The Super Mario games rank among some of the greatest in the history of gaming, and for very good reasons. Nintendo’s almost sandbox approach to its platforming and level design has always elevated Mario well above its competitors, delivering compelling experiences that prioritize player expression and a surprising level of challenge in a way that seemingly no one else has quite managed to grasp. From its 2D roots to its revolutionary move into 3D, the Super Mario games have almost always been truly phenomenal and shielded from criticism.

However, while the vast majority of the very best Mario games of all time have aged excellently and are absolutely still playable and enjoyable today, there are a handful of titles in the series, both mainline games and spin-offs, that have simply aged atrociously. Whether it was a bad premise to begin with or the execution no longer holds up, these Mario games, as charming as they may be, have aged like milk and should probably be avoided in 2026 and beyond.

6

Super Mario Kart

Mario Kart is obviously a beloved series and some of the most fun a family, group of friends, or even someone on their own can have nowadays. However, the very first Mario Kart title, Super Mario Kart, while absolutely revolutionary for the time, simply does not hold up today. Unlike Super Mario 64, which, while lacking a lot of the modern mechanics that make contemporary Mario games so phenomenal, is still a great game today, Super Mario Kart has few redeeming qualities beyond being a fun relic of the past.

Its controls lack the precision of modern Mario Kart games, its visuals are often disorienting and unpleasant to look at, its track layouts lack the complexity of its successors, its AI is punishingly unfair, and its physics are all over the place. Sure, when it first came out, there was a lot to love about Super Mario Kart, and the path to Mario Kart World was only made possible by its existence. However, it is not a Super Mario game that anyone should bother playing today or well into the future.

5

Super Mario Party (2018)

The poorly aged Super Mario games don’t just include titles from a bygone era. In fact, 2018’s Super Mario Party absolutely ranks among some of the worst-aged games in the franchise, largely thanks to its baffling approach to the series’ core mechanics. Of course, at launch, Super Mario Party was reviewed rather well, with many citing it as one of the better games in the series. However, Mario Party had been on a bit of a downward spiral for a while before Super Mario Party came along, so, frankly, anything would have looked good.

Where Super Mario Party went wrong was its unique twist on the dice mechanic, lack of boards, and its pricing of the much-sought-after star. Players only had to save up just 10 coins to grab a star, which led to everyone being able to afford them in abundance, robbing them of any real value. While a handful of the boards were excellent, several were not, and the lack of any post-launch support meant that players were stuck with them.

Additionally, the move to tying dice to certain characters added a layer of unpredictability to the whole affair, which would be fine were Mario Party already not incredibly unpredictable. The whole game feels simultaneously too easy and too punishing, creating a rather unenjoyable experience that is probably best left alone today.

4

Mario Is Missing!

Mario is Missing! launched during an era in which educational games were all the rage. So, Nintendo can be forgiven, for the most part, for attempting to chase the trends and release something that taught children a lesson or two. However, today, Mario is Missing! is an interminable slog, a dreadful experience that is very much best left in the past. Filled with dull exploration of real-world cities coupled with what essentially boils down to a handful of fetch quests, Mario is Missing! has little to offer the discerning gamer beyond an interesting fact or two.

What is interesting about Mario is Missing! is that it wasn’t exclusive to Nintendo platforms, but actually made its way to PC. In that sense, it is one of the few legitimate Nintendo games that PC-only players can actually enjoy, although they’re unlikely to have quite as good a time as those who’ve enjoyed the likes of Super Mario Odyssey. However, while there’s certainly some charming facets about Mario is Missing!, its boring gameplay, preachy writing, and ugly visuals should absolutely deter anyone from playing it today.

3

Super Mario Land

Super Mario Land isn’t the worst 2D Mario game, but it comes pretty close to hitting the bottom of the pile. It was the first Mario game to be released on a handheld device, and, as such, served more as proof that the platformer could work well when truncated for a weaker system. For the time, this was considered revolutionary, and one must be grateful for it bringing the Super Mario series to Nintendo’s line of excellent handheld devices. However, today, the sacrifices made to get Super Mario Land on the Game Boy have aged it rather poorly.

One of Super Mario Land’s biggest weaknesses is just how short it is. The levels aren’t particularly long, which means they never quite hit their stride; the game itself can be beaten in less than an hour; the game often feels illegible; the controls are floaty, with Mario constantly feeling as if he’s slipping on ice; and the game just lacks the polish that later entries received. It isn’t terrible, not by any means, but it also isn’t special either, and lacks the must-play nature of many of its predecessors and the vast majority of its successors.

2

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was the follow-up to the very first Super Mario Bros. game, and so, understandably, Nintendo felt it had to 1-up itself. This resulted in a game that was completely at odds with itself, one that adopted much of the same visual identity and style, but significantly upped the difficulty, introduced trick warp pipes, and generally felt like a far more punishing experience overall.

The decision to make Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels a harder game made sense, as Nintendo simply assumed that those jumping into a sequel would have played its predecessor and thus have some level of baked-in skill. However, even then, it proved to be too tough to be seriously enjoyable, and today, it remains an unfairly challenging game that is merely a worse version of the original game.

1

Super Mario Sunshine

Super Mario Sunshine may be seen as a bit of a controversial choice, but I’d argue that much of the love for this GameCube classic stems from nostalgia and its impeccable vibe. Its lack of diverse levels, unpolished content, unpredictable camera controls, underwhelming final level, and the frustrating grind to gather all of the blue coins, among other minor annoyances, make it a title that, while certainly filled with an abundance of charm, has not aged well.

Of all the classic 3D Mario titles one can play, Super Mario Sunshine just doesn’t feel like a must. Sure, its ties to the bygone era of colorful, stylized games with amazing soundtracks make it appear tempting. However, unlike Final Fantasy X, Wind Waker, and even Halo: Combat Evolved, all of which embody a similar style and vibe, Super Mario Sunshine is just too frequently frustrating to be worth recommending today.

Video Game(s)

Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Dr. Mario, Super Mario Land, Super Mario World , Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Mario Party, Super Smash Bros, Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Super Paper Mario, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, Paper Mario: Color Splash, Paper Mario: The Origami King

First Game

Mario Bros.

Created by

Shigeru Miyamoto

Movie(s)

Super Mario Bros., The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

TV Show(s)

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, Saturday Supercade, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3