Mario is basically the face of video games. If you see a red cap and a mustache, you know exactly who it is. But honestly, trying to figure out the order of Mario games is a total nightmare if you’re looking for a coherent timeline. Nintendo doesn't really do "lore" the way Zelda or Dark Souls does. Shigeru Miyamoto has famously said the characters are more like a troupe of actors—sometimes they’re enemies, sometimes they’re go-karting together, and sometimes they’re just trying to save a princess from a giant turtle.
It's chaotic.
If you want to play them in a way that makes sense, you have to decide if you care about when they came out or how the gameplay evolved. Most people just jump in wherever. That’s fine. But if you're a completionist, you need a roadmap because there are over 200 titles if you count the spin-offs. We aren't going to talk about Mario Teaches Typing here. We’re sticking to the core platformers that actually defined the medium.
The Release Order: Starting from the Pixels
The most obvious way to tackle the order of Mario games is by release date. You start at the beginning. 1985. Super Mario Bros. on the NES. It changed everything. Before this, games were mostly single-screen affairs like Donkey Kong (where Mario was actually called Jumpman). Now, you had a scrolling world. It felt infinite at the time.
Then things got weird.
In North America, we got Super Mario Bros. 2, which was actually a reskinned game called Doki Doki Panic. The "real" Japanese sequel was deemed too hard for Americans, eventually releasing here as The Lost Levels. If you play these in order, you’ll notice a massive jump in quality when you hit Super Mario Bros. 3. Many fans still argue it’s the best 2D platformer ever made. It introduced the world map, the Koopalings, and the Tanooki Suit. It was a technical marvel for the 8-bit hardware.
📖 Related: The Problem With Roblox Bypassed Audios 2025: Why They Still Won't Go Away
Then came the SNES era. Super Mario World is often the peak for many. It gave us Yoshi. It gave us Cape Mario. Most importantly, it gave us a sprawling, interconnected world with secret exits that actually mattered. After that, the series split. We got Yoshi's Island, which is technically a prequel, and then the jump to 3D.
The 3D Revolution and the Modern Era
When Super Mario 64 dropped in 1996, it didn't just change Mario; it changed how every 3D game worked. It’s the pivot point in the order of Mario games. You weren't just going left to right anymore. You were exploring.
The 3D line continued through Super Mario Sunshine—which people either love or hate because of the FLUDD water pack—and then into the Galaxy games. Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel are widely considered masterpieces of gravity-defying level design. If you haven't played them, you’re missing out on some of the most creative uses of 3D space in history.
The Chronological "Story" Order (If You’re Brave)
Okay, look. Nintendo doesn't officially recognize a timeline. But fans have pieced one together based on character ages. If you want to play the order of Mario games chronologically by "story," it looks roughly like this:
- Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: Mario is literally a baby.
- Yoshi's New Island: Still a baby.
- Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (the past sections): More babies.
- Super Mario Bros. (1985): Mario is an adult now.
- Super Mario Wonder: The newest entry, clearly occurring late in his career.
It’s a bit of a stretch. The "story" is always the same: Bowser takes Peach, Mario goes to get her. The nuances change, but the motivation stays static.
👉 See also: All Might Crystals Echoes of Wisdom: Why This Quest Item Is Driving Zelda Fans Wild
Why the "New" Series Confused Everyone
In the mid-2000s, Nintendo started the New Super Mario Bros. line. This complicates the order of Mario games because it brought back 2D gameplay while the 3D games were still happening.
You had New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, then a Wii version, then a 3DS one, and then New Super Mario Bros. U. They’re good games. They’re polished. But they all kind of look and sound the same. It created this weird parallel track where Nintendo was catering to nostalgic fans and 3D explorers at the same time. This era eventually culminated in Super Mario Maker, which basically told the players, "Fine, you do it."
The Impact of Super Mario Odyssey and Wonder
Super Mario Odyssey was a massive return to the "sandbox" style of Mario 64. It’s a celebration of the entire history of the franchise. You’ve got 2D segments hidden inside 3D walls. You’ve got a city level where you interact with "realistic" humans. It’s surreal.
Then, Super Mario Wonder arrived in 2023. It reinvented the 2D formula by making it weird again. The Wonder Flowers change the physics or the perspective of a level entirely. It proved that even after 40 years, the order of Mario games isn't just about moving forward; it's about reinventing the foundation.
Misconceptions About Mario’s History
A lot of people think Donkey Kong is the first Mario game. Technically, it is. But Mario wasn't "Mario" yet. He was a carpenter, not a plumber. He didn't have a brother. He didn't have a personality. The transition from the arcade Mario Bros. (the one with the pipes and crabs) to the NES Super Mario Bros. is the most significant leap in gaming history.
✨ Don't miss: The Combat Hatchet Helldivers 2 Dilemma: Is It Actually Better Than the G-50?
Another mistake? Thinking the Land games on Game Boy don't count. Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins are essential. They introduced Daisy and Wario. They are weird, experimental, and surprisingly difficult.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re planning to tackle the order of Mario games today, don't try to play everything. You'll burn out. Instead, follow this curated "Legacy Path" to see the evolution of the series without the filler:
- Start with Super Mario Bros. (NES): Just play the first few worlds to understand the physics.
- Jump to Super Mario Bros. 3: This is where the "Mario Feel" was perfected.
- Play Super Mario World: Experience the peak of 2D 16-bit design.
- Experience Super Mario 64: It's essential for understanding how 3D gaming started.
- Play Super Mario Galaxy: To see how Nintendo mastered 3D space.
- Finish with Super Mario Odyssey and Wonder: These represent the modern pinnacle of both 3D and 2D styles.
The best way to access these now is through the Nintendo Switch Online service. It has the NES, SNES, and N64 libraries mostly intact. For the 3D titles, the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection is the go-to, though it's technically "out of print" and requires finding a physical copy or an old digital license.
Focus on the "mainline" entries first. The spin-offs like Mario Kart, Paper Mario, and the sports titles are incredible, but they follow their own rules and don't contribute to the core evolution of the platforming genre. Start with the "Super" titles, and you'll see why this plumber has stayed relevant for four decades.