Mario has become one of the world's most recognisable - and profitable - computer game characters since making his debut in 1981.placeholder image
Mario has become one of the world's most recognisable - and profitable - computer game characters since making his debut in 1981. | AFP via Getty Images

Best Mario Games Ranked: Here are the 11 most highly-rated Nintendo games featuring the Italian plumber

By David Hepburn

Writer-at-large

Published 20th Oct 2023, 10:26 BST

He's starred in more than 200 games, has been around for almost 45 years, and is still battling Bowzer to save Princess Peach.

Mario made his gaming debut in 1981 platform game Donkey Kong - a late addition after Nintendo couldn't get the rights to use the character of Popeye.

Even then, creator Shigeru Miyamoto thought that the Italian plumber would only be a bit part player, rather than ending up as Nintendo's mascot and one of the most profitable computer game characters in history.

He's featured in hundreds of games, many of which have launched new consoles and his popularity shows no signs of dipping - this year's Super Mario Bros. Movie has outgrossed every other film except the record-shattering Barbie.

And just this week saw the release of his latest adventure, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, on the Nintendo Switch.

It's already garnered rave reviews, making it one of the most highly-rated games to date.

Here's where it ranks in the pantheon of Mario tites, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe took the original Wii U title and added all the characters, courses and vehicles that players previously had to unlock or download. The game doesn't mess around too much with the winning concept, but does add anti-gravity sequences where players can drive on walls and ceilings. Released in 2017, it has a Metacritic rating of 92.

9. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Nintendo Switch Mario Kart 8 Deluxe took the original Wii U title and added all the characters, courses and vehicles that players previously had to unlock or download. The game doesn't mess around too much with the winning concept, but does add anti-gravity sequences where players can drive on walls and ceilings. Released in 2017, it has a Metacritic rating of 92. | Contributed

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Also earning a rating of 92 is Gamecube title Super Mario Sunshine, released 2002. A more complex plot than usual sees Mario wrongly blamed for spraying graffiti around the tropical paradise island of Delfino while on holiday with Toadsworth, Peach and five Toads. The evil Shadow Mario is to blame, but Mario has to clean up anyway - and inevitably save the princess along the way.

10. Super Mario Sunshine

Also earning a rating of 92 is Gamecube title Super Mario Sunshine, released 2002. A more complex plot than usual sees Mario wrongly blamed for spraying graffiti around the tropical paradise island of Delfino while on holiday with Toadsworth, Peach and five Toads. The evil Shadow Mario is to blame, but Mario has to clean up anyway - and inevitably save the princess along the way. | Contributed

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The version of classic Super Mario World ported to the Game Boy Advance portable console completes our list, with a rating of 92. Slightly cumbersomely titled Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, it was released in 2001 and features all the platform levels of the original but with a slightly lower difficulty.

11. Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2

The version of classic Super Mario World ported to the Game Boy Advance portable console completes our list, with a rating of 92. Slightly cumbersomely titled Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2, it was released in 2001 and features all the platform levels of the original but with a slightly lower difficulty. | Contributed

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