Super Mario
{{Short description|Video game series}}
{{Other uses}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox video game series
| image = Mario Series Logo.svg
| caption= Logo since 2011
| platforms = {{Hlist
| NES
| Arcade
| Game Boy
| GameCube
| Wii
| Wii U
| iOS
| Android
}}
| developer = {{Unbulleted list
| Nintendo EAD (1985–2015)
| Nintendo EPD (2016–present)
}}
| publisher = Nintendo
| genre = Platform
| spinoffs = Luigi
Yoshi
Wario
Mario Kart
Mario Party
Paper Mario
Mario & Luigi
| creator = Shigeru Miyamoto
| artist = {{Plainlist|
- Yoichi Kotabe
- Shigehisa Nakaue
}}
| composer = {{Unbulleted list
}}
| first release version = Super Mario Bros.
| first release date = September 13, 1985
| latest release version = Super Mario Bros. Wonder
| latest release date = October 20, 2023
}}
{{Nihongo foot|Super Mario|スーパーマリオ|Sūpā Mario|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} (also known as {{nihongo foot|Super Mario Bros.|スーパーマリオブラザーズ|Sūpā Mario Burazāzu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} and {{Nihongo foot|Mario)|マリオ|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. However, there have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms.{{cite web|url=https://screenwanderer.com/8-times-super-mario-jumped-on-other-platforms/|title=8 times Super Mario jumped on other platforms|author=Screenwanderer.com|date=June 19, 2019|accessdate=November 3, 2023|archive-date=October 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002220815/https://screenwanderer.com/8-times-super-mario-jumped-on-other-platforms/|url-status=live}} There are more than 20 games in the series.
The Super Mario games are set primarily in the fictional Mushroom Kingdom, typically with Mario as the main player character. He is usually joined by his brother, Luigi, and often other members of the Mario cast. As platform games, they involve the player character running and jumping across platforms and atop enemies in themed levels. The games have simple plots, typically with Mario and Luigi having to rescue the kidnapped Princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Bowser. The first game in the series, Super Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985, established the series' core gameplay concepts and elements. These include a multitude of power-ups and items that give the character special powers such as fireball-throwing and size-changing.{{Cite web |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |title=Nintendo's Revised History Of Super Mario Bros. |date=December 10, 2010 |url=https://kotaku.com/5710212/nintendos-revised-history-of-super-mario-bros |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618052542/https://kotaku.com/5710212/nintendos-revised-history-of-super-mario-bros |archive-date=June 18, 2018 |access-date=June 18, 2018}}
The Super Mario series is part of the greater Mario franchise, which includes other video game genres and media such as film, television, printed media, and merchandise. More than 430 million copies of Super Mario games have been sold worldwide, making it the sixth-bestselling video game series, behind the larger Mario franchise, the puzzle series Tetris, the Call of Duty series, the Pokémon video games, and Grand Theft Auto.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/voice-nintendos-mario-hangs-his-hat-it-has-been-honor|title=The voice behind Nintendo's Mario hangs up his hat: 'It has been an honor' |access-date=February 14, 2025}}
Gameplay
{{More citations needed| section|date=December 2021}}
{{anchor|Recurring gameplay elements}}
[[File:NES Super Mario Bros.png|left|thumb|upright=1|The 2D Super Mario games
are known for their side-scrolling gameplay, seen here in Super Mario Bros. (1985), the series's first game.]]
The objective of the game is to progress through levels by defeating enemies, collecting items and solving puzzles without dying. Power-up use is integral to the series. The series has installments featuring both two and three-dimensional gameplay. In the 2D games, the player character (usually Mario) jumps on platforms and enemies while avoiding their attacks and moving to the right of the scrolling screen. 2D Super Mario game levels have single-exit objectives, which must be reached within a time limit and lead to the next sequential level. Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the overworld, a map of nonlinear levels that branches according to the player's choice.{{Cite magazine |last=Nintendo Power Staff |date=January–February 1990 |title=Previews: Super Mario Bros. 3 |magazine=Nintendo Power |publisher=Nintendo |issue=10 |pages=56–59}} Super Mario World introduced levels with multiple exits.
3D installments in the series have had two subgenres: open world exploration based games and more linear 3D games with a predetermined path.{{Cite news |last=Osborn |first=Alex |date=January 13, 2017 |title=Miyamoto Offers a Few New Super Mario Odyssey Details |work=IGN |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/13/miyamoto-offers-a-few-new-super-mario-odyssey-details |url-status=live |access-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114215727/http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/01/13/miyamoto-offers-a-few-new-super-mario-odyssey-details |archive-date=January 14, 2017}} Levels in the open world games, 64, Sunshine and Odyssey, allow the player to freely explore multiple enclosed environments in 360-degree movement. As the game progresses, more environments become accessible.{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Galaxy Central – Galaxy Information |url=http://smgalaxy.com/view_level.php?id=10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313130758/http://smgalaxy.com/view_level.php?id=10 |archive-date=March 13, 2008 |access-date=November 29, 2007 |publisher=Super Mario Galaxy Central}} The linear 3D games, Galaxy, Galaxy 2, 3D Land and 3D World, feature more fixed camera angles and a predetermined path to a single goal.
= Playable characters =
The series often features the option to play as characters other than Mario, usually Luigi. Earlier games have offered an alternating multiplayer mode in which the second player controls Luigi on their turn. Luigi is often only playable by player one in a second, more challenging iteration of the base game, such as in The Lost Levels, Galaxy 2, New Super Luigi U and the special worlds in 3D Land; these feature lower gravity and reduced friction for Luigi. Later games allow four player simultaneous play. Other playable characters include Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toads, Yoshi, Rosalina, and Nabbit, among others. Characters are sometimes differentiated by special abilities.
== Power-ups and transformations ==
File:Supermushroom.png described it as "the quintessential power-up".{{Cite web |title=The Top 11 Video Game Powerups |url=http://www.ugo.com/a/top11-videogame-powerups/?cur=supermushroom |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028230817/http://www.ugo.com/a/top11-videogame-powerups/?cur=supermushroom |archive-date=October 28, 2008 |publisher=UGO Networks}}]]
Mushroom power-ups appear in almost every Super Mario game. The most iconic of these is the Super Mushroom.{{Cite journal |last1=Li, C. |last2=Oberlies, N. H. |date=December 2005 |title=The most widely recognized mushroom: chemistry of the genus Amanita |url=http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/N_Oberlies_Most_2005.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Life Sciences |volume=78 |issue=5 |pages=532–38 |doi=10.1016/j.lfs.2005.09.003 |pmid=16203016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806123833/http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/N_Oberlies_Most_2005.pdf |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |access-date=July 5, 2019 |quote=Idealized representations of this species permeate popular culture. A. muscaria can be found as a major obstacle in video games (e.g., the Smurfs and Super Mario Bros., respectively)|issn=0024-3205}} The Super Mushroom increases the character's size, turning them into a "Super" variant, and allows them to break certain blocks. When hit by an enemy, the character reverts to their smaller size instead of losing a life. When the character is in their "Super" form, most blocks that would contain a Super Mushroom instead offer a more powerful power-up such as the Fire Flower. The Super Mushroom is similar in appearance to the Amanita muscaria, with an ivory stalk below a most commonly red and white (originally red and orange) spotted cap. Created by chance, Shigeru Miyamoto stated in an interview that beta tests of Super Mario Bros. proved Mario too tall, so the development team implemented mushrooms to grow and shrink Mario.{{Cite web |last=O'Connell, Patricia |date=November 7, 2005 |title=Meet Mario's Papa |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958127.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051102024711/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958127.htm |archive-date=November 2, 2005 |access-date=November 26, 2005 |publisher=BusinessWeek online}} Different variants of mushroom power-ups appear in the series. For example, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels introduces the Poison Mushroom, which causes damage when collected; and New Super Mario Bros. introduces the Mini Mushroom, which shrinks the character to miniature size; and the Mega Mushroom, grows the character into a towering, invulnerable giant who destroys enemies and the environment by running through them.{{Cite web |title=It's Impossible to Hate the New New Super Mario Bros. U |url=http://kotaku.com/5942967/its-impossible-to-hate-the-new-new-super-mario-bros-u |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119041527/http://kotaku.com/5942967/its-impossible-to-hate-the-new-new-super-mario-bros-u |archive-date=November 19, 2012 |access-date=October 13, 2014 |website=Kotaku|date=September 13, 2012 }}
Super Mario Bros. 3 introduces suits to the Super Mario series, many of which are based on animals or Mario enemies. The Raccoon Suit (provisioned by a Super Leaf) and the Tanooki Suit each provide the character with a tail that enables flight. In addition, the Tanooki Suit lets the character spontaneously change into an invincible statue for about five seconds. Super Mario Bros. 3 includes a Hammer Bros. suit, which allows Mario and Luigi to throw hammers as projectiles to defeat enemies at a distance. Other suits in later games in the series include the Frog Suit, Penguin Suit, Cat Suit, Boomerang Suit, and Bee Suit. Super Mario Maker includes costume power-ups that depict many more characters (Super Mario Maker 2 includes only a Link power-up).
== Projectiles ==
The flower power-ups let the player character shoot projectiles. The Fire Flower, introduced in Super Mario Bros., transforms the character into a Fire variant who can throw bouncing fireballs at enemies. Galaxy is the first 3D Super Mario game to have the Fire Flower. In Land and Maker 2, the Superball is a bouncing ball obtained from a Super Flower, which the character can use to defeat enemies and collect coins. The Ice Flower transforms the character into an Ice variant who can shoot balls of ice as projectiles similar to those of the Fire Flower; they freeze enemies in blocks of ice that can be used as platforms or thrown as projectiles, as seen in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U.{{Cite web |last=Harris |first=Craig |date=November 13, 2009 |title=New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/13/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review?amp=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218202439/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/11/13/new-super-mario-bros-wii-review?amp=1 |archive-date=February 18, 2020 |access-date=March 5, 2010 |publisher=IGN}} In Galaxy, the Ice Flower turns Mario or Luigi into ice and lets him walk on lava or water for a limited time by freezing the surface. Lastly, New Super Mario Bros. 2{{'}}s Gold Flower lets Mario or Luigi turn bricks into coins and earn bonus coins for defeating enemies.
Koopa Shells serve as a major projectile in the series, featuring since the original game. The character can throw them to defeat enemies, collect coins, and activate the functions of blocks. Power-ups are available for Yoshi to breathe fire in World, Yoshi's Island, and 64 DS, breathe freezing air and spit seeds in Yoshi's Island, spit out enemies in the World games, and spit juice in Sunshine. Other power-ups let the character throw bombs, boomerangs, and baseballs and shoot cannonballs. In Odyssey, Mario can possess characters, some of which can launch various projectiles. Flying shoot 'em up gameplay also appears in the series. Mario pilots the armed Sky Pop biplane and Marine Pop submarine in Land. The Koopa Clown Car, aircraft of Bowser and the Koopalings, can sometimes shoot fireballs in Maker.
== Ridable animals and vehicles ==
Apart from automated objects in levels that may transport the player character, certain ridable animals and vehicles have appeared that the player controls. Mario's dinosaur friend Yoshi has appeared as a mount to the player character in several Super Mario games since Super Mario World. In Yoshi's Island and 64 DS, instead of the player character merely riding on Yoshi's back, Yoshi is the player character. Yoshis generally have abilities including eating enemies, flying, and breathing fire. Miyamoto had originally wished for Mario to be able to ride a dinosaur in Super Mario Bros., but this wasn't possible due to the technical restraints of the system.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} Poochi is a dog featuring in Yoshi's Island who Yoshi can ride. Plesiosaurs Dorrie and Plessie can be ridden by the player characters in 64 and 3D World respectively,{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lucas M. |date=September 28, 2011 |title=The Genius of Super Mario 64 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/28/the-genius-of-super-mario-64 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005010746/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/09/28/the-genius-of-super-mario-64 |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=IGN |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Frushtick |first=Russ |date=February 19, 2021 |title=Even the strongest relationships won't survive Super Mario 3D World |url=https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2021/2/19/22289983/super-mario-3d-world-multiplayer-versus-crown-bowsers-fury-switch-impressions-solo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005010738/https://www.polygon.com/nintendo-switch/2021/2/19/22289983/super-mario-3d-world-multiplayer-versus-crown-bowsers-fury-switch-impressions-solo |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}} with Plessie serving a larger role in Bowser's Fury.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Andy |date=February 10, 2021 |title=Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury review: Inventive, expanded and unmissable |url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005010739/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/review/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury/ |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=VGC |language=en-GB}}
Various vehicles that the player character can control have also appeared. These include a magic carpet in 2, flying clouds in several 2D games, submarines in Land and Yoshi's Island, an airplane in Land, a helicopter, train, and mole tank in Yoshi's Island, cars in Yoshi's Island and Maker 2, and the Koopa Clown Car aircraft in the Maker games.
= Blocks =
Most items in the Super Mario series appear from item blocks when hit, which originated in Super Mario Bros. and have persisted throughout the series, where the character hits a block to receive either coins or power-ups. Variations include those that are invisible until hit, advice dispensers, produce another block, move, frozen, contingent on a switch, bouncy, etc. The propeller block lets the character spin up into the air and slowly descend, and the Gold Block generates coins through running. A single block is the unit of measurement in the design of Super Mario levels.
= Extra lives =
Player characters can gain extra lives in most of the games. The 1-Up mushroom was introduced in Super Mario Bros., with the term 1-up subsequently being used generically in other video game series to refer to extra lives. In the monochromatic Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2, instead of a differently colored mushroom, the 1-Up is shown as a heart. Super Mario World introduced the 3-Up Moon. 1-Ups can also be earned through collecting a certain number of coins or playing minigames.
= Invincibility =
Invincibility is an effect first appearing in the three Super Mario Bros. games, where it is granted by a "Starman",{{Cite web |title=Super Mario manual |url=http://legendsoflocalization.com/media/super-mario-bros/manuals/Super-Mario-Bros-Manual-US.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216184230/http://legendsoflocalization.com/media/super-mario-bros/manuals/Super-Mario-Bros-Manual-US.pdf |archive-date=December 16, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |website=legendsoflocalization}}{{Cite web |date=1986 |title=Super Mario Bros. 2 Manual |url=http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_NES/Manual/formated/Super_Mario_Bros._2_-_1986_-_Nintendo.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008155021/http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_NES/Manual/formated/Super_Mario_Bros._2_-_1986_-_Nintendo.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |website=gamesdatabase}}{{Cite web |date=1990 |title=Super Mario Bros. 3 manual |url=http://www.gamesdatabase.org//media/system/nintendo_nes/manual/formated/super_mario_bros._3_-_1990_-_nintendo.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008155453/http://www.gamesdatabase.org//media/system/nintendo_nes/manual/formated/super_mario_bros._3_-_1990_-_nintendo.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |website=gamesdatabase}} an anthropomorphized, flashing star. The star has also been named the "Super Star" in the two Super Mario World games as well as the New Super Mario Bros. games{{Cite web |date=1991 |title=Super Mario World manual |url=http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/manual/Formated/Super_Mario_World_-_1991_-_Nintendo.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154824/http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/manual/Formated/Super_Mario_World_-_1991_-_Nintendo.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |website=gamesdatabase}}{{Cite web |date=1995 |title=Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island manual |url=http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/Manual/formated/Super_Mario_World_2-_Yoshi-s_Island_-_1995_-_Nintendo.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161008154647/http://www.gamesdatabase.org//Media/SYSTEM/Nintendo_SNES/Manual/formated/Super_Mario_World_2-_Yoshi-s_Island_-_1995_-_Nintendo.pdf |archive-date=October 8, 2016 |access-date=January 12, 2017 |website=gamesdatabase}} and the "Rainbow Star" in the two Super Mario Galaxy games. Picking up the star makes the character temporarily invincible, able to resist any harm. Use of the item is accompanied by a distinctive music track that appears consistently across most of the games. The player character flickers a variety of colors – and in some games, moves with increased speed and enhanced jumping ability – while under the Star's influence. While invincible, the character defeats any enemy upon contact with it. In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the star gives the normally immobile baby Mario the ability to run as well as become invincible. In Super Mario 64 and 64 DS, invincibility is provided when the character becomes metal or intangible. The Mega Mushroom provides temporary invincibility with the addition of giant size and environment destruction (see Power-ups and transformations).
= Collectibles =
Super Mario level design traditionally incorporates many distributed coins as puzzles, rewards, and guidance through the level. Coins are often found floating in the air in groups. Most Super Mario games award the player an extra life once a certain amount of gold coins are collected, commonly 50 or 100. Several coin variants exist, such as silver coins, dragon coins, star coins, and more. In 64, Sunshine, Galaxy, and Galaxy 2, coins replenish health (and air, when the character is underwater). In 64 and Sunshine, collecting 100 coins in a level results in a Power Star or Shine Sprite respectively. There are also stages in that game reward a Power Star for collecting eight red coins in a level, worth two normal coins each. In 64, a blue coin is worth five normal coins. In Sunshine, blue coins act as a side quest when brought to the Delfino Bank and for every ten blue coins deposited, Mario will earn a Shine Sprite. In the Galaxy series, after finishing each game once, stages unlock where Mario or Luigi can collect 100 purple coins to earn a Power Star. In Galaxy 2, they can also be used to feed some hungry "Luma" characters that can turn into either an item or another planet.
The games often feature other tokens found in levels to progress in the overworld, most frequently with the visual motif of a star. They are typically situated in locations that are not readily found or reached, or awarded for completing stunts, or objectives given by NPCs. They include the Power Stars in Super Mario 64 and the Super Mario Galaxy games, Shine Sprites in Super Mario Sunshine, Cat Shines in Bowser's Fury, Star Coins in the New Super Mario Bros. series, Star Medals in Super Mario 3D Land, Green Stars in the Galaxy games and Super Mario 3D World, and Power Moons in Super Mario Odyssey. In Super Mario Land 2, there are six Golden Coin tokens that must be collected to finish the game.
= Warp Pipes and Warp Cannons =
{{See also|Warp (video games)}}
The Warp Pipe is a common method of transportation used in many of the Mario series games. Warp Pipes are most often green but also appear in other colors (early games included silver pipes, newer games have introduced red, green, blue and yellow pipes), and have many uses in the series. Warp Pipes can also contain enemies, usually Piranha Plants, and sometimes launch the player into the air (most commonly seen in the New Super Mario Bros. series). In early Mario games such as Super Mario Bros., special, well-hidden areas known as Warp Zones contain pipes that allow players to skip several worlds (handfuls of levels) at once.{{Cite book |last=Cuddy |first=Luke |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_UefdMONDLIC&q=cucco+legend+of+zelda |title=The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy: I Link Therefore I Am |date=August 2013 |publisher=Open Court |isbn=978-0-8126-9691-2 |access-date=November 16, 2014 |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010212322/https://books.google.com/books?id=_UefdMONDLIC&q=cucco+legend+of+zelda |url-status=live }} In the New Super Mario Bros. series, pipe-shaped Warp Cannons work similarly to the Warp Zones of the earlier games and are unlocked by finding secret exits in levels. Cannons appear in most of the 3D games in the series starting with Super Mario 64. The character uses the cannon by jumping into the barrel, aiming themself and being fired at a distant target. This allows the character to progress through a level or reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
= Music =
Much of the original Super Mario Bros. music and sound effects have become iconic to the series and incorporated into modern games. The original Super Mario Bros. theme, composed by Koji Kondo, has become one of the most well known video game themes around the world.{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2007 |title=GDC 2007: Mario Maestro Shares His Secrets |url=http://www.1up.com/news/gdc-2007-mario-maestro-shares |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710232628/http://www.1up.com/news/gdc-2007-mario-maestro-shares |archive-date=July 10, 2012 |access-date=February 16, 2009 |publisher=1UP.com}}
Super Mario Galaxy, released in 2007, became the first game in the Super Mario series to feature orchestrated music,{{Cite web |date=November 13, 2007 |title=Interview with Super Mario Galaxy composers Koji Kondo and Mahito Yokota |url=http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=186 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113135703/http://www.music4games.net/Features_Display.aspx?id=186 |archive-date=November 13, 2007 |access-date=July 12, 2020 |publisher=Music 4 Games}} which would return in its sequel and other subsequent games such as Super Mario 3D World.{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2013 |title=Super Mario 3D World Review (Wii U) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/super_mario_3d_world |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714112854/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/super_mario_3d_world |archive-date=July 14, 2020 |access-date=July 12, 2020 |publisher=Nintendo Life}}
{{Clear}}
History and development
{{Timeline of release years
| range1 = 1985 –
| range1_color = #d32f2f #ffcdd2
| 1985 = Super Mario Bros.
| 1986 = Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
| 1988a = Super Mario Bros. 2
| 1988b = Super Mario Bros. 3
| 1989 = Super Mario Land
| 1990 = Super Mario World
| 1992 = Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
| 1995 = Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
| 1996 = Super Mario 64
| 2002 = Super Mario Sunshine
| 2006 = New Super Mario Bros.
| 2007 = Super Mario Galaxy
| 2009 = New Super Mario Bros. Wii
| 2010 = Super Mario Galaxy 2
| 2011 = Super Mario 3D Land
| 2012a = New Super Mario Bros. 2
| 2012b = New Super Mario Bros. U
| 2013 = Super Mario 3D World
| 2015 = Super Mario Maker
| 2016 = Super Mario Run
| 2017 = Super Mario Odyssey
| 2019 = Super Mario Maker 2
| 2021 = Bowser's Fury
| 2023 = Super Mario Bros. Wonder
}}
= 1980–1989: Conception and ''Super Mario Bros.'' games =
In 1980, Nintendo released Radar Scope, their first arcade video game,{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |date=2014-01-20 |title=35 Years Ago, Nintendo's First Brush With Video Disaster |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/35-years-ago-nintendo-had-its-first-brush-with-video-game-disaster |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502051532/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/35-years-ago-nintendo-had-its-first-brush-with-video-game-disaster |archive-date=2019-05-02 |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=USgamer |language=en}} which was a commercial failure.{{Cite web |last=McLaughlin |first=Rus |date=2010-09-14 |title=IGN Presents: The History of Super Mario Bros. |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/09/14/ign-presents-the-history-of-super-mario-bros |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=IGN |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Sheff |first=David |author-link=David Sheff |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/26214063 |title=Game over: how Nintendo zapped an American industry, captured your dollars, and enslaved your children |publisher=Random House |year=1993 |isbn=0-679-40469-4 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages= |oclc=26214063}}{{Rp|pages=94, 103}} Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi appointed Shigeru Miyamoto to repurpose unused Radar Scope arcade cabinets into a new game. While Miyamoto wanted the game to star Popeye characters,{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lucas M. |date=2006-12-02 |title=Donkey Kong Virtual Console Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/12/02/donkey-kong-virtual-console-review |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=IGN |language=en}} negotiations between Nintendo and Popeye owner King Features fell through, and the game required reworking.{{Rp|page=47}} Three new characters were created for the game instead: Jumpman, Lady, and Donkey Kong.{{Cite web |last=Hernandez |first=Pedro |date=2010-05-23 |title=Nintendo History 101: Donkey Kong vs. King Kong - Feature |url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/23122/nintendo-history-101-donkey-kong-vs-king-kong |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Nintendo World Report}} Titled Donkey Kong, the game was released in arcades in 1981.{{Cite magazine |last=Latson |first=Jennifer |date=2015-06-02 |title=How Donkey Kong and Mario Changed the World |url=https://time.com/3901489/donkey-kong-anniversary/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |magazine=Time |language=en}} Lady was later renamed to Pauline,{{Cite web |last=Knorr |first=Alyse |date=2018-11-14 |title=How Princess Peach's Story Draws On 2000 Years Of Women In Peril |url=https://kotaku.com/how-princess-peachs-story-draws-on-2000-years-of-women-1830342699 |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} and Jumpman was renamed to Mario.{{Rp|page=109}} Miyamoto created Mario's brother Luigi using palette swap of Mario's sprite. Mario and Luigi starred together in the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros.{{Cite web |last=Knezevic |first=Kevin |title=Nintendo Switch Adds First Classic Nintendo Game Today |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-adds-first-classic-nintendo-game-t/1100-6453628/ |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=GameSpot |language=en-US}} The gameplay of Donkey Kong and Mario Bros., centered around the act of jumping to dodge obstacles, caused the games to be considered landmark titles in the platformer genre of games.{{Cite news |date=2003-08-12 |title=A generation of games |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/gaming/article/a-generation-of-games-nnrw7gs728c |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-02-03 |work=The Times |language=en |issn=0140-0460}}
File:Takashi_Tezuka,_Shigeru_Miyamoto_and_Kōji_Kondō.jpg was led by Shigeru Miyamoto (center) and Takashi Tezuka (left), while Koji Kondo (right) served as composer.]]
Following a 1983 crash in the video game market,{{Cite magazine |last=Shea |first=Brian |date=2022-03-10 |title=Making Mario: A Look Back At The First 30 Years |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/03/10/making-mario-a-look-back-at-the-first-30-years.aspx |access-date=2023-02-03 |magazine=Game Informer |language=en}} Nintendo released the Famicom / Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in Japan in July 1983, and the console released outside of Japan in 1985.{{Cite news |last=Welsh |first=Oli |date=2017-02-24 |title=A complete history of Nintendo console launches |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/a-complete-history-of-nintendo-console-launches |access-date=2023-02-03 |work=Eurogamer |language=en-gb}} Yamauchi granted Miyamoto his own development team, Nintendo R&D4 (later Nintendo EAD), which aimed to develop games for the console before its introduction in North America. Prototyping for a new Mario game began in December 1984, directed by Miyamoto and programmed by SRD.{{Cite interview |last=Miyamoto |first=Shigeru |subject-link=Shigeru Miyamoto |interviewer=Iwata, Satoru |title=Iwata Asks: Super Mario 25th Anniversary |last2=Kondo |first2=Koji |last3=Tezuka |first3=Takashi |last4=Nakago |first4=Toshihiko |url=https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/mario25th/4/0/ |access-date=2023-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826085558/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/mario25th/4/0/ |archive-date=2022-08-26 |url-status=live |work=Iwata Asks |publisher=Nintendo |date=2010-09-13 |subject-link2=Koji Kondo |subject-link3=Takashi Tezuka |volume=5}}{{Rp|page=1}} Led by Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, Super Mario Bros. was released on September 13, 1985, for the NES.{{Cite web |last=Craddock |first=Ryan |date=2020-09-13 |title=Today's The Big Day - Happy 35th Anniversary, Mario! |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/09/todays_the_big_day_-_happy_35th_anniversary_mario |access-date=2023-02-09 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}} The game's soundtrack was composed by Koji Kondo.{{Cite web |last=Riendeau |first=Danielle |date=2014-12-15 |title=The man behind Nintendo's musical masterpieces |url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/12/15/7393129/nintendo-mario-zelda-music-koji-kondo |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}} Credited with helping to revive the video game industry following the crash of 1983 and largely contributing to the success of the NES in North America, Super Mario Bros. went on to sell over forty million units, making it one of the best-selling games of all time.
After Super Mario Bros. released, development began for a sequel to be released on the Famicom Disk System. In 1986, Super Mario Bros. 2 released in Japan.{{Cite web |last=Walker |first=Ian |date=2020-10-09 |title=America Got The Better Super Mario Bros. 2 |url=https://kotaku.com/america-got-the-better-super-mario-bros-2-1845330030 |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} Super Mario Bros. 2 reused many assets from the first game, but was much more difficult, with some levels being taken from Vs. Super Mario Bros., an arcade adaptation of the first game. Fearing that the game would be too difficult for Western audiences, the game did not release outside of Japan.{{Cite web |last=Van Duyn |first=Marcel |date=2007-05-25 |title=Review: Super Mario Bros. 2 (Wii Virtual Console / NES) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/vc/super_mario_bros_2_nes |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}Instead, Nintendo chose to adapt Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, replacing its characters with Mario characters. Doki Doki Panic was created out of a prototype for a vertically scrolling two-player cooperative game. It later introduced more side-scrolling elements to make it more like Super Mario Bros., however it starred characters from the Yume Kōjō expo as a tie-in.{{Cite magazine |last=Kohler |first=Chris |title=The Secret History of Super Mario Bros. 2 |url=https://www.wired.com/2011/04/super-mario-bros-2/ |access-date=2023-06-23 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}} The version of Doki Doki Panic adapted with Mario characters was released outside of Japan in October 1988 as Super Mario Bros. 2, directed by Kensuke Tanabe. The version of Super Mario Bros. 2 released outside of Japan was later released in Japan as Super Mario USA, and the version released in Japan was later released internationally as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The next game, Super Mario Bros. 3, was directed and designed by Miyamoto and Tezuka, while Kondo returned as composer.{{Cite web |last=Knorr |first=Alyse |date=2016-04-27 |title=The Making (And Legacy) Of Super Mario Bros. 3 |url=https://kotaku.com/the-making-and-legacy-of-super-mario-bros-3-1773499946 |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Kotaku |language=en}} Released in Japan 1988 and in the United States two years later, the game was a critical and commercial success.{{Cite magazine |last=Shea |first=Brian |date=2022-03-10 |title=Making Mario: A Look Back At The First 30 Years |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2016/03/10/making-mario-a-look-back-at-the-first-30-years.aspx |access-date=2023-02-03 |magazine=Game Informer |language=en}}
= 1989–1995: 2D sequels =
{{more sources section|date=December 2024}}
Super Mario Land is the first handheld Super Mario game apart from the Game & Watch conversion of Super Mario Bros., and was released for the Game Boy in 1989. Like the Super Mario Bros. games, it is a sidescrolling platformer. Mario sets out to save Princess Daisy from the spaceman Tatanga. Items include the Super Mushroom, Super Flower,Super Mario Land English instruction booklet, page 5. which allows Mario to shoot projectiles, Super Star, and hearts, which give Mario an extra life. The game consists of twelve levels split across four worlds. Reaching the higher of two exits at each level's end activates a minigame where the player can try to get extra lives.
File:SNES-Mod1-Console-Set.jpg
Super Mario World was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and consists of nine worlds displayed via a world map. It is a direct successor to the Super Mario Bros. games, bearing the subtitle Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan. Unlike Super Mario Bros. 3, however, where each world map is separate, the world map here covers the whole game. Some of the levels have hidden alternate exits leading to different areas. New abilities include a spin jump and the rideable Yoshi, who can eat enemies and either swallow or spit them out. Power-ups include the new Cape Feather, which lets Mario and Luigi fly with a cape, and the P-balloon, which inflates the player character to allow him to float.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins was released for the Game Boy in 1992. It introduces Mario's rival, Wario, who took over Mario's castle during the events of Super Mario Land and forces Mario to collect the six golden coins to reenter and reclaim his castle. While its predecessor is similar to the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with Super Mario World, featuring a world map and the ability to move back to the left within levels. There are 32 levels, divided into several themed worlds that each have their own boss. Three power-ups return: the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Super Star. The game also introduces the Carrot power-up, which gives Mario large rabbit ears that let him glide when falling for a limited time. Its story was continued in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, which retroactively became the first of a spin-off series, Wario Land.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was released for the SNES in 1995. To reunite baby Mario with his brother Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Kamek, the player controls Yoshi as the primary character through 48 levels while carrying Baby Mario. Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items. In a style new to the series, the game has a hand-drawn aesthetic. The game introduces his signature abilities to flutter jump and produce eggs from swallowed enemies. Yoshi's Island received "instant" and "universal acclaim", according to IGN and review aggregator Metacritic, and sold over four million copies. Yoshi's signature characteristics established in Yoshi's Island would carry throughout a series of cameos, spin-offs, and sequels. Sources have debated on whether Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, where the player primarily controls a Yoshi carrying Baby Mario, should count as a Super Mario game,{{Cite web |date=March 7, 2018 |title=The RetroBeat: Yoshi's Island is not a 'core' Mario game |url=https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/07/the-retrobeat-yoshis-island-is-not-a-core-mario-game/#:~:text=Yoshi's%20Island%20is%20a%20spin,It%20is%20a%20Yoshi%20game |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=VentureBeat |archive-date=June 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626102117/https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/07/the-retrobeat-yoshis-island-is-not-a-core-mario-game/#:~:text=Yoshi's%20Island%20is%20a%20spin,It%20is%20a%20Yoshi%20game |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=November 13, 2017 |title=Is Everyone Going to Pretend 'Yoshi's Island' Is Not a Super Mario Game? |url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjgbbz/yoshis-island-is-a-super-mario-game |access-date=July 17, 2020 |website=Vice |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629105829/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wjgbbz/yoshis-island-is-a-super-mario-game |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=October 4, 2015 |title=Is Yoshi's Island A Super Mario World Game? |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/04/is-yoshi-39-s-island-a-super-mario-world-game.aspx |access-date=July 17, 2020 |magazine=Game Informer |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627224006/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/04/is-yoshi-39-s-island-a-super-mario-world-game.aspx |url-status=live }} with some sources considering it strictly a Yoshi game. Miyamoto responded affirmatively when asked if Yoshi's Island is a Super Mario game, with Tezuka later adding:
"When that game debuted, I wanted people to understand that Yoshi was part of the Mario world, and that be conveyed whether through title or gameplay. To me, it's part of the Mario series, but today's Yoshi games? They've changed from those origins, so I think it's okay to think of Yoshi living in his own universe. You can think of it separately from Mario's world."{{Cite magazine |last=Hilliard |first=Kyle |title=Is Yoshi's Island A Super Mario World Game? |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/04/is-yoshi-39-s-island-a-super-mario-world-game.aspx |access-date=16 July 2020 |magazine=Game Informer |language=en |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627224006/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/10/04/is-yoshi-39-s-island-a-super-mario-world-game.aspx |url-status=live }}
= 1996–2005: Introduction of 3D and open-ended exploration =
File:Nintendo-64-wController-L.jpg
In the early 1990s, director and producer Shigeru Miyamoto had conceived a 3D Mario design during development of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) game Star Fox (1993). He considered using the Super FX chip to develop a SNES game, Super Mario FX, with gameplay based on "an entire world in miniature, like miniature trains".{{cite interview|date=January 1996|title=The Game Guys – (Shoshinkai 1995)|first1=Shigeru|last1=Miyamoto|first2=Takashi|last2=Tezuka|magazine=Nintendo Power|publisher=Nintendo|issue=80|url=http://www.zeldalegends.net/index.php?n=interviews&id=1996-01-np080-miya-tezu&m=html|access-date=May 25, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224115317/http://www.zeldalegends.net/index.php?n=interviews&id=1996-01-np080-miya-tezu&m=html|archive-date=February 24, 2011}} He eventually reformulated the idea for the Nintendo 64, not for its substantially greater power, but because its controller has more buttons for gameplay.{{cite web|url=http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_5.html|title=IGN Top 100 Games 2007: 5 Super Mario 64|date=2007|website=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216163241/http://top100.ign.com/2007/ign_top_game_5.html|archive-date=February 16, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=February 13, 2018}}{{cite web|last1=Grajqevci|first1=Jeton|title=Profile: Shigeru Miyamoto – Chronicles of a Visionary|url=http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=223|website=N-Sider|access-date=February 14, 2018|date=October 9, 2000|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110224020722/http://www.n-sider.com/contentview.php?contentid=223|archive-date=February 24, 2011}} Super Mario 64 was developed over approximately three years, with one year spent on the design concept and approximately two years on production. Production began on September 7, 1994, and concluded on May 20, 1996.{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Ian |title=Super Mario 64 Took 622 Days To Develop, Suggests 'Gigaleak' Document |url=https://kotaku.com/super-mario-64-took-622-days-to-develop-suggests-gigal-1844599172 |website=Kotaku |access-date=August 5, 2020 |date=August 3, 2020 |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115041135/https://kotaku.com/super-mario-64-took-622-days-to-develop-suggests-gigal-1844599172 |url-status=live }} Super Mario 64 is the first 3D and open world game in the series, and a launch game for the Nintendo 64 home console. Each level is an enclosed environment where the player is free to explore in all directions without time limits. The player collects the scattered Power Stars from the paintings in Peach's castle to unlock later courses and areas.{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=Full Coverage — Super Mario 64 |url=https://archive.org/stream/NintendoPower1988-2004/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20088%20%28September%201996%29#page/n15/mode/2up |magazine=Nintendo Power |publisher=Nintendo |issue=88 |pages=14–23}} The Nintendo 64's analog stick makes an extensive repertoire of precise movements in all directions possible. The game's power-ups differ from previous games, now being three different hats with temporary powers: the Wing Cap, allowing Mario to fly; the Metal Cap, turning him into metal; and the Vanish Cap, allowing him to walk through obstacles. Super Mario 64 is considered seminal to 3D video games.{{cite magazine |date=November 1997 |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |publisher=Ziff Davis, LLC |pages=155–6 |issue=100}} Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article (on page 100) explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible.{{cite web |title=The Essential 50 Part 36: Super Mario 64 |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3135350 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328140117/http://www.1up.com/features/essential-50-mario-64 |archive-date=March 28, 2016 |access-date=February 13, 2018 |website=1UP.com}}{{cite web |title=Most Influential Video Games |url=http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/most-influential-video-games/168/?page=12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618001625/http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/galleries/most-influential-video-games/168/?page=12 |archive-date=June 18, 2009 |access-date=January 23, 2008 |website=GameDaily |publisher=AOL}} It is the first Super Mario series game to feature Charles Martinet's voice acting for Mario. A remake of the game called Super Mario 64 DS was released for Nintendo DS in 2004 and 2005, adding new playable characters, abilities, objectives, multiplayer, and minigames.
Super Mario Sunshine is the second 3D Super Mario game. It was released in 2002 for the GameCube. In it, Mario and Peach travel to Isle Delfino for a vacation when a Mario doppelgänger, going by the name of Shadow Mario, appears and vandalizes the entire island. Mario is sentenced to clean the island with a water-squirting accessory called F.L.U.D.D. Super Mario Sunshine shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor Super Mario 64, yet introduces moves, like spinning while jumping, and several other actions through the use of F.L.U.D.D. The game contains a number of independent levels, which can be reached from the hub, Delfino Plaza. Mario collects Shine Sprites by completing tasks in the levels, which in return unlock levels in Delfino Plaza by way of abilities and plot-related events.{{Cite web |last=Mackie, Joe |title=Super Mario Sunshine (JPN) Review |url=http://www.gamingworldx.com/gcn/SuperMarioSunshineJPN.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716082934/http://www.gamingworldx.com/gcn/SuperMarioSunshineJPN.shtml |archive-date=July 16, 2007 |access-date=November 22, 2007 |publisher=GamingWorld X}} Sunshine introduces the last of Bowser's eight children, Bowser Jr., as an antagonist. Yoshi also appears again for Mario to ride in certain sections.
= 2006–2016: 2D revival and path-focused 3D games =
{{More citations needed|section|date=January 2024}}
File:New Super Mario Bros. logo.svg
After no original 2D game releases in the series since 1995, New Super Mario Bros. was released on the Nintendo DS in 2006. In it, Mario and Luigi set out to save Princess Peach from Bowser Jr. The gameplay is 2D, but most of the characters and objects are 3D on two-dimensional backgrounds, resulting in a 2.5D effect. The game uses an overworld map similar to those of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Some levels have multiple exits. The classic power-ups (Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Super Star) return alongside the Mega Mushroom, Blue Shell, and Mini Mushroom.
Miyamoto explained that when he was developing Super Mario 64 with Yoshiaki Koizumi, they realized that the title would be more directed towards the "core gamer", rather than the casual, "pick-up-and-go" gamer.NinEverything. (January 13, 2017). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmV1JY4Tl9o Miyamoto on Super Mario Odyssey – Nintendo Treehouse Live with Nintendo Switch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907065915/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmV1JY4Tl9o |date=September 7, 2021 }}. YouTube. Retrieved January 15, 2017. After Sunshine, their focus shifted to more accessible, casual games, leading them to develop Super Mario Galaxy with more progression-oriented paths. Galaxy was launched in 2007 for the Wii. It is set in outer space, where Mario or Luigi travel between "galaxies" to collect Power Stars, earned by completing quests or defeating enemies. It introduced motion controls to the series. Each galaxy contains a number of planets and other space objects for the player to explore. The game's physics system gives each celestial object its own gravitational force, which lets the character circumnavigate rounded or irregular planetoids by walking sideways or upside down. The character is usually able to jump from one independent object and fall towards another close object. Though the main gameplay and physics are in 3D, there are several points in the game where the character's movements are restricted into a 2D axis. Several new power-ups appear following the new game mechanics.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, released in 2009, features 4-player co-op and new power-ups: the Propeller Mushroom, the Ice Flower, and the Penguin Suit. All characters can ride Yoshi.
Super Mario Galaxy 2, released in 2010 was initially developed as an expansion pack to Galaxy, but was eventually developed into its own game. It retains the basic premise of its predecessor and includes its items and power-ups besides the Ice Flower and Red Star. New power-ups include the Cloud Flower, which allows Mario or Luigi to create platforms in mid-air and the Rock Mushroom, which turns the character into a rolling boulder. The character can also ride Yoshi. The game was released to widespread critical acclaim, getting better reviews than its predecessor.
Super Mario 3D Land was released for the Nintendo 3DS in November and December 2011. It was the first attempt to translate the gameplay of the 2D games into a 3D environment, and simplify the control scheme of the 3D games through including more linear levels. It is the first original 3D Super Mario game on a handheld console, since all previous handheld games were either 2D or a port of a previous game. It also brought back several older gameplay features, including the Super Leaf power-up last seen in Super Mario Bros. 3.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in Summer 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS. Mario and Luigi must once again save Princess Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings, with the game's secondary goal to collect as many coins as possible. Several gameplay elements were introduced to help achieve this goal, such as the Gold Flower, a rarer variant of the Fire Flower that turns items into coins.{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. 2 Hits 3DSes This August |url=http://kotaku.com/5903941/new-super-mario-bros-2-hits-japan-3dses-this-august/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019152223/http://kotaku.com/5903941/new-super-mario-bros-2-hits-japan-3dses-this-august/ |archive-date=October 19, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2014 |website=Kotaku|date=April 21, 2012 }}{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. 2 artwork, featuring SMB |url=http://tinycartridge.com/post/25460539710/new-super-mario-bros-2-artwork-featuring-smb |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017071023/http://tinycartridge.com/post/25460539710/new-super-mario-bros-2-artwork-featuring-smb |archive-date=October 17, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2014 |website=Tiny Cartridge 3DS}}
New Super Mario Bros. U, the Wii U follow-up to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, was released in November 2012. It introduces both a Flying Squirrel suit that lets the characters glide through the air, and asymmetric gameplay that allows the player holding the GamePad to influence the environment. In June 2013, New Super Luigi U was released as a downloadable content (DLC) package for the game, featuring shorter, but more difficult levels, starring Luigi as the main protagonist instead of his brother. Subsequently, it was released as a standalone retail game on August 25 in North America.{{Cite web |last=Kubba |first=Sinan |date=May 17, 2013 |title=Super Luigi U arrives as DLC June 20, packaged standalone August 25 |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/super-luigi/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131054817/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/17/super-luigi/ |archive-date=January 31, 2015 |access-date=June 14, 2013 |publisher=Joystiq}} The Nintendo Switch port New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe includes both the main game and New Super Luigi U, and new playable characters Nabbit and Toadette.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3_B-PXyX88 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/_3_B-PXyX88 |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |url-status=live|title=New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – Reveal Trailer (Nintendo Switch) – YouTube |date=September 13, 2018 |last=GameXplain |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
Super Mario 3D World, the sequel to 3D Land, was released for the Wii U on November 22, 2013, in North America, and used the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor.{{Cite web |title=Nintendo reveals Super Mario 3D World |url=https://venturebeat.com/2013/06/11/nintendo-reveals-super-mario-3d-world/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020142214/http://venturebeat.com/2013/06/11/nintendo-reveals-super-mario-3d-world/ |archive-date=October 20, 2014 |access-date=October 13, 2014 |website=VentureBeat|date=June 11, 2013 }} Co-operative multiplayer is available for up to four players. The game introduced the ability to turn the characters into cats able to attack and scale walls to reach new areas, and to create clones of the characters. Like Super Mario Bros. 2, it features Princess Peach and Toad as playable characters in addition to Mario and Luigi. Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy is also unlocked later in the game. Miyamoto said that "even though that's a 3D game, it's a little more accessible to everybody."
File:Super Mario Maker logo (Alt).svg
Super Mario Maker is a creation tool released for the Wii U in September 2015{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Maker Release Date Announced at E3 2015 |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-mario-maker-release-date-announced-at-e3-201/1100-6428205/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913232038/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/super-mario-maker-release-date-announced-at-e3-201/1100-6428205/ |archive-date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=June 17, 2017 |website=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive}} which allows players to create their own levels based on the gameplay and style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U, as well as to share their creations online. Based on existing games, several gameplay mechanics were introduced for the game, with existing ones also available to be used together in new ways. A Nintendo 3DS version of the game called Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, was released in December 2016. It features a few new pre-installed levels, but no online level sharing. Super Mario Maker 2 is a newer version of Super Mario Maker with many new items, themes, and enemies, a world-builder, as well as online multiplayer. The game was released on June 28, 2019, for the Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario Run is a side-scrolling and auto-scrolling video game released in December 2016 on the iOS platform, then in March 2017 on Android. It is the first official Super Mario game developed for mobile devices. As such, it features simplified controls that allow it to be played with only one hand. In this game, the character runs automatically, with the player controlling the jumping action to avoid hazards. This is achieved by touching the tactile screens these devices are built with. The longer the player touches the jump button, the higher the character jumps. This game also includes a "Toad Rally" mode, similar to the "VS Boo" mode of Super Mario Bros Deluxe, in which players have to complete a level faster than a computer-controlled Toad. Success in this mode earns the player access to in-game money to spend on customizing the Mushroom Kingdom map, using mechanics similar to FarmVille. This is the first Super Mario game that Princess Daisy is playable in and the first to feature a music track with vocals.{{YouTube|id=KORoB9K5to8|time=38s|title=Introductory video to the new features in Super Mario Run}} September 29, 2022.{{cite AV media|people= Kenta Nagata|date= |title= Super Mario Run assets|trans-title= |type= |language= |url= https://supermariorun.com/assets/sound/bgm.mp3|access-date= November 21, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230116151124/https://supermariorun.com/assets/sound/bgm.mp3|archive-date= January 16, 2023|format= mp3|time= 00:21|location= |publisher= Nintendo|id= |isbn= |oclc= |quote= Show me your love, show me your love|url-status= live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/28/16380152/super-mario-run-remix-10-update-iphone-android|title=Super Mario Run's new rapid-fire remix mode is just what the game needed|date=September 29, 2017|website=The Verge|url-status=live|last1=Webster|first1=Andrew|access-date=November 21, 2022|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929045343/https://www.theverge.com/2017/9/28/16380152/super-mario-run-remix-10-update-iphone-android}}
= 2017-present: Return to open-ended exploration =
After having fallen out of favor by the mid-2000s, open-world "collectathon" 3D platformers such as Super Mario 64 had become less common.{{cite news|title=The Nintendo Collectathon: A Genre of the Past|url=https://the-artifice.com/nintendo-collectathon/|access-date=September 15, 2021|work=The Artifice|date=December 9, 2014|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616203757/https://the-artifice.com/nintendo-collectathon/|url-status=live}} By the mid-2010s, however, 3D platformers were aiming to replicate such experiences, including Yooka-Laylee and A Hat in Time. Likewise, Super Mario Odyssey is a return to the open-world "sandbox" 3D style of gameplay,{{cite news|last1=Gilbert|first1=Ben|title=Forget about that 'Super Mario' game on your iPhone — this is the new Mario game you're looking for|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/super-mario-odyssey-nintendo-switch-photos-video-2017-1/#its-used-to-great-effect-in-gameplay-in-this-instance-mario-throws-his-hat-and-it-floats-in-mid-air-thus-providing-a-platform-where-mario-can-bounce-to-more-sturdy-footing-11|access-date=January 15, 2017|work=Business Insider|date=January 14, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114202720/http://www.businessinsider.com/super-mario-odyssey-nintendo-switch-photos-video-2017-1/#its-used-to-great-effect-in-gameplay-in-this-instance-mario-throws-his-hat-and-it-floats-in-mid-air-thus-providing-a-platform-where-mario-can-bounce-to-more-sturdy-footing-11|archive-date=January 14, 2017}}{{cite news|author=Paste Staff|title=Super Mario Odyssey Announced for the Nintendo Switch|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/super-mario-odyssey-announced-for-the-nintendo-swi.html|access-date=January 15, 2017|work=Paste Magazine|date=January 13, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116174524/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2017/01/super-mario-odyssey-announced-for-the-nintendo-swi.html|archive-date=January 16, 2017}}{{cite news|last1=Plante|first1=Chris|title=Super Mario Odyssey is an open world sandbox game for Nintendo Switch|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/12/14257408/nintendo-new-super-mario-odyssey-announced-switch|access-date=January 13, 2017|work=The Verge|date=January 12, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114015639/http://www.theverge.com/2017/1/12/14257408/nintendo-new-super-mario-odyssey-announced-switch|archive-date=January 14, 2017}} with "more open-ended exploration like in Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine."{{Cite web |last=Pearce |first=Alanah |authorlink=Alanah Pearce |date=May 15, 2017 |title=Super Mario Odyssey – Road to E3 2017 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/15/super-mario-odyssey-road-to-e3-2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717151626/https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/05/15/super-mario-odyssey-road-to-e3-2017 |archive-date=July 17, 2020 |access-date=April 21, 2020 |website=IGN}} Mario must save Peach from a forced marriage with Bowser. It was released in October 2017 for Nintendo Switch.{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Odyssey |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Super-Mario-Odyssey-1173332.html |access-date=June 17, 2017 |website=Nintendo UK |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009233756/https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Super-Mario-Odyssey-1173332.html |url-status=live }}
Bowser's Fury is part of the 2021 re-release of Super Mario 3D World on the Nintendo Switch. It implements 3D open-world "free-roaming" gameplay in a similar fashion to Odyssey, from which it includes many elements.{{Cite web |last=Skrebels |first=Joe |title=Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury Announced for Nintendo Switch |date=September 3, 2020 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/super-mario-3d-world-coming-to-switch-with-new-bowsers-fury-expansion |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904073604/https://www.ign.com/articles/super-mario-3d-world-coming-to-switch-with-new-bowsers-fury-expansion |archive-date=September 4, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2020 |publisher=IGN}}{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury – Official Trailer 2 – IGN |date=January 12, 2021 |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-official-trailer-2 |access-date=January 12, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204063404/https://www.ign.com/videos/super-mario-3d-world-bowsers-fury-official-trailer-2 |url-status=live }}
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a 2D sidescrolling Super Mario game released in 2023. Players can explore most levels and worlds in any order they want. New power-ups include a fruit that transforms the player into an elephant{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Bros.™ Wonder for Nintendo Switch |url=https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/super-mario-bros-wonder-switch/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230621170938/https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/super-mario-bros-wonder-switch/ |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |access-date=June 21, 2023 |website=Nintendo Official Site |language=en-us}} and a flower that allows the player to create bubbles that capture enemies. When touching a Wonder Flower, the player character experiences strange effects that involve the character and the world being altered.{{cite magazine |last1=Stewart |first1=Marcus |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Super Mario Bros. Wonder Is The Next 2D Mario Platformer |language=en |magazine=Game Informer |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/nintendo-direct/2023/06/21/super-mario-bros-wonder-is-the-next-2d-mario-platformer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622031706/https://www.gameinformer.com/nintendo-direct/2023/06/21/super-mario-bros-wonder-is-the-next-2d-mario-platformer |url-status=live |archive-date=June 22, 2023 |access-date=September 10, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Gach |first1=Ethan |date=June 21, 2023 |title=Nintendo's Next Mario Game Is Here And It's Not What You Expect |language=en |work=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/mario-2d-side-scroller-switch-nintendo-platformer-1850557825 |access-date=September 10, 2023 |archive-date=June 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230621183812/https://kotaku.com/mario-2d-side-scroller-switch-nintendo-platformer-1850557825 |url-status=live }} It is the first game to feature Kevin Afghani as the new voice of Mario and Luigi, following the announcement of previous actor Charles Martinet's departure from the roles in August 2023.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/mario-new-voice-actor-nintendo-kevin-afghani-1235755568/|title=Mario's New Voice Actor Announced by Nintendo After Charles Martinet's Departure|first=Ethan|last=Shanfield|website=Variety|date=October 13, 2023|access-date=October 13, 2023|archive-date=October 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231018225905/https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/mario-new-voice-actor-nintendo-kevin-afghani-1235755568/|url-status=live}}
= Remakes and remasters =
class="wikitable" |
Game
! System ! Year ! Original game(s) ! Original release year(s) |
---|
rowspan="5" | Super Mario All-Stars (+ Super Mario World)
| rowspan="5" | Super NES | rowspan="5" | 1993/1994 | 1985 |
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
| 1986 |
Super Mario Bros. 2
| 1988 |
Super Mario Bros. 3
| 1988 |
Super Mario World{{efn|Not included in original version of All-Stars}}
| 1990 |
rowspan="2" | Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
| rowspan="2" | Game Boy Color | rowspan="2" | 1999 | Super Mario Bros. | 1985 |
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
| 1986 |
rowspan="2" | Super Mario Advance
| rowspan="2" | Game Boy Advance | rowspan="2" | 2001/2002 | Super Mario Bros. 2 | 1988 |
Mario Bros.
| 1983 |
rowspan="2" | Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2
| rowspan="2" | Game Boy Advance | rowspan="2" | 2001 | Super Mario World | 1990 |
Mario Bros.
| 1983 |
rowspan="2" | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3
| rowspan="2" | Game Boy Advance | rowspan="2" | 2002 | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | 1995 |
Mario Bros.
| 1983 |
rowspan="2" | Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
| rowspan="2" | Game Boy Advance | rowspan="2" | 2003/2004 | Super Mario Bros. 3 | 1988 |
Mario Bros.
| 1983 |
Super Mario 64 DS
| 2004/2005 | 1996 |
rowspan="2" | New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
| rowspan="2" | Nintendo Switch | rowspan="2" | 2019 | 2012 |
New Super Luigi U
| 2013 |
rowspan="3" | Super Mario 3D All-Stars
| rowspan="3" | Nintendo Switch | rowspan="3" | 2020 | Super Mario 64 | 1996 |
Super Mario Sunshine
| 2002 |
Super Mario Galaxy
| 2007 |
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
| Nintendo Switch | 2021 | 2013 |
{{Clear}}
Reception
{{Video game series reviews
| updated = December 31, 2023
| sales_title = Units sold
{{small|(in millions)}}
| mc_title = Metacritic
{{small|(out of 100)}}
| game1 = Super Mario Bros.
| year1 = 1985
| sales1 = NES: 40.23{{Cite web |title=Best-Selling Video Games |url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=52404 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060317005503/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=52404 |archive-date=March 17, 2006 |access-date=January 31, 2008 |publisher=Guinness World Records}}
SNES: 10.55
GBA: –
| gr1 = NES: 86%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Bros. Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525243-super-mario-bros/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174436/http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525243-super-mario-bros/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
GBC: 92%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/198850-super-mario-bros-deluxe/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030233132/http://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/198850-super-mario-bros-deluxe/index.html |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
GBA: 80%{{Cite web |title=Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/919774-classic-nes-series-super-mario-bros/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416210001/http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/919774-classic-nes-series-super-mario-bros/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc1 = NES: –
GBC: –
GBA: 84{{Cite web |title=Classic NES Series: Super Mario Bros. Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/classic-nes-series-super-mario-bros/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111020958/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/classic-nes-series-super-mario-bros |archive-date=January 11, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game2 = Super Mario Bros. 2
| year2 = 1988
| sales2 = NES: 7.46{{Cite web |last=O'Malley |first=James |date=September 11, 2015 |title=30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday |url=http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2015/09/30-best-selling-super-mario-games-of-all-time-on-the-plumbers-30th-birthday/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228130418/http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2015/09/30-best-selling-super-mario-games-of-all-time-on-the-plumbers-30th-birthday/ |archive-date=February 28, 2017 |access-date=May 2, 2018 |website=Gizmodo |publisher=Univision Communications}}
GBA: 5.57{{Cite book |title=CESA Games White Papers |publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association}}
| gr2 = NES: 81%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Bros. 2 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525244-super-mario-bros-2/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015095123/http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525244-super-mario-bros-2/index.html |archive-date=October 15, 2014 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |publisher=GameRankings}}
GBA: 82%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Advance Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/457772-super-mario-advance/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174742/http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/457772-super-mario-advance/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc2 = NES: –
GBA: 84{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Advance Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-advance/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321143444/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/super-mario-advance |archive-date=March 21, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game3 = Super Mario Bros. 3
| year3 = 1988
| sales3 = NES: 17.28
GBA: 5.43
| gr3 = NES: 97%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Bros. 3 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525245-super-mario-bros-3/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728223755/http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/525245-super-mario-bros-3/index.html |archive-date=July 28, 2014 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |publisher=GameRankings}}
GBA: 92%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/589393-super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416205957/http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/589393-super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc3 = NES: –
GBA: 94{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402055241/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3 |archive-date=April 2, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game4 = Super Mario Land
| year4 = 1989
| gr4 = 77%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Land Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/585933-super-mario-land/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414224002/http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/585933-super-mario-land/index.html |archive-date=April 14, 2016 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc4 = –
| game5 = Super Mario World
| year5 = 1990
| sales5 = SNES: 20.61{{Cite web |date=June 25, 2007 |title=The Nintendo Years |url=http://www.edge-online.com/features/nintendo-years?page=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120820031228/http://www.edge-online.com/features/nintendo-years |archive-date=August 20, 2012 |access-date=June 27, 2007 |website=Edge Online |publisher=Future Publishing |page=2}}
GBA: 5.69
| gr5 = SNES: 94%
GBA: 92%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/472572-super-mario-world-super-mario-advance-2/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416175145/http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/472572-super-mario-world-super-mario-advance-2/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc5 = SNES: –
GBA: 92{{Cite web |title=Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-world-super-mario-advance-2/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406173613/http://www.metacritic.com/game/game-boy-advance/super-mario-world-super-mario-advance-2 |archive-date=April 6, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game6 = Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
| year6 = 1992
| gr6 = 79%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/585934-super-mario-land-2-6-golden-coins/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414225628/http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/585934-super-mario-land-2-6-golden-coins/index.html |archive-date=April 14, 2016 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc6 = –
| game7 = Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
| year7 = 1995
| sales7 = SNES: –
GBA: –
| gr7 = SNES: –
GBA: –
| mc7 = SNES: –
GBA: –
| game8 = Super Mario All-Stars
| year8 = 1993
| mc8 = –
| game9 = Super Mario 64
| sales9= N64: 11.91{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2003 |title=All Time Top 20 Best Selling Games |url=http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221044930/http://www.ownt.com/qtakes/2003/gamestats/gamestats.shtm |archive-date=February 21, 2006 |access-date=December 1, 2006}}
DS: 11.06{{Cite web |title=IR Information : Sales Data – Top Selling Software Sales Units – Nintendo DS Software |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/ds.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427092514/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/sales/software/ds.html |archive-date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=May 11, 2018 |publisher=Nintendo}}
| year9 = 1996
| gr9 = N64: 96%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 64 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198848-super-mario-64/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215001244/http://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198848-super-mario-64/index.html |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
DS: 86%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 64 DS Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/920758-super-mario-64-ds/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131227022452/http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/920758-super-mario-64-ds/index.html |archive-date=December 27, 2013 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc9 = N64: 94{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 64 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-64/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-64 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312021223/http://www.metacritic.com/game/nintendo-64/super-mario-64 |archive-date=March 12, 2018 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
DS: 85{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 64 DS Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-64/critic-reviews/?platform=ds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031021148/http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/super-mario-64-ds |archive-date=October 31, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game10 = Super Mario Sunshine
| year10 = 2002
| gr10 = 91%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Sunshine Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/533287-super-mario-sunshine/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429191342/http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/533287-super-mario-sunshine/index.html |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc10 = 92{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Sunshine Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-sunshine/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101228222349/http://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/super-mario-sunshine |archive-date=December 28, 2010 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game11 = New Super Mario Bros.
| year11 = 2006
| gr11 = 89%{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/920787-new-super-mario-bros/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416175924/http://www.gamerankings.com/ds/920787-new-super-mario-bros/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc11 = 89{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/new-super-mario-bros/critic-reviews/?platform=ds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408135845/http://www.metacritic.com/game/ds/new-super-mario-bros |archive-date=April 8, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game12 = Super Mario Galaxy
| year12 = 2007
| mc12 = 97{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Galaxy Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-galaxy/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506214357/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/super-mario-galaxy |archive-date=May 6, 2017 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game13 = New Super Mario Bros. Wii
| year13 = 2009
| gr13 = 88%{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. Wii Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/960544-new-super-mario-bros-wii/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416180551/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/960544-new-super-mario-bros-wii/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc13 = 87{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. Wii Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/new-super-mario-bros-wii/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802192848/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/new-super-mario-bros-wii |archive-date=August 2, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game14 = Super Mario Galaxy 2
| year14 = 2010
| gr14 = 97%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/960551-super-mario-galaxy-2/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501012035/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/960551-super-mario-galaxy-2/index.html |archive-date=May 1, 2012 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc14 = 97{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Galaxy 2 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-galaxy-2/critic-reviews/?platform=wii |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506214357/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii/super-mario-galaxy-2 |archive-date=May 6, 2017 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game15 = Super Mario 3D Land
| year15 = 2011
| gr15 = 90%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D Land Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/3ds/620831-super-mario-3d-land/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817060105/http://www.gamerankings.com/3ds/620831-super-mario-3d-land/index.html |archive-date=August 17, 2012 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc15 = 90{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D Land Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-3d-land/critic-reviews/?platform=3ds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424061949/http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/super-mario-3d-land |archive-date=April 24, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game16 = New Super Mario Bros. 2
| year16 = 2012
| gr16 = 78%{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. 2 Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/3ds/667819-new-super-mario-bros-2/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202142448/http://www.gamerankings.com/3ds/667819-new-super-mario-bros-2/index.html |archive-date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
| mc16 = 78{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. 2 Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/new-super-mario-bros-2/critic-reviews/?platform=3ds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324091737/http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/new-super-mario-bros-2 |archive-date=March 24, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
| game17 = New Super Mario Bros. U
| year17 = 2012
| sales17= Wii U: 5.82{{Cite web |title=IR Information : Financial Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii U Software |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605185422/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Nintendo |publisher=Nintendo, Co. Ltd.}}
NS: 12.72{{Cite web|title=Financial Results Explanatory Material 3rd Quarter of Fiscal Year Ending March 2022|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/220203_3e.pdf|access-date=March 3, 2022|website=Nintendo|publisher=Nintendo Co., Ltd.|archive-date=March 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220303220139/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2022/220203_3e.pdf|url-status=live}}
| gr17 = Wii U: 84%{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. U Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/632934-new-super-mario-bros-u/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416174744/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/632934-new-super-mario-bros-u/index.html |archive-date=April 16, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
NS: 81%{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe for Nintendo Switch – GameRankings |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/switch/248068-new-super-mario-bros-u-deluxe/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117070152/https://www.gamerankings.com/switch/248068-new-super-mario-bros-u-deluxe/index.html |archive-date=January 17, 2019 |access-date=January 17, 2019 |website=www.gamerankings.com}}
| mc17 = Wii U: 84{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. U Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/new-super-mario-bros-u/critic-reviews/?platform=wii-u |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121117025903/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/new-super-mario-bros-u |archive-date=November 17, 2012 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=Metacritic}}
NS: 81{{Cite web |title=New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/new-super-mario-bros-u-deluxe/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111044315/https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/new-super-mario-bros-u-deluxe |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |access-date=January 17, 2019 |website=Metacritic |language=en}}
| game18 = Super Mario 3D World
| year18 = 2013
| sales18= Wii U: 5.89
NS: 8.85| gr18 = Wii U: 92%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D World Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/718915-super-mario-3d-world/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223045828/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/718915-super-mario-3d-world/index.html |archive-date=December 23, 2014 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |publisher=GameRankings}}
NS: –
| mc18 = Wii U: 93{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D World Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-3d-world/critic-reviews/?platform=wii-u |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150104100946/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/super-mario-3d-world |archive-date=January 4, 2015 |access-date=January 12, 2015 |publisher=Metacritic}}
NS: 89{{Cite web |title=Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-3d-world-plus-bowsers-fury/critic-reviews/?platform=nintendo-switch |access-date=February 12, 2021 |website=Metacritic |language=en |archive-date=December 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225000220/https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/super-mario-3d-world-+-bowsers-fury |url-status=live }}
| game19 = Super Mario Maker
| year19 = 2015
| sales19 = {{Unbulleted list center
}}
| gr19 = {{Unbulleted list center
| Wii U: 89%{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Maker Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/805618-mario-maker/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151108033100/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii-u/805618-mario-maker/index.html |archive-date=November 8, 2015 |access-date=November 2, 2015 |publisher=GameRankings}}
}}
| mc19 = {{Unbulleted list center
| Wii U: 88{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Maker Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/super-mario-maker/critic-reviews/?platform=wii-u |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923063534/http://www.metacritic.com/game/wii-u/super-mario-maker |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |access-date=November 2, 2015 |publisher=Metacritic}}
}}
| game21 = Super Mario Run
| sales21 = —
| year21 = 2016
| gr21 = —
| game22 = Super Mario Odyssey
| year22 = 2017
| game23 = Super Mario Maker 2
| year23 = 2019
| gr23 = —
| game24 = Super Mario 3D All-Stars
| year24 = 2020
| sales24 = 9.07{{Cite book |title=2023 CESAゲーム白書 |publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association |year=2023 |isbn=978-4-902346-47-3 |location=Japan |publication-date=July 2023 |language=ja |trans-title=2023 CESA Games White Paper}}
| gr24 = —
| game25 = Super Mario Bros. Wonder
| year25 = 2023
| sales25 = 15.51
| gr25 = —
}}
The Super Mario series has seen tremendous critical acclaim from both critics and audiences. The series was ranked as the best game franchise by IGN in 2006.{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2006 |title=The Top 25 Videogame Franchises – PS3 Feature at IGN |url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/749/749069p5.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228062503/http://ps3.ign.com/articles/749/749069p5.html |archive-date=February 28, 2008 |access-date=October 13, 2014 |website=IGN}} In 1996 Next Generation ranked the series as number 5 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time",{{efn|The entry name is "Mario (series)", but the description as a "side-scrolling platformer" makes it clear that Next Generation meant the Super Mario series specifically.}} additionally ranking Super Mario 64 at number 1 although stating the rule that series of games be confined to a single entry.{{Cite magazine |date=September 1996 |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |url=https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-021/page/n73/mode/2up |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=21 |pages=36–71}} In 1999, Next Generation listed the Mario series as number 3 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "The depth of the game design was never matched in 2D and has yet to be equaled by a 3D action performer. The gameplay is simply genius – Shigeru Miyamoto wrote the book on platformers."{{Cite magazine |date=February 1999 |title=Top 50 Games of All Time |url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_50/page/n81/mode/2up |magazine=Next Generation |publisher=Imagine Media |issue=50 |page=81}} Electronic Gaming Monthly attributed the series' excellence to the developers' tireless creativity and innovation, pointing out that "Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series changed very little in its four installments on the Genesis. The Mario series has changed significantly with each new game."{{Cite magazine |date=March 1998 |title=The Game Boy |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/7/73/EGM_US_BuyersGuide_1998.pdf |url-status=live |magazine=1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide |publisher=Ziff Davis |page=65 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609192853/https://retrocdn.net/images/7/73/EGM_US_BuyersGuide_1998.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2020}}
The original Super Mario Bros. was awarded the top spot on Electronic Gaming Monthly{{'}}s greatest 200 games of their time list{{Cite magazine |title=The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time: Super Mario Bros. |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=10&cId=3147448 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629011651/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=10&cId=3147448 |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |access-date=August 9, 2007 |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly}} and IGN{{'}}s top 100 games of all-time list twice (in 2005 and 2007).{{Cite web |year=2005 |title=IGN's Top 100 Games |url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/001-010.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301132404/http://top100.ign.com/2005/001-010.html |archive-date=March 1, 2010 |access-date=August 9, 2007 |publisher=IGN}} Super Mario Bros. popularized side-scrolling video games and provided the basic concept and mechanics that persisted throughout the rest of the series. Super Mario Bros. sold 40.24 million copies, making it the bestselling video game of the whole series.{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Sales Data: Historical Unit Numbers for Mario Bros on NES, SNES, N64.. |url=http://www.gamecubicle.com/features-mario-units_sold_sales.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617100152/http://www.gamecubicle.com/features-mario-units_sold_sales.htm |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |access-date=October 10, 2007 |publisher=GameCubicle.com}}
Various other video games of the series were ranked as the best within the series.{{Cite web |title=Here are the 10 greatest Mario video games of all time |url=https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2017/03/10/best-mario-games-of-all-time/98970142/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716224755/https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/2017/03/10/best-mario-games-of-all-time/98970142/ |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=Detroit Free Press |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=The best Mario games, ranked from best to worst |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-mario-games/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803150134/https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-mario-games/ |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=www.digitaltrends.com}}{{Cite web |title=Super Mario World Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/519824-super-mario-world/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223000513/http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/519824-super-mario-world/index.html |archive-date=February 23, 2014 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}} Games included are Super Mario Bros. 3,{{Cite web |last1=Nero |first1=Dom |last2=Sherrill |first2=Cameron |date=June 26, 2019 |title='Super Mario Bros. 3' Is the Absolute Best Mario Game Nintendo Ever Made |url=https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28187033/best-super-mario-video-games/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200901103012/https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28187033/best-super-mario-video-games/ |archive-date=September 1, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=Esquire}} Super Mario World{{Cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |date=November 2, 2017 |title=What's the Greatest Mario Game Ever? Find Out Where Mario Odyssey Lands in Our Updated Rankings! |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-definitive-super-mario-rankings-30-years-35-games/page-3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200920012744/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-definitive-super-mario-rankings-30-years-35-games/page-3 |archive-date=September 20, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=USgamer |language=en}} and Super Mario 64 to name a few.{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=Ben |title=These are the 10 best Super Mario games — and there's never been a better time to play them |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/best-super-mario-games-2017-12#1-super-mario-world-12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718165019/https://www.businessinsider.com/best-super-mario-games-2017-12#1-super-mario-world-12 |archive-date=July 18, 2020 |access-date=July 16, 2020 |website=Business Insider}}{{Cite web |author= |date=March 9, 2021 |title=Best Super Mario Games: from Bros. to Odyssey, NES to Switch |url=https://www.techradar.com/news/best-super-mario-games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716222221/https://www.techradar.com/news/best-super-mario-games |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |access-date=July 31, 2024 |website=TechRadar |language=en}} Before Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Galaxy has been for 10 years the best-ranked game on GameRankings.{{Cite web |title=Reviews and News Articles |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111180344/http://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html |archive-date=January 11, 2013 |access-date=December 19, 2011 |publisher=GameRankings}}{{Cite web |title=Super Mario Galaxy Reviews |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/915692-super-mario-galaxy/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218220317/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/915692-super-mario-galaxy/index.html |archive-date=February 18, 2013 |access-date=April 16, 2014 |publisher=GameRankings}}
= Sales =
Super Mario is the best-selling video game franchise of all time, having sold more than {{nowrap|430 million}} units worldwide {{as of|2023|lc=y}}.{{cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/voice-nintendos-mario-hangs-his-hat-it-has-been-honor|title=The voice behind Nintendo's Mario hangs up his hat: 'It has been an honor' |access-date=February 14, 2025}} The first seven Super Mario games (including the first three Super Mario Bros. titles, the first two Super Mario Land titles, and Super Mario World) had sold {{Nowrap|100 million}} units by March 1993.{{Cite news|date=June 2, 1993|title=Nintendo sells 100-millionth 'Mario' game|work=United Press International (UPI)|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/06/02/Nintendo-sells-100-millionth-Mario-game/6185738993600/|access-date=December 18, 2021|archive-date=April 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408012050/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1993/06/02/Nintendo-sells-100-millionth-Mario-game/6185738993600/|url-status=live}}
Games in the Super Mario series have had consistently strong sales, ranking among the best-selling video games of all time. Super Mario Bros. sold more than {{nowrap|50 million}} units worldwide sold across multiple platforms by 1996.{{cite web |title=The History of Mario: A look in Mario's roots may help gamers see Nintendo's famous mascot within a bigger framework |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1996/10/01/the-history-of-mario |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020311212658/http://ign64.ign.com/articles/060/060310p1.html |access-date=February 22, 2021 |website=IGN |date=September 30, 1996 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 11, 2002 |quote=Nintendo's first U.S. home videogame console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released in 1985 with Mario starring in Super Mario Bros. The legendary title has gone on to sell more than 50 million units worldwide.}} The original NES version sold 40.23 million units and is the best-selling NES game, with its two sequels, Super Mario Bros. 3 (18 million copies) and Super Mario Bros. 2 (10 million copies), ranking in second and third place respectively. Super Mario World is the best-selling game for the SNES console, selling 20 million copies. Super Mario 64 sold the most copies for the Nintendo 64 (11 million), whereas Super Mario Sunshine is the second bestselling game (5.5 million) on the GameCube (second to Super Smash Bros. Melee). Super Mario Galaxy has sold 12.80 million units {{as of|2020|3|lc=y}}, which was the bestselling 3D game in the series until 2019, and is the ninth bestselling game for the Wii. Its sequel Super Mario Galaxy 2 has 7.41 million units sold, placing in twelfth. Super Mario 3D World was the second bestselling game on the Wii U and along with its more popular Switch port has sold over 19 million copies combined making it the 2nd bestselling 3D Mario game.{{Cite web |title=IR Information : Financial Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii U Software |url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html |access-date=March 4, 2022 |website=Nintendo Co., Ltd. |language=en |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031103300/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html |url-status=live }} Super Mario Odyssey has 29.04 million units sold as of December 2024, making it the bestselling 3D game in the series to date, and among the best-selling games for the Nintendo Switch.{{Cite web |title=Top-Selling Nintendo Switch Units |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101014747/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/index.html |archive-date=November 1, 2019 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Nintendo |publisher=Nintendo Co., Ltd.}} New Super Mario Bros. Wii has sold 30.32 million copies worldwide, the fourth bestselling game on the Wii, as well as one of the bestselling video games of all time.
The Super Mario series also sold well on handheld consoles. Super Mario Land has sold 18.14 million copies, and is the fourth bestselling game for the Game Boy. Its sequel, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, sold 11.18 million copies, placing sixth.{{cite web|last=O'Malley|first=James|date=September 11, 2015|title=30 Best-Selling Super Mario Games of All Time on the Plumber's 30th Birthday|url=http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2015/09/30-best-selling-super-mario-games-of-all-time-on-the-plumbers-30th-birthday/|work=Gizmodo|publisher=Univision Communications|accessdate=April 25, 2017|archive-date=September 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905121725/http://www.gizmodo.co.uk/2012/12/contact-us/|url-status=live}} New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS sold 30.80 million units, making it the bestselling game for the console, and the bestselling portable entry.
For all console and handheld games that have not been bundled with a console, Super Mario Bros. 3 is the fourth bestselling game, whereas New Super Mario Bros. is fifth, Super Mario Land is eleventh, and Super Mario 64 is eighteenth.
In the United Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. is the most famous video game brand, recognized by 91% of the UK adult population {{as of|2021|lc=y}}.{{cite web |title=The Most Famous Video Games in the UK (Q3 2021) |url=https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/technology/fame/video-games/all |website=YouGov |access-date=December 4, 2021 |language=en-gb |archive-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204231733/https://yougov.co.uk/ratings/technology/fame/video-games/all |url-status=live }}
{{Clear}}
See also
- Luigi's Mansion series: A spin-off of the series.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker: A spin-off of the series.
- Donkey Kong Country series: Similar platform series.
- Super Princess Peach: A spin-off Nintendo platform game that role reverses Mario and Peach.
- Wario Land series: A spin-off platform sub-series.
- Yoshi series: A spin-off of the series
{{Clear}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{CC-notice|cc=bysa3|url=https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Odyssey}}
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Sister project links | wikt=no | c=Category:Mario_(video game series) | v=no | q=Super Mario Bros. | s=no | b=no | n =no | display=Super Mario}}
- {{Official website|mario.nintendo.com}}
{{Super Mario|state=expanded}}
{{Mario franchise}}
{{Main franchises by Nintendo}}
{{Portal bar|Video games|Japan|Speculative fiction|1980s|1990s|2010s}}
Category:Video games about size change