November 2, 2026

Every 3D Super Mario Game Ranked Worst to Best

We rank every 3D Mario by how its platforming holds up.

At 8, Super Mario Sunshine launched in 2002, and its landings feel inconsistent. 7th, Super Mario 64's backflips feel freer.

At 6, Super Mario 3D Land trades freedom for satisfyingly compact courses. 5th, Bowser's Fury links islands, making continuous platforming feel more natural than separate courses.

4th, Super Mario Galaxy trades those islands for more inventive jumps around planetoids. 3rd, Super Mario 3D World's cat climbs make landings easier to line up.

2nd, Super Mario Odyssey's cap jumps give you even more satisfying control over gaps. 1st, Super Mario Galaxy 2 trades that freedom for brilliantly judged linear challenges.

Why it wins: Its 49 galaxies keep the jumps coming. We'd take their focused challenges over extra freedom because you can judge each landing and improve your timing without fighting the controls.

The full ranking

1. 8Super Mario Sunshine
   2002 · GameCube
2. 7Super Mario 64
   1996 · Nintendo 64
3. 6Super Mario 3D Land
   2011 · Nintendo 3DS
4. 5Bowser's Fury
   2021 · Switch
5. 4Super Mario Galaxy
   2007 · Wii
6. 3Super Mario 3D World
   2013 · Wii U
7. 2Super Mario Odyssey
   2017 · Switch
8. 1Super Mario Galaxy 2
   2010 · Wii

Counted down from number 8 to number one.

Games in this story

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Super Mario Galaxy 2

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Super Mario Odyssey

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Super Mario 3D World

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Super Mario Galaxy

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Bowser's Fury

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Super Mario 3D Land

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Super Mario 64

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Super Mario Sunshine

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