It’s time to dive into dino-action as we check out the best Yoshi games of all time!
Yoshi will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only is he my favourite Nintendo character, but he’s also my Mum’s too!
She’s got a little tattoo of him and everything!
I can remember sitting at home and playing Number 3 in the list below while my family watched behind me, and later playing Number 4 while travelling around the world in a camper van.
You could say that Yoshi has been an important character throughout my life, and you’d be right!
From topsy-turvey action to baby-sitting duties on the go, Yoshi has had his fair share of problems to solve and challenges to complete over the years.
All between winning races on Mario Kart or smashing Link with eggs on Super Smash Bros. too!
So, let’s see which the best Yoshi games of all time are, shall we?
Table of Contents
15. Yoshi’s Universal Gravitation (2004)
Yoshi’s Universal Gravitation takes the first spot in this list of the best Yoshi games. Just look how happy he is on the front cover; he doesn’t care what position his games come in so long as he’s having fun!
This game is also known as Yoshi Topsy-Turvey, which you’ve got to admit has a better ring to it.
In homage to Yoshi’s Story, the game features both Yoshi’s home island and Bowser locked up inside a pop-up book. Hongo the Great Book Spirit hoped to stop Bowser from causing any more trouble, but it looks like Yoshi must head back and save the day!
The game has 6 main chapters, though each chapter is made up from multiple levels inside them. The chapter element definitely makes the game feel even more like a spiritual successor to Yoshi’s Story.
But the main difference is the tilt-sensor gameplay.
Tilt the GBA to help Yoshi find new areas or to just send enemies rolling back the other way to where they were heading.
This is an early example of seeing Yoshi turned into different objects too. Like in Yoshi’s Wooly World, players transform into vehicles and balls in order to complete the missions.
It’s an incredibly fun title and the perfect game to kickstart our Yoshi games list!
14. Mario & Yoshi (1991)
Mario & Yoshi remains one of those games that I go back to time and time again. It’s so addictive that it should come with a warning about how much time is eats up!
So the concept is very similar to Columns and Tetris. Players have to move Mario and twist stacks of Nintendo characters left and right, ultimately clearing the screen of bad guys,
The main aim of the game is to close a stack of enemies inside two halves of a Yoshi egg shell. Once a top piece touches a stack with a bottom piece somewhere in it, the enemies in-between are zapped away.
The top part of the egg on its own does nothing, so don’t be hoping you can rely on it to get you out of a tight spot like the left stack in the still above!
It’s a nifty little brain-tickler alright and one of the best Gameboy games of all time!
13. Yoshi’s Cookie (1992)
Yoshi‘s Cookie takes the 13th spot in this list of the best Yoshi game. Man, does this guy like to eat!
Like Mario & Yoshi, this is a puzzle game that needs the speed of a cheetah and the mind of a general taking an army into war.
Ok, so we’re only dealing with baked goods and not an army here, but it’s still tricky!
Yoshi’s Cookie dropped on the Gameboy, NES and SNES. If you can grab the SNES version, then there are even more puzzles for players to chomp down into.
Still, in all versions, the gameplay is essentially Dr Mario but with cookies.
Make columns or rows of sweet treats and watch as they disappear, making your score increase!
12. Yoshi’s New Island (2014)
There are definitely going to be a few variations of Yoshi’s Island below, but Yoshi’s New Island is a sequel to the main adventure first released back on the SNES in 1995.
Essentially, the premise is exactly the same – get Baby Mario safely through side-scrolling levels after a stalk drops him back down with the Yoshis.
The kick in the teeth – the stalk got the wrong location last time in the last game, so they still haven’t been reunited with their parents!
When I say they, I mean Baby Mario and Baby Luigi. Yes, the duo are back again, and Baby Mario can once more locate Baby Luigi using his telepathic powers.
Maybe I should start using him in Mario Kart, I might finally know when those Red Shells are coming before it’s too late!
The gameplay looks amazing on the 3DS, and although it feels so familiar because it’s essentially the same game as before, the new transportation elements keep things exciting for fans of the original.
11. Yoshi’s Safari (1993)
Yoshi’s Safari takes the 11th slot in our Yoshi games compendium, and I reckon this is one that some of you might have missed back in the day.
The setting – Jewellery Land. The premise – to shoot down evil enemies and stop Bowser.
Yeah, this is essentially a First Person Shooter game… with Mario and Yoshi. How cool is that!
Mario rides around on Yoshi, but we only see Yoshi as you move through the levels. Play using the Super Scope and destroy enemies before they get to you.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Super Scope, then check out our list of the best SNES accessories!
As it’s a light gun game, you’ll also need one of the best CRT TVs for retro gaming to play it on!
You know what, for a simple game with simple graphics, it’s still a cracking title to play today. As long as you have the right TV and a steady aim, you’ll do fine!
10. Yoshi Touch & Go (2005)
Yoshi Touch & Go is another ‘Yoshi’s Island’-esque game, but this time players don’t actually control Yoshi.
Instead, gamers make little paths for Yoshi to follow using the stylus. It’s one of those games that shows off what the DS does, just like with Wii Sports and 1-2-Switch did for their respective consoles.
Don’t let that put you off though; Yoshi and Baby Mario get up to epic antics in this title, and the constant moving makes for tense gameplay!
Drag fruits towards Yoshi, draw cloud routes, and squiggle circles around enemies to put them in bubbles, all using the styles.
Tapping on the screen will fire an egg towards an enemy too, and cloud routes can be blown away by, you guessed it, blowing into the microphone.
This game really puts the DS through its paces and shows off everything that this epic console can do!
9. Tetris Attack (1995)
How many of you knew that Tetris Attack was set on Yoshi Island?
It turns out that Bowser doesn’t just spend his time trying to terrorise Princess Peach. He’s at it again with the Yoshi’s on Yoshi Island, turning them into his mindless minions.
To save his friends, Yoshi must clear puzzle screens akin to Yoshi’s Cookie and Dr Mario, joining coloured blocks together and clearing lines.
The story mode is fun as players see Yoshi going through the Island alongside other NPCs from his colourful world.
I’m a big fan of the multiplayer mode too; sending garbage into the screen of my Retro Dodo team members never gets old.
Play puzzle modes or go for gold in endless mode. The choice is up to you. It’s a nice change to usual drop-block games and has some great visuals that will certainly make you smile.
8. Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3
You knew it was coming at some point, and Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3 takes the 8th spot in this list of the best Yoshi games!
There’s a reason Yoshi’s Island featured in our best Gameboy Advance games list. It’s one of the greatest adventures Nintendo has ever produced, and the brighter graphics captured the magnificence of the SNES perfectly while playing on the GBA SP.
And let’s not forget the real reason… portable gameplay and 4-player multiplayer with just one game cart!
Yoshi is the leader in Yoshi’s Island. Granted he’s still got a version of Mario tagging along for the ride, but Yoshi is the one calling the shots.
Ok, that’s not specifically true I guess… Baby Mario has to get back to Baby Luigi, and he does it via knowing telepathically where he is. Yoshi must take him there and reunite them before Kamek causes any more trouble.
With puzzles to solve and the iconic flutter jump taking Yoshi to great heights, it’s a brilliant title to kick back with on a Sunday afternoon while listening to the radio.
7. Yoshi’s Island DS (2006)
Why has the DS version of Yoshi’s Island ranked higher than the GBA version? Well, Yoshi’s Island DS is actually a sequel, and Baby Mario isn’t the only one in danger this time!
Kamek has caused trouble for other babies in the Nintendo Kingdom, including a cheeky Baby Wario, Baby Peach, and Baby DK.
I wonder if the Yoshis on Yoshi Island ever get bored of looking after kids. I bet they just wanted a quiet life!
If Yoshi carries a different baby as opposed to Baby Mario, then he gets a different power to use in the game. Baby Wario can pull coins and items made of metal towards Yoshi, and Baby DK can climb up vines.
Heck, even Baby Bowser shows up for the game and breathes fire at enemies when he’s on Yoshi’s back.
While like every other side-scrolling game in the Mushroom Kingdom the aim is to get from one side of the course to the other, players can go the extra mile and collect everything hidden in each level to get that sweet 100% completion status.
That’s one way to get value for money!
6. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World (2017)
Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World takes the 6th slot in our ultimate Yoshi games list.
For all intents and purposes, this games is the same as Yoshi’s Wooly World, albeit a miniature version.
It also has new levels in it too that are specifically for the little yarn version of Poochy to complete.
Obviously all the woollen action has been scaled down for the 3DS, but it still looks slick and works really well.
One new cool addition that I like are the Poochy Pups. They run around finding hidden objects or items that you need if you want to complete the game fully. Everyone needs a hound to sniff out secrets!
There’s also a setting where you can make your own patterns for the little woollen Yoshi’s and see those patterns on your Yoshi in game.
It’s the little things that make all the difference!
5. Super Mario World (1990)
Ok, so Super Mario World shouldn’t need any introduction, but the section would be pretty empty if I wrote nothing, wouldn’t it!
Mario is undoubtedly up there with the most iconic video game characters of all time. I think it would be safe to say he’s the most famous character of all.
Still, the 96 levels in Super Mario World are made better by one thing, and that’s Yoshi!
It’s definitely Yoshi on the front cover that helped Super Mario World sell over 20 million titles and become the best selling SNES title of all time.
That’s what Yoshi told me, at any rate.
Save Peach from Bowser; you know the drill by now. Still, there’s an added twist; players need to save Dinosaur Island, and Yoshi is going to help you do it!
Ride around on Yoshi’s back and defeat enemies in style. It’s one of the best 90s games we’ve ever played and needs to be in your collection!
4. Yoshi’s Crafted World (2019)
Yoshi’s Crafted World recently featured in our list of the best dinosaur games of all time.
Listen, dinos don’t have to be cruel or scary, as this cute little chap proves time and time again!
If you loved Wooly World (and let’s face it, who didn’t?), then Crafted World is the new and exciting sequel.
The attention to every single little detail in this game is second to none. The designers have kept the theme of the last game going with levels made entirely from arts and crafts materials.
Yoshi and the other characters take on a more ‘felted look’ in this game as opposed to the woollen characters in Wooly World. They all look amazing and compliment the boxes and streamers in the backgrounds perfectly.
Flip pieces of level to find secret stages and areas, gobble up enemies, and even collect coins in outer space!
The two-player co-op is a great way to play the story mode and perfect for anyone who is a little unsure about the world of video gaming. If you and a partner or friend enjoyed playing Snipperclips together, then this is definitely the next game you need to try!
3. Yoshi’s Story (1997)
Sitting at 10th place in our mammoth best N64 games list, Yoshi’s Story is one of the greatest Yoshi games from my childhood.
I guess in today’s world of Next Gen gaming, it might seem a little bit tame. Still, back in the day, this colourful, jolly outing was fantastic, as was playing as different coloured Yoshi’s too.
And, let’s not forget that this is a game where Yoshi is starring without Mario too. He proved that he could hold his own without any variation of Mazza, and that’s what makes this game so special.
Yoshi games have always had eye-catching backgrounds, but I think Yoshi’s story set a precedent for games to come. There’s definitely elements of this game in both Wooly World and Crafted World, which is portably why I love them so much!
Work your way through a pop-up book as you move through the branches of the Super Happy Tree, collecting fruit and thwarting Shy Guys at every stage.
He’s a misunderstood dude is Shy Guy; I want Nintendo to give him his own game!
2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (1995)
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island could well be the most famous of all Yoshi games. I know we’ve covered it above on the GBA, but we wouldn’t have had the portable version without the original SNES title!
Officially the 8th best selling SNES game, this laid-back platformer captured the hearts and minds of millions and stood out at the time too.
Graphically, it was way different to games like Donkey Kong Country and Sonic The Hedgehog etc. The sketchy, almost more cartoony style was a breath of fresh air and went down well amongst Ninty fans.
Some people might say that it was solely down to the use of the all-singing-all-dancing Super FX2 microchip that made this game sell 4.12 million copies, but I disagree.
Whatever this game looked like, the storyline and the adventurous elements are what makes it so special. Nintendo are never afraid to mix things up, and giving Yoshi the limelight without Mario back in ’95 was a bold move.
A move that paid off tenfold, however.
Yoshi’s Island is a cult classic that is permanently in our SNES here at Retro Dodo Towers, and while many of you might have expected it to come in first place in our Yoshi games list, there’s one more title that trumps it.
1. Yoshi’s Woolly World (2015)
There’s no pulling the wool over your eyes; Yoshi’s Woolly World is officially the best Yoshi game of all time!
This game revolutionised the Yoshi franchise. Everything felt so different (and not just because it felt like wool), and this has to be the cutest Yoshi has ever looked in any of his games.
The whole concept of everything being woollen, from Yoshi’s eggs to the enemies he’s attacking and the platforms he’s standing on, just works so well. It’s one of the best Wii U games on the console and just superb in every aspect.
The concept might not seem entirely new for anyone that’s spent any time playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn on the Wii, but personally, I think Yoshi pulls it off better.
Work through Craft Island as you uncover new Yoshi designs after Kamek turns all the wooden Yoshi’s back into individual balls of wool.
Unravel the mystery (great joke) and save the day through beautiful side-scrolling levels, teaming up with a friend or going solo.
Use power badges to give you an edge or turn on fly-mode to make sure you don’t fall down gaps, essentially meaning you can’t die!
Yes, Yoshi’s Woolly world is the ultimate winner of our best Yoshi games list, and long may it put smiles on our faces and yarn-filled dreams in our heads.
