9 Best 3D Mario Games, Ranked

Key points

• The Super Mario games offer 3D platformers beloved by fans and critics, bringing Mario into unique worlds with collectibles and challenges.
• Super Mario Sunshine was divisive due to its gimmick, Super Mario 64 revolutionized the 3D platformer, and Super Mario Odyssey introduced 800 Power Moons.
• The Super Mario Galaxy series offered innovative mechanics, characters, and level designs, becoming classics beloved by many.

While Mario is mainly known for 2D side-scrolling games, there is a part of its universe composed of 3D platformers. They take Mario and throw him into various worlds full of collectibles and cross-curricular challenges that can be enjoyed by all ages, making them the ideal family games.

3D games have become a beloved part of the long-running Mario game series, with some becoming some of the most popular games in the series among fans and critics alike. They take Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom, through Peach's Castle, and even into other dimensions. Each game has something that helps it stand out, some considered better than others.

9 Super Mario Sun

A tropical fun that divided fans with its gimmick

Generally, Super Mario Sun does a lot of things right for fans, continuing the formula of SuperMario64 but in a tropical island setting like the hub world that takes Mario to different worlds to collect Shines. The game is still enjoyed by many for its graphics, gameplay, and even some twists in the story, turning it into a Nintendo GameCube classic for many people.

However, there is no denying it Super Mario Sun is a divisive game in the long series of Mario games. This is mostly due to some frustrating camera controls, some overly difficult puzzles, and, most notably, how much effort Nintendo put into the game's gimmick, namely Mario's water-spraying package known as FLUDD that some players thought had ruined some of Mario's controls.

8 Super Mario 3D Earth

A walking Mario game so its sequel could work

Super Mario 3D Earth is a more overlooked Mario game because it's a Nintendo 3DS exclusive, but that doesn't mean it's lacking in quality. Many credit the game with spicing things up by taking a classic side-scrolling adventure but implementing it in a 3D environment that allows for more exploration of the linear levels.

Although the established formula would later be improved upon with another game, Super Mario 3D Earth he still earned the love and affection of fans. It's a short but sweet journey through sixteen worlds that showcases the capabilities of the 3DS and the malleability of the Mario franchise.

7 Super Mario 64

The 3D Mario game that started all 3D Mario games

Without today's 3D Mario games the world would not have Super Mario 64. While he didn't invent 3D imagery, he used it combined with innovative controls to showcase the potential of the 3D platform. After its release, many games were used Super Mario 64 as a template for creating other classic 3D platformers, such as Donkey Kong 64 AND Banjo-Kazooie.

Super Mario 64 it was the first game to introduce a hub world, using Peach's castle as a link to reach various worlds hidden within the walls. Each world featured multiple stars to collect via objectives and this would become the gold standard for 3D Mario games up until that point Super Mario Odysseydemonstrating how revolutionary it was.

6 Super Mario 64 DS

Nintendo went above and beyond with this remake

The original game is so well made that Nintendo fans expected a 1:1 port to Nintendo DS, but… Super Mario 64 DS it turned out to be more impressive than that. Not only did it introduce three new characters to control, but it also featured new levels mixed in with the familiar ones, and even the familiar ones had changes to accommodate the four characters.

Sometimes, simple additions go a long way in making a new game fun, and having Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario is an example of this. However, Nintendo has gone even further with power-ups that were never present in the original and each character has their own specific uses to obtain certain stars. Aside from the more limited movement on the Nintendo DS, Super Mario 64 DS it is a remake that respects the original by updating it adequately.

5 World of SuperMario 3D

Four characters made for four times more fun

With the introduction of the Cat Bell and other power-ups, World of SuperMario 3D got what Super Mario 3D Earth established and improved by taking parts of the original Super Mario Bros. 2 featuring four playable characters, each with a unique ability. This culminated in another 3D side-scrolling adventure that became a huge hit for the Wii U and, later, the Switch.

World of SuperMario 3D came out during a time when many felt that 2D side-scrolling games had become a bit stale, even though they were still well-made games. So, players enjoyed a new formula that introduced new worlds, enemies and gameplay elements, which is why they were lucky enough to get a remaster on Nintendo Switch.

4 Super Mario Odyssey

Collecting 800 moons lives up to the game's title

Super Mario Odyssey is huge with 800 main collectibles this time in the form of Power Moons and each world has a multitude of objectives to find them all. Featuring beautiful new visuals on Switch, Super Mario Odyssey was a treat for fans of the franchise as it took the bits of what fans loved about previous games, blended them together, and then trimmed the fat.

Mario's gameplay in Super Mario Odyssey He's been given classic moves like the long jump, dive, wall jump and more, but thanks to the new abilities given to his hat called Cappy, he can do so much more, from possessing his enemies to extending his its transversal movements.

3 Bowser's Fury

Lake Lapcat gives fans their first open-world Mario journey

What could have been a lackluster mode thrown in World of SuperMario 3D remaster turned out to be the first truly open-world Mario game called Bowser's Fury. It takes the World of SuperMario 3D engine and its mechanisms to create a unique adventure where Mario and Bowser Jr. work together to save Bowser from his Godzilla-sized, inky corrupted state.

Besides Fury Bowser being instantly memorable, the game is an enjoyable journey with multiple islands to explore to collect Cat Shines. The player can freely wander in any direction and collect the Shines in any order they want, which has earned it a reputation for being a more comforting experience and not to its detriment, as players quickly fell in love with Bowser's Fury.

2 Super Mario Galaxy 2

More of the same but in the best way possible

It's not often that Mario games get direct sequels, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 it's one of those rare occasions. It takes everything people love about the first one Super Mario Galaxye adds Yoshi, new power-ups, and new level designs to expand on the first game's formula. Both Mario and Yoshi have unique power-ups, such as Cloud or Bulb, which add variety to the gameplay.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 it's a simpler adventure, with less emphasis on exploring the Observatory hub world, and streamlines galaxies towards a more classic Mario progression. On the one hand, fans consider it an almost perfect sequel since it maintains what many appreciated about the first game, but on the other hand it is often considered more like an expansion Super Mario Galaxy.

1 Super Mario Galaxy

Putting Mario in space produced a universally loved title

One of the most beloved games for Nintendo Wii, Super Mario Galaxytook Mario out of his world and into a hybrid sci-fi/fantasy adventure. It not only gave players new mechanics to work with, but also never-before-seen levels of design as Mario races across planets and tackles all sorts of gravity-based puzzles combined with a myriad of unique power-ups.

Fans were also blessed with new characters, such as the Sparkles and the mysterious space fairy godmother Rosalina, who has since become a staple in various Mario spin-offs. Combined with some of the franchise's critically acclaimed musical numbers, SuperMario GalaxIt hit all the right notes with fans and critics, thus turning it into a beloved classic on the Wii.