For many people, Mario is a piece of childhood. The first games were published a while ago, but there are still new games coming onto the market regularly. Of course, it doesn’t mean that all Mario games that are not listed here are bad, but you can’t just list them all. There are very, very many good Mario games and it is really difficult to choose 5. In general, Mario games are very popular so nowadays they are not only available on many Nintendo consoles but also in the browser on websites like https://supermarioplay.com or even on the mobile phone. In addition, there are not only the standard jump and run Mario games but also many other genres such as 3d Mario, puzzle, racing, or even games where you can build your own Mario universe.
1. Super Mario World
Super Mario World was released as the first Mario title for the SNES in 1990 and has held a special place in the hearts of gamers everywhere ever since. Super Mario World signaled Nintendo’s departure from the limitations of the 8-bit era and introduced players to a whole new world of color, with bright, addicting graphics and no less than 96 levels of addicting gameplay – it’s the kind of game that you can play over and over again without ever getting bored. The SNES not only enabled better graphics but also allowed the composition of music with eight (!) Sounds at once – and we think it has one of the best soundtracks of all time.
Super Mario World was also the first time we met Yoshi, Mario’s dinosaur sidekick that you can ride like a horse through the side-scrolling platformer. This cute new companion combined with the laid-back, kid-friendly gameplay of Super Mario World made it a huge hit, resulting in multiple re-releases on various consoles as well as its own spin-off television series.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
There was something magical about Super Mario Bros. 3. For anyone who graduated from the original Mario Bros. (and glossed over the insane feverish dream of Mario Bros. 2), it was almost impossible to believe that this new game could be played on the same console.
Multiple opponents with different abilities, new “states” of Mario (the raccoon suit was amazing as it could fly, stun and hide from opponents … although we never quite accepted the frog suit the way we wanted it ), and additional power-ups made the game an incredible experience. The richness of detail, the playability, and the variety of levels, objects, and sub-games made Super Mario Bros. 3 a classic that continues to have an impact today.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2
We chose Mario Galaxy 2 to represent both entries in the series. In terms of level design ingenuity, this is arguably the pinnacle of Nintendo, taking Mario into an exciting variety of cosmic environments. With the second game, Nintendo added Yoshi to the mix.
The Wii didn’t have HD graphics, but that didn’t matter to the Galaxy games. They are beautiful, weird, and incredibly exciting and have an amazing soundscape. Nintendo followed up with the more conventional (but still fantastic) games “3D Land” and “3D World”, but these have something that captures the full potential of a Mario game in 3D.
Both sold massively on the Wii, although neither matched the four-player New Super Mario Bros. popularity. Such was the appeal of the Wii as a multiplayer console.
4. Super Mario Maker
You cannot talk about the best Mario games without mentioning Super Mario Maker – a game that allows you to create Super Mario levels for yourself. It was a stroke of genius to turn one of the most famous game franchises into a DIY game kit that will enable fans to mimic the dazzling simplicity of Mario’s jumps and fireballs or create hellish nightmare landscapes that are almost impossible to complete.
The original game was released on the Nintendo 3DS and found a perfect home on the dual-screen hardware, which allowed players to see their levels on one screen and the game’s numerous menus of items and monsters on the other but You could also play it on the Wii U and later on the Nintendo Switch with Mario Maker 2.
5. Super Mario Odyssey
Every good Nintendo console needs a good Mario game, and Super Mario Odyssey is one of the top tier games that the Switch has to offer – not to mention one of Mario’s best adventures.
Odyssey takes the open level design of Super Mario 64 and breaks the frame thanks to the power of a more modern console – and is bursting with ideas. Each themed world is a huge playground full of secrets and allusions to previous titles. But it’s where Odyssey introduces Cappy, the sentient headgear that acts as the central, unique mechanism of the game where it comes into its own. Throw the flashing cap at an opponent and Mario transforms into his body and also takes over the opponent’s abilities, whether it is a waddling Goomba or a wild Tyrannosaurus Rex. With the new skills that everyone makes available, once mastered levels open up in a whole new way.