Dans quel ordre jouer aux jeux Mario ?

In what order should I play the Mario games?

1605 words | Reading time : 8 minute(s)

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Do you really have to start with the 1985 game? No. This guide lays out an order of discovery by sub-series rather than by chronology: Super Mario Bros. or All-Stars for the 2D games, Super Mario 64 and Odyssey for the 3D ones, Paper Mario or The Thousand-Year Door for the paper RPGs. It also explains when the spin-offs are worth the detour.

With more than forty years of adventures behind it, the Super Mario series can look like a maze to a newcomer. Should you start with the very first Super Mario Bros. from 1985, or dive straight into the 3D worlds? Should you follow the release order, or group the games by family (2D platformers, 3D platformers, RPGs, spin-offs)?

Good news: unlike other franchises, the Mario series imposes no strict narrative continuity. Every episode stands entirely on its own. So this guide offers you two complementary approaches, the release chronology and the grouping by sub-series, to build your ideal run without ever getting lost.

Contents

Do you have to play the Mario games in order?

The short answer is no, it is not required. The Super Mario games share a universe and a cast of characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser), but each episode tells its own standalone story, usually built on the same pattern: Bowser kidnaps the princess, Mario sets off to rescue her.

Two ways of working through it stand out:

  • Release order: perfect for feeling the technical and creative evolution, from NES pixels to the open worlds of the Switch.
  • Grouping by sub-series: more comfortable for a newcomer, since you stay inside one style of play (2D platformer, 3D platformer, RPG) before switching.

For most players, the second approach is the more enjoyable one: you first pick the family that appeals to you, then work through it in order.

2D platformers: the historic heart of the series

This is where it all began. The 2D branch remains the most accessible and the most recommended place to start.

  • Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES): the founding title, essential for the history.
  • Super Mario Bros. 2: careful, there are two different games! The 1986 Japanese version (renamed The Lost Levels in the West) is brutally hard; the 1988 Western version is a separate game, adapted from Doki Doki Panic.
  • Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES): a masterpiece with its world map and its Koopalings.
  • Super Mario World (1990, Super Nintendo): the arrival of Yoshi and the cape.
  • New Super Mario Bros. (2006, DS), then the Wii (2009), 2 (2012, 3DS) and U (2012, Wii U): the modernised return of 2D.
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023, Switch): 2D reinvented with its Wonder Flowers.

Good to know: the Super Mario All-Stars (1993, Super Nintendo) collection gathers the first four 2D episodes (Super Mario Bros. 1 to 3 and The Lost Levels) with upgraded graphics, an excellent way in.

3D platformers: the big adventure

From 1996 on, Mario steps into the third dimension and revolutionises video games. This branch is best savoured in release order too:

  • Super Mario 64 (1996, Nintendo 64): the pioneer of the 3D platformer.
  • Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GameCube): the tropical episode set on Isle Delfino.
  • Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii) and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Wii): the space odyssey, brought to Switch in 2025 in a remastered collection (2 October 2025).
  • Super Mario 3D Land (2011, 3DS) and Super Mario 3D World (2013, Wii U; re-released in 2021 with Bowser's Fury): 3D in a more guided, level-based form.
  • Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Switch): the most complete adventure, with Cappy and its kingdoms.

For a beginner on Switch, Odyssey and the Galaxy collection are the best modern starting points.

The Mario RPGs: Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi

Two big families of role-playing games enrich the universe with humour, dialogue and turn-based battles. They can be enjoyed quite apart from the platformers.

The Paper Mario series (a papercraft universe):

  • Paper Mario (2000, Nintendo 64), Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (2004, GameCube; Switch remake on 23 May 2024), Super Paper Mario (2007, Wii), Sticker Star (2012, 3DS), Color Splash (2016, Wii U) and The Origami King (2020, Switch).

The Mario & Luigi series (the two brothers as a duo):

  • Superstar Saga (2003, Game Boy Advance), Partners in Time (2005, DS), Bowser's Inside Story (2009, DS), Dream Team (2013, 3DS), Paper Jam (2015, 3DS) and Brothership (released 7 November 2024, Switch).

In a class of its own, Super Mario RPG (1996 in Japan, Super Nintendo) was the very first RPG in the series; its Switch remake arrived in November 2023.

And the spin-offs: Kart, Party and company

The side games follow no set order at all: they are standalone experiences, often multiplayer, to dip into whenever the mood strikes.

  • Mario Kart: zany racing, including the recent Mario Kart World (June 2025).
  • Mario Party: the festive board game to play with friends.
  • Luigi's Mansion: the ghost hunt led by Luigi.
  • Super Mario Strikers, the tennis and golf games, or the Mario Maker games for building your own levels.

These titles require no prior knowledge: you can play them at any point, even as your very first Mario.

A Goomba behind the wheel in Mario Kart World
The spin-offs impose no order: you get in through whichever one you like.

Which game should you start with, based on your profile?

There is no single path: the best first game depends on your tastes and your console.

  • You want the story of the series: start with Super Mario Bros. or the collection All-Stars.
  • You play on Switch and want instant fun: Super Mario Odyssey or Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
  • You love stories and dialogue: fire up an RPG such as Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (remake) or Super Mario RPG.
  • You play with family or friends: Mario Kart or Mario Party.

Whatever you choose, no episode will leave you stranded: the Mario universe is designed to be joined at any moment.

Quick recap

Sub-series Recommended starting point
2D platformers Super Mario Bros. (1985) or All-Stars (1993)
3D platformers Super Mario 64 (1996), Odyssey (2017) on Switch
Paper Mario RPGs Paper Mario (2000) or The Thousand-Year Door (2024 remake)
Mario & Luigi RPGs Superstar Saga (2003)
Standalone RPG Super Mario RPG (1996 Japan; 2023 remake)
Spin-offs Mario Kart or Mario Party, in any order

🍄 Want to keep the adventure going? Discover our Mario figurines in the shop.

FAQ

  • Do you need to finish one Mario game to understand the next?
    No. Every Super Mario game offers a standalone adventure, with no strict narrative continuity. You can start with any episode without having played the earlier ones.
  • Why are there two different Super Mario Bros. 2?
    The 1986 Japanese version (known in the West as The Lost Levels) was judged too hard for an international audience. So Nintendo adapted the game Doki Doki Panic to create a Western Super Mario Bros. 2, released in 1988.
  • Which Mario game is the best starting point on Switch?
    Super Mario Odyssey (2017) for 3D and Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023) for 2D are the most accessible and modern choices. The Super Mario Galaxy 1 + 2 collection (2025) is excellent too.
  • Do the remakes replace the original games?
    They offer the same adventure with modernised graphics and comfort. For a newcomer, playing the remake (such as Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door from 2024 or Super Mario RPG from 2023) is often the simplest choice.
  • Do I have to play the RPGs in order?
    It is not necessary. The Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi series string together standalone stories. You can pick whichever episode appeals to you most, wherever it sits in the series.

The whole saga

Forty years of Mario games put back in order: the main episodes, the spin-offs and the oddities.

🎮 All the Mario video games →
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