Mario, the Italian plumber created by a Japanese video game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, is still at large, serving us gamers just right with fun. Something that has been lost from the video game market for quite some time now amidst the flux of microtransactions.

The series that began in 1981 as Donkey Kong is now a huge mountain of games featuring Mario. It’s hard to choose what to play when so many options are available. With that in mind, we bring you the ten best Mario games of all time for you to make things easier.

10. New Super Mario Bros.

(Nintendo DS)

Nintendo brought this side-scroller at a time when 3D graphics were just beginning to rule. When there are games like Final Fantasy XII, Need for Speed: Carbon, FIFA 07, and more being released in the same year, it’s hard to come out on the top.

However, like the Italian plumber who stood tall after consuming the Mega Mushroom in the game, the game did the same in reality, becoming the bestseller of 2006.

9. Mario Superstar Baseball

(GameCube)

The preceding year of the aforementioned game, Nintendo put Mario and friends (and the enemies) in a baseball game. Characters became more grounded here. No Super Mushrooms or tackling fireballs, just pure talent. Though it did have a charge swing to help them get a home run.

It wasn’t a bestseller like the previous one but garnered praise from the critics. It came with a couple of modes: exhibition, where the players simply had to play one match; and a challenge mode, which was more lengthy, complex, and fun to play.

8. Paper Mario: The Origami King

(Nintendo Switch)

The Origami King is rather a unique concept and the sixth game in the Paper Mario series of games, with the first one releasing in 2000. There’s a large world to explore, and players can take on enemies in a turn-based style.

We could’ve chosen any of the games from the series, but developers gave extra attention to this one, transitioning to an open world instead of the linear gameplay fans are used to.

7. Super Mario Bros.

(NES, Arcade, Famicom Disk System)

Now, who can forget the never-ending final stage where the time will run out but not the level? Bowser is yet to be found. The 1985 platformer is perhaps one of the closest-to-heart games in the popular series.

Super Mario Bros. should be seen as the basic trainer before entering the magical galaxy full of mesmerizing creatures and elements. There’s a reason it is considered one of the most influential games of all time: it’ll make you fall in love with the Italian plumber and the world he roams. Oh… And the music.

6. Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

(Game Boy Advance)

We had to bring Superstar Saga onto this list, for it will make anyone laugh while playing. It’s a role-playing game where the players will control both Mario and Luigi as they work their way through the Beanbean Kingdom to bring back Princess Peach’s voice.

Superstar Saga can be challenging because you aren’t controlling one character here. But controlling a couple of characters comes with its own advantages too, like squashing a partner with a hammer to make them smaller so they can invade smaller spaces like rats.

5. Super Mario 64

(iQue Player, Nintendo 64)

With this game, our beloved Italian plumber went three-dimensional for the first time. The visual style and the large open world gave the players a way to see the world of Mario more closely as they looked for Princess Peach.

Here his archenemy Bowser has again gotten ahold of the princess in his castle, but it is hidden. Players need to pop Power Stars to enter new areas and investigate until they find her.

4. Super Mario Maker 2

(Nintendo Switch)

While the series fans had a lot of figuring out to do when they played the games, Super Mario Maker gave them a platform to give wings to their imagination, and now they are creating their own levels so other players can have more figuring out to do.

The possibilities are just endless there, and the game’s sequel made it more interesting by adding new assets and features. That’s why we brought this one on the list instead of the first one. Both are fun, but the more assets, the more fun.

3. Mario Kart World

(Nintendo Switch 2)

The Mario Kart sub-series is undoubtedly one of the most popular here, and the latest game in it took everything, from graphics to gameplay, to a whole new level. No wonder it became the bestseller for Nintendo Switch 2.

Moreover, up to 24 players can play the game at the same time. That’s double the chaos it offers than its predecessor. Make sure you play the Free Roam mode and take a photo of your driver.

2. Super Mario World

(Super NES, Game Boy Advance)

The Italian plumber is again on a quest to save Princess Peach, but this time he is accompanied by Yoshi, a jolly green dinosaur who would later become one of the recurring characters in Mario games. One thing you’ll notice is the sound work by the team, especially the echoes in Vanilla Dome.

Developers have more freedom while making the game, and that ended up giving us not just the best in the series but also one of the best games ever made.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

(Nintendo Switch)

We’ll close the list here with Super Mario Odyssey, where our chief protagonist is again looking for Princess Peach, who was again abducted by the spiky Bowser.

Though it employs sandbox-style gameplay, there are 2D zones where the game becomes a side-scroller, a nod to the original Mario games. And like many in the series, this too entered the list of the greatest video games ever made.

Honorable Mentions

Of course, there’s always another great Mario game to play, here’s some favourites we’ve missed:

• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)

• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube)

• Super Mario 3D World (Wii U / Nintendo Switch)

• Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)