would include all the DLC, add the missing Battle Mode and polish everything until it glistened, the brilliant base game is largely unchanged. Mario Kart 8 was an accomplished effort that pushed the franchise forward in thrilling ways, and regardless of the version you play, you're guaranteed a great time.

8. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)

Yoshi's Island is the absolute summit of not just Yoshi games, but platformer games in general, with a wonderful vision of pastel colours, majestic backdrops, and character-oozing sprites.

Honestly, it's difficult to remember any other game that matches or even comes close to the amount of detail that Yoshi's Island did, past or present. The level of charm is astronomical. Every enemy seems quite intentional. There will be moments when you refrain from killing an enemy just to watch it its animation.

With its deep exploration-based gameplay and gorgeous art style, Yoshi's Island is still a joy to play all these years later. Yoshi's Island isn't just a great platformer: it's a reminder of why this silly hobby of ours is so wonderful.

7. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, quite simply, the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World in our opinion; the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991.

In its Wonder Flowers, badges, and online aspects, it serves up an endlessly inventive and impressive platforming adventure that will utterly hook you. From its myriad animation details to its infectious anything-could-happen spirit, it's got charm up the wazoo.

A refinement of a well-established formula, it doesn't totally upend the 2D tea table, but with local co-op and online fun adding to the replayability factor, this feels like 2D Mario with its mojo back. Super Mario Wonder is one of the very best platformers we've played.

6. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

There's an argument to be made that Mario 64 never got a 'true' sequel until this game: Sunshine's FLUDD muddied the waters with its feature set; the Galaxy games eschewed large playgrounds for impeccably crafted planetoids designed around specific ideas; 3D Land and 3D World were deliberately contained with linear design to introduce 2D Mario players to the third dimension.

Super Mario Odyssey promised a return to the 'sandbox' style players had been pining for since 1996, and it delivered. Cappy's capture abilities keep things fresh in a game which blends all sorts of ideas and art styles into an improbably coherent, compelling whole.

It really shouldn't work, but New Donk City's human inhabitants co-exist happily with anthropomorphic cutlery, colourful sombrero-wearing skeletons, and the big-eyed Mushroom Kingdom clan thanks solely to the developers' impeccable execution. The mechanical mastery here is breathtaking, with so many distractions to discover. We don't envy the designers who have to come up with Mario's next game, but Mario Odyssey proves that absolutely anything is possible.

An utterly remarkable entry in this most celebrated of series, then. The best Switch Mario game is an essential purchase whether you like Mario or not.

5. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

With Super Mario Galaxy 2 Nintendo gave us that rarest of treats — a direct sequel to one of its finest games. While anyone who played and fell in love with Super Mario Galaxy would have been overjoyed to hear there was more on the way, the expectations couldn't have been higher. Somehow, Galaxy 2 expanded on the first game's inventiveness, turning up the colour dial to eleventy-stupid.

This was EAD Tokyo tearing up the textbook and pasting it back together in fascinating, surprising ways, flexing its beefed-up, confidently creative muscles with a huge variety of environments and obstacles, plus Yoshi and a host of new power-ups. It's a brilliant time.

To argue over which Galaxy is better is pointless, really — they're both wonderful and utterly essential, so if you never got around to playing the sequel, carve out some time as soon as possible. Inexplicably, it's missing from Switch's 3D All-Stars collection, but this game is truly worth hunting down a Wii for if you missed it.

4. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Where Sunshine faltered, Super Mario Galaxy truly did shine. Taking Mario into space gave Nintendo the opportunity to play with gravity and give the character a whole new (final) frontier of planetoid playgrounds to blast between, setting the stage for endlessly creative snippets of platforming perfection.

All that aside, there's also Rosalina and the Lumas' story to enjoy if you go looking for it; an affecting and underrated aspect of an utterly sublime game.

It's available to play on Switch, and you really should — Super Mario Galaxy is an infectiously fun trip through the cosmos which begged the question: Where could the plumber possibly go next?

3. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

As toweringly important as the original Super Mario Bros. was, Super Mario Bros. 3 was a colossal leap forward in practically every way.

It refined the basics, switched up the visuals, and added more mechanical variety and one-and-done elements than any video game to that point — so many that even today there are certain suits, stages, and secrets that many fans never found.

So many ‘old’ games are best approached with historical context in mind, or come with caveats when playing them years after release. SMB3 needs none. It's just as boundingly inventive and fresh as the day it was released, and easily one of the very finest video games ever made. Play it, now.

2. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)

The power of GameCube enabled greater fidelity of its paper-based art style than the original, but otherwise Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door stuck closely to the original's blueprint.

It's a wonderfully colourful adventure packed with clever callbacks to the portly plumber's history and the same irreverent spirit which makes so many Mario RPGs refreshingly different from the mascot's platformers. Where other entries have dropped the ball in an area or two, Thousand-Year Door gets everything right; plot, writing, battles, presentation - the lot.

Prices for a GameCube disc have skyrocketed in recent years and given the quality, it's not hard to see why. Treasure your copy if you've got one, and perhaps lend it to a trusted friend who never visited the town of Rogueport.

And if you don't have a copy or a GameCube? Well, that's what the Switch version's for!

1. Super Mario World (SNES)

There is endless debate about whether Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World is the better game. For our money, they are two sides of the same coin — two faces of a monumental peak in the video game landscape.

This remains an incredible achievement of invention and sheer entertainment that the 2D platforming genre has struggled to match ever since. Introducing Yoshi and an expanded overworld with multiple paths, Mario World overflows with secrets and secret exits that were perfect for fuelling playground gossip and elevating it to the upper-est echelons of platform video games, 2D or otherwise.

Decades on, it still doesn't get much better than this. All games have flaws, but if there exists an exception to that rule, Super Mario World is it.