Catalog activity ranking
Most-Played Super Mario Games in the EmuGamers Catalog
This page uses active Super Mario catalog entries and separates popularity signals from compatibility evidence. This activity ranking links directly to 10 catalog entries in the Super Mario collection.
What is the quick answer?
Super Mario Bros. 2 currently appears first in this activity ranking, followed by Newer Super Mario Bros. DS and Super Princess Peach. Games with real community ratings are considered first; entries without votes are ordered by play activity. This is a catalog signal, not an independent editorial review.
Most-played Super Mario games
Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)Platformer1988
Super Mario Bros. 2 is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nintendo R&D4 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Unlike the first game, it lets players choose Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess, each with distinct movement strengths. The heroes enter Subcon, a dream world threatened by the tyrant Wart, and must recover magical vegetables and defeat enemies across varied stages. Its emphasis on lifting and throwing objects gives the adventure a different rhythm from traditional Mario games. The NES release was well received for its character variety, imaginative stages, and deeper interaction, although its unusual design distinguished it sharply from the Japanese sequel later known as The Lost Levels.
Newer Super Mario Bros. DS
Nintendo DSPlatformer2017
Newer Super Mario Bros. DS is an unofficial side-scrolling platform game created by the Newer Team for Nintendo DS. It expands on the structure and mechanics of New Super Mario Bros. with new stages, enemies, environments, and challenges rather than presenting an officially licensed Nintendo release. The core premise follows Mario through a traditional rescue adventure across themed worlds. Players run, jump, stomp enemies, collect coins, use power-ups, and search stages for secrets. Its reception is primarily associated with the fan-made Mario hacking community, where it has attracted attention for extending a familiar DS platforming framework with original level design.
Super Princess Peach
Nintendo DSPlatformer
Super Princess Peach is a side-scrolling platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It reverses the usual rescue premise by making Princess Peach the hero, as she travels through Vibe Island to rescue Mario, Luigi, and several Toads from Bowser. Peach uses a talking umbrella named Perry, along with four emotions that alter her abilities and the surrounding environment. The game combines traditional platforming with light exploration and collectible hunting. Its colorful presentation and approachable design were generally well received, although reviewers often considered it shorter and easier than mainline Mario adventures. The Nintendo DS version uses both buttons and the touch screen to support Peach’s powers and interface.
Super Mario 64 DS
Nintendo DS3D Platformer
Super Mario 64 DS is a 3D platformer developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It reworks the structure of Super Mario 64 while adding playable characters, new stars, touch-screen features, and multiplayer mini-games. The main adventure begins with Yoshi exploring Princess Peach's castle and later expands to Mario, Luigi, and Wario, each with different abilities. Players enter paintings, complete objectives, defeat enemies, and collect Power Stars to open more areas. The game was widely praised for successfully adapting a landmark 3D platformer to handheld hardware, although reviewers also noted that movement and camera control could be less comfortable than on the original Nintendo 64.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Game BoyPlatformer
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. Mario returns to reclaim his private island, which has been seized by Wario while he was away. The adventure is structured around several themed worlds, each containing stages, secrets, enemies, and a Golden Coin guarded by a boss. Compared with the original Super Mario Land, it offers more expressive movement, larger levels, and a world map that lets players choose their route. The game was widely praised for bringing a substantial and polished Mario experience to Nintendo’s monochrome handheld.
Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)Platformer1985
Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nintendo R&D4 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Players guide Mario through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser, the king of the Koopas. The game combines precise running and jumping with enemy encounters, hidden secrets, power-ups, and timed stage completion. Its eight worlds introduced a clear, repeatable structure that gradually increases difficulty while rewarding exploration and skillful movement. Super Mario Bros. became a landmark release for console game design and was widely praised for its responsive controls, memorable level design, and polished presentation. It also helped establish Mario as Nintendo’s central video-game character and became one of the most influential platformers in the medium’s history.
New Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo DSPlatformer
New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It returns Mario to a traditional 2D adventure while adding modern movement, collectible stars, and touch-screen features. Mario travels across themed worlds to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and Bowser Jr. The game combines precise jumping with power-ups, secret exits, and optional exploration. Its approachable controls and polished level design were widely praised, and it became one of the Nintendo DS's most successful games, helping renew mainstream interest in classic Mario platforming.
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Super Nintendo (SNES)Platformer
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels is a challenging 2D platform game developed by Nintendo R&D4 and released for the Super Famicom in the Super Mario All-Stars collection. It is a graphical remake of the 1986 Famicom Disk System game that was originally known outside Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2. The adventure follows Mario or Luigi through dangerous Mushroom Kingdom stages to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Its play style retains the precise running and jumping of the original Super Mario Bros., while adding deceptive layouts, poisonous mushrooms, strong winds, and unusually demanding jumps. The game was praised for its depth and challenge, although its difficulty made it a poor fit for some players expecting a conventional sequel.
Mario's Time Machine
DOSEducational
Mario's Time Machine is an educational adventure game developed by The Software Toolworks and published by Nintendo for DOS in 1993. Bowser has stolen important historical artifacts and scattered them across different periods of world history, leaving Mario to recover them. The game combines light exploration, an encyclopedia-style information system, historical questions, and simple arcade sequences rather than traditional platforming. Its play style is deliberately instructional, presenting facts about figures, places, and events as part of the adventure. Reception was mixed: the concept and reference material were viewed as useful for younger players, while critics often found the puzzles, controls, and presentation basic compared with other Mario games.
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Nintendo (SNES)Platformer
Super Mario All-Stars is a Nintendo compilation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that brings together four updated 2D platform games: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Nintendo R&D4 rebuilt the earlier NES games with redesigned graphics, enhanced sound, and battery-backed save features. Players guide Mario, Luigi, or other available characters through obstacle-filled stages, collecting power-ups and defeating enemies. The collection was widely praised for its polished presentation, faithful gameplay, and convenient way to experience several landmark Mario adventures in one package. Its difficulty and handling vary noticeably between the included games.
How is this list kept current?
How rankings are calculated
The list is generated from active EmuGamers catalog entries. Votes and play activity determine order; browser compatibility is reported separately and does not turn an untested game into a higher-ranked recommendation.
| Order | Signal | How it is used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real community votes | Games with at least one recorded vote appear before games with no votes. |
| 2 | Rating confidence | More votes rank first, followed by the rating value. |
| 3 | Play activity | Play count breaks rating ties and orders entries with no votes. |
| 4 | Stable tie-break | Game name keeps otherwise equal results deterministic. |
Which sources support further research?
Official sources and catalog provenance
The ranked games come from the EmuGamers database. The links below are related official project updates used for emulator support and preservation context; they are not citations for the ranking order.