It’s-a me, Mario! We all know the phrase, but do you know the best Super Mario games on Nintendo Switch to play today?
Nintendo’s poster boy and mascot has certainly got about over the years. From stomping enemies in sewers to hitting the big screen in Hollywood, he’s become a household name and an instantly recognisable figure across the globe.
And he’s of Italian descent, which is why I will defend him in all battles (we look after our own).
This little-moustachioed marvel has had some incredible adventures over the years, and at the time of writing, there are 18 games available for the Switch, with more available on the Nintendo Switch Online service.
But today, we’re sticking with physical cartridges, and listing our 10 best Super Mario games on Nintendo Switch for you to peruse through!
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s-a go!
Table of Contents
1. Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
The cap is out of the bag; Super Mario Odyssey is the best Super Mario game on Nintendo Switch!
Even though it’s a close call between Odyssey and the rest of the titles in this list, this title captured the hearts and minds of Switch lovers everywhere and finally ended the seven-year-wait for a follow-up to Super Mario Galaxy 2.
Sure, we’d had other Mario games in the interim, but for true fans of the 3D sandbox experience, the same experience that we found in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, this was the crowning jewel that we had all been waiting for.
The game levels feel open-ended too without the game actually feeling open-world. If anything, the levels are just a lot bigger with lots more going on in them. It’s the same with Yooka-Laylee, a sort of ‘N64 3.0’ vibe that sees players collecting here, there, and everywhere.
The detail in this game is incredible too, and we love getting out of the Mushroom Kingdom to explore different planets and the weird and wonderful things that go on there.
Let’s talk about some of the new mechanics.
For starters, Mario’s cap plays a much bigger role in his life now. You can hit enemies with it, use it as a stepping stone to reach new places, and even take over objects and creatures.
Fancy being a T-Rex for a bit? Of course you do!
Players have to purchase specific clothing items in order to get into secret areas in levels too, and having the chance to customise Mario’s look completely is a nice little touch.
Odyssey certainly mixed up the 3D Mario game formula, and we’re looking forward to seeing what happens in Super Mario Odyssey 2!
2. Super Mario RPG (2023)
Super Mario RPG is the remake that none of us knew was in the works, but boy are we glad it happened.
The original SNES title shocked a lot of people back in the day. A Mario RPG… Mario… in an RPG?
The game itself is a work of art, and the remake not only enhances the magic of the original title, but it allows a whole new generation of Mazza fans who never owned a SNES to jump in on the action.
The cover isn’t the most inspiring piece of Mario artwork ever, it has to be said. Still, when it gets into the gameplay, your socks, slippers, and most of the surrounding carpet will be blown off.
Just take a look at that still above; everything looks so new and shiny, with the gameplay getting that modern Link’s Awakening treatment.
And dare I say it, I think Super Mario RPG looks a little better!
It’s the cutscenes that got us all excited at Retro Dodo towers, something our content editor Theo explains in our official review. It really feels like Nintendo poured all of their love and admiration for the Mushroom Kingdom into this title, and it plays superbly – a true credit to the console.
Read our official review: Super Mario RPG review
3. Super Mario Bros Wonder (2023)
Super Mario Odyssey wasn’t the only title to mix up the Mario formula – Super Mario Bros Wonder has done exactly the same for the 2D Mario make-up, adding tonnes of new features and a wild stylistic choice that has made us all feel like we’re at Woodstock in the 60s.
It is without a doubt one of the trippiest titles of all time, and those wonder flowers and new power-ups made us feel like excited kids in a sweet shop.
And as you might imagine from a 2D scrolling Mario game of recent years, the levels have that vibrant and exciting tone that draws your eye and just generally makes you feel much happier while playing.
I do have one annoying gripe with Wonder, and that’s that it’s a little too short. We’ve all completed it far too quickly, and although we get to play video games a lot with our line of work, we would have liked a little more of a challenge.
Still, with its intriguing gameplay, fantastic soundtrack, and the fact that everyone (including us) went crazy after seeing Elephant Mario for the first time, it’s an incredible Mario game and one that you need in your Nintendo Switch collection.
Take a look at our official review: Super Mario Bros Wonder review
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes the 4th spot on our list of the best Super Mario games on Nintendo Switch, and it’s a title that I really don’t need to introduce.
But, as I’ve said before, these articles only work if I write something, so just indulge me.
Mario Kart 8 first dropped on the Wii U back in 2014. Just let that sink in… it’s been 9 years at the time of writing since the last Mario title came out, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe adding to the original by bringing new courses and characters to the table.
The graphics are phenomenal, and having the chance to race upside down and underwater on some of the best courses imaginable never gets old.
Now, I have a love-hate relationship with Mario Kart 8; I love playing this game, but I hate losing. I’ve written tonnes of articles on this game mainly down to the fact that I’m continuously trying to discover the best ways to beat my friends.
What started as ‘The Great Boxing Day Mario Kart Extravaganza’ has left me more tense than a plank of wood and wishing I had hair to pull out. I get my butt handed to me by friends from Kansas, US, to Dewsbury, UK, but they tell me it’s just ‘character building’.
I also wish that we had received more ‘new’ courses over the years instead of so many remasters of old courses. But hey, there’s always Garfield Kart to put us on, right?
Check out our personal views on the best character and kart combinations: Best Mario Kart 8 Setups
5. Mario Party Superstars (2021)
I’ve come to the Mario Party Superstars train pretty late on in the day, but it’s coming into this list at Number 5 for one very important reason – GameCube mini games.
After experiencing Mario Kart rehashing some old courses, I wasn’t sure what to think of a Mario Party game that used old courses in a kind of ‘best of’, so I put it off in favour of playing Super Mario Party over and over – how could it be better than this original entry in the series?
I’m making up for lost time now, however, and I’m loving playing through all of the GameCube mini games that I first experienced when I came to the series back on Nintendo’s indigo powerhouse.
And when you see the comparison of how the board graphics used to look back on the N64 days compared to now, you can hardly believe they are the same games.
These game boards have been lovingly recreated down to the last pixel, and although all 3 original N64 games are available through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, Superstars is definitely much more enjoyable to play.
I do like the simplicity of not having to chose different dice blocks and just rolling anything from 1 to 10, and the item spaces are much more fun than previous entries thanks to mini games deciding what you win.
6. Super Mario Party (2018)
That being said, I did initially enjoy the character dice blocks on Super Mario Party and still use Bowser in the hope that I’ll get that elusive 10 roll.
Super Mario Party is a delight to play and gets so many things right. I’ve spent a lot of time playing both online and offline with friends and family, and I love diving into the Partner Party and free-roaming in teams in order to grab the star and collecting items and other characters.
The only course I get a little bit bored with is Kamek’s Tantalizing Tower as it all feels a bit linear, but the other courses are superb and have given me lots of fun over the years.
I mean, you can see from my box above that its had a lot of use!
Super Mario Party is the perfect game to play on an evening after you’ve spent a couple of hours being beaten on Mario Kart, and it’s perfect for players of any age to use. The mini games make great use of the Joycons too, with rumble challenges and motion controls making everything feel incredibly immersive.
If only I looked a little bit more like Bowser and a little less like Toad…
7. Super Mario Maker 2 (2019)
Now, if you’ve played tonnes of Super Mario side-scrolling games, including Super Mario Bros Wonder, and found yourself wishing that they were a little harder, then Super Mario Maker 2 needs to be in your collection.
Create an uphill struggle with Bullet Bills hurtling down towards you continually, or have Mario working tackling a world of ever-climbing blocks guarded by Laser Goombas.
You can make the worlds most difficult Mario course on this game completely from scratch, before sharing your creations with users all over the world.
According to Screen Rant, there were 26 million courses for players to tackle as of 2021, and we can only imagine that number has doubled since then!
If, however, you’re not into level building, then there are 120 pre-made courses for you play through to get your Mario fix.
I’ve seen some weird and wonderful levels on this game that would make the hardiest of Mario fans quake in their boots. It’s definitely one for budding game developers to have a bash at!
8. Super Mario 3D All-Stars (2020)
This couldn’t be a list of the best Super Mario games on Nintendo Switch without mentioning 3 of the most classic titles to head to Nintendo’s hybrid hero now, could it?
Super Mario 64, the first 3D sandbox Mario game and one of the best N64 games of all time kickstarts this nostalgic bonanza.
Rather than remaking the title in Link’s Awaking style, however, the game sticks true to the original graphics with just a few touchups here and there. It’s not even in wide-screen either!
Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy finish off the 3D All-Stars, bringing the paint-splattered walkways of Isle Delfino and the mysteries of the cosmos to the table.
All three of these games are part of Mario’s incredible history, and Nintendo’s choice to immortalise them in this trilogy was one that we were all incredibly excited about.
Super Mario Galaxy looks incredibly swish on the Switch, and I much prefer playing the game with my Switch Pro Controller than using a Wiimote.
When using my OLED Switch, it doesn’t look too much different to Super Mario Odyssey!
But it’s Super Mario 64 that initially kept me coming back to this game before it arrived on the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, the first game that I ever got for the N64!
Read Retro Dodo’s official review: Super Mario 3D All-Stars review
9. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (2021)
Super Mario Bros Wonder might have taken the 3rd spot in this list, but we can’t have a list of the best Super Mario games on Nintendo Switch without talking about Super Mario 3D world + Bowser’s Fury.
I’m going to be honest here from the off; there’s not much difference between this and the Wii U version bar the inclusion of Bowser’s Fury. That’s the main reason you’d want to buy this game if you already have the Wii U version at home, and we all know what it’s like to own multiple versions of the same game.
Characters move faster and there are some bonus modes that prove challenging, but the game is still the same-old-classic that we know and love.
Cat Mario is a bona fide legend, however, even if you don’t like cats, and the levels that players go through are super satisfying (and a lot less trippy than Wonder if you found that a little too much).
One things that I love about this game is the 4-player Multiplayer mode, which is standard practice for Nintendo Mario side-scrolling games these days. Wonder has 4 player functionality, but it’s so mad as it is that I just prefer to take it on solo most of the time.
And it’s nice not having to save Peach for once; she’s much more interesting when she’s not being continuously captured by Bowser!
10. Mario Strikers Battle League (2022)
I almost put Mario Aces down here in the 10th spot due to a silent friend in the ill-fated Mario Kart group chat lurking out of the shadows to ‘serve’ his opinions on why this game is under-appreciated, but I couldn’t leave Mario Strikers: Battle League Football out of this list.
I’ve loved the Mario Strikers series ever since it arrived on the GameCube back in 2005. I’d play it with friends until the small hours of the morning, safe in the knowledge that, while I wasn’t any good at Fifa, I could pull off epic strikes with Mario and the gang.
Fast forward to 2022, and picking my team of 4 strikers while upgrading their gear and trying to beat the insanely hard computer became my entire world. I lived and breathed this game, writing multiple guides right here on Retro Dodo as I worked through game on a match-by-match basis.
The amount of hours I have put into the online multiplayer mode probably shouldn’t be listed here either, but just know that it’s a lot…
I think that Mario Strikers gets overlooked quite a lot, which is a massive shame. The tournament option of playing online with friends in your team is so much fun, and seeing Bowser and Yoshi teaming up together to smack goals into the back of the net never gets old.
There are so many strategies for this game too that you won’t get bored trying out different tactics and reinventing the wheel either!
Here’s how to pick the right team: How to pick the best team in Mario Strikers Battle League Football
