I have an on-and-off-again relationship with boardgaming based mostly on the fact that I have nobody to play boardgames with. I used to be part of a boardgaming circle, but then I missed a fateful opening round of Twilight Imperium, and then the pandemic started, and then everybody lost patience with Tabletop Game Simulator.
As one of Nintendo’s most iconic characters, Mario is everywhere on the Switch. The plumber has had multiple releases every year since the system first came out with no signs of stopping, even as we head closer to the now officially announced Switch 2. Some of the best Mario games ever have launched on the Switch, like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
From 3D platformers to the newest versions of Mario Kart, here’s every Mario game available on the Switch, as well as upcoming Mario games set to launch on the Switch 2.
A total of 21 Mario games have been released for Nintendo Switch. This spans from the launch of the system in March 2017 to the present day. Below, we’ve compiled each of the original Mario titles available on Switch. Keep in mind that this list won’t include games that are a part of Nintendo Switch Online.
The first Mario game on Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, brought together all Mario Kart 8 had to offer on Wii U in one package. The game has gone on to receive a handful of new characters and 48 new tracks through the Booster Course Pass DLC. It is the best-selling title on the Nintendo Switch.
A unique partnership between Ubisoft and Nintendo, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle brought together the worlds of Super Mario and the Rabbids. A turn-based strategy system was implemented to allow you to control Mario and friends around each map to take down enemy Rabbids.
Super Mario Odyssey is a revolutionary release that reinvented and transformed the 3D Mario formula forever. You travel with Mario across all sorts of kingdoms to stop Bowser’s plans to hold a wedding with Princess Peach. The big new feature of Super Mario Odyssey is the addition of Cappy, Mario’s trusty cap. With Cappy, you can capture and transform into all sorts of enemies, allowing for a wide variety of gameplay. It’s arguably the best Super Mario game to ever be released.
Mario Tennis Aces was the first Mario sports title to release for Switch. The game had a large focus on its Adventure Mode, which was the first story mode in a Mario Tennis title since the Game Boy Advance’s Mario Tennis: Power Tour. Content was released frequently after launch, with a total of 30 unique characters available to choose from.
The first Mario Party title for Nintendo Switch is Super Mario Party, which was coined as a refresh of the beloved series. Contrary to Mario Party 10, this game brought back to turn-based boards for the first time since Mario Party 9. Over 80 minigames are available with a handful of modes to play with friends.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe hit Switch in early 2019. This package combines New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U into one bundle. Between the two games, there are a ton of levels available for you to play through. Additionally, new playable characters Toadette and Nabbit were added to this Deluxe package.
The exciting follow up to the hit Wii U title, Super Mario Maker 2 implemented new tools like slopes, on/off blocks, seesaws, vertical areas, water levels, and more. Additionally, a style based on Super Mario 3D World is available to create courses with, allowing for items like the Cat Powerup and Clear Pipes to be used. A Master Sword powerup was even added, which transforms you into Link.
A staple series with each year of the Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 released for Switch in November 2019. A story mode featuring Mario, Sonic, Bowser, and Dr. Eggman is available, in addition to online play with events. A total of 32 different characters are available to choose from. It’s one of the many Switch Sonic games worth adding to your collection.
The main Paper Mario release for Nintendo Switch was released in July 2020. Paper Mario: The Origami King features a unique puzzle battle system that involves rotating rings to line up enemies. Like previous Paper Mario titles, The Origami King was developed by Intelligent Systems.
A collection of three 3D Mario titles, Super Mario 3D All-Stars was a limited release that celebrated the 35th Anniversary. It bundles together Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy into one package. Both Sunshine and Galaxy received substantial resolution upgrades with this collection’s release.
You might have forgotten about this game, but Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit hit Nintendo Switch in 2020. The game utilizes AR technology to allow you to create Mario Kart tracks in real life with RC cars. The game combines the environment around you with the world of Mario Kart, featuring coins, powerups, and other racers to go up against.
The Wii U’s 3D Mario title made its way to the Switch in 2021, with an enhanced version of Super Mario 3D World. A new mode, Bowser’s Fury, was added as a part of the package. Bowser’s Fury brought a brand-new take on the 3D Mario formula, opting for one large, open sandbox environment.
Developed by Camelot, Mario Golf: Super Rush released in June 2021. A story mode is featured, where you level up your Mii character across different courses. Multiple new modes were introduced with Super Rush, like Speed Golf where you run across the course to hit the ball into the hole as fast as you can. It’s one of the best golf games on the Switch.
Mario Party Superstars is a classic take on the Mario Party formula, bringing back older boards from the Nintendo 64 titles. One hundred minigames were featured in this release, with returning favorites from prior games. Additionally, Nintendo and NDcube finally opened up online play for all modes.
The first Mario Strikers game in more than 15 years, Mario Strikers: Battle League was developed by Next Level Games and released in June 2022. Plenty of new characters and abilities were made, with eight-player multiplayer added as well. The highlight of Battle League is the Strikers Club, which allows you to create clubs with up to 20 other players and take on competing clubs.
The sequel to Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope completely revitalizes the combat system. The game opts for an open approach to combat rather than the Grid system found in Kingdom Battle. New characters like Rosalina and Edge join the battle in an action-packed adventure that spans the cosmos.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the latest 2D Mario game in the Super Mario Bros. series. It introduced the Wonder Flower, a unique mechanic that allows everything you know about a Mario level to flip on its head and surprise you. A total of 12 characters are playable through more than 100 unique levels.
Released in late 2023, Super Mario RPG, is a remake of the classic SNES title of the same name. The wacky and colorful title recreates each of the unique characters, environments, and battles with exquisite detail. Even composer Yoko Shimomura returned to recreate the magical original soundtrack with modern orchestration!
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a remake of the 2004 GBA game of the same name. It’s a puzzle-platform game that brings the the Donkey Kong and Mario franchises together once again for entertaining gameplay.
The Nintendo Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the most faithful remake of the original GameCube sequel to Paper Mario that released in 2004. The graphics are upgraded to give the characters and their environments a bigger pop of color, but the comedy threaded into the game’s plot remains a classic. It’s arguably the best Paper Mario game there has ever been.
The third Mario Party game of the Switch generation, Super Mario Party Jamboree is the series’ biggest entry to date with 22 playable characters, seven game boards, and over 110 minigames across its various single- and multiplayer modes. Jamboree notably intrdouces the Jamboree Buddies mechanic, which allows you to compete for companions through more complex minigames called Showdowns.
The most recent Mario game isn’t just dedicated to one brother: Brothership launched in November as the first mainline “Mario and Luigi” game from Nintendo since 2015’s Paper Jam. With a fresh new artstyle, gibberish voicelines, and even some turn-based combat, Brothership lets you take control of both brothers to restore the land of Concordia. And while our Mario and Luigi: Brothership review did say the game “feels designed specifically for ages six to 12 rather than ages six to 66,” that could make this game a great gift or entry point for younger gamers.
If you’re looking to play some classic Mario games, there are quite a few available to play on the Nintendo Switch if you have a Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. Here is every Mario game currently available:
After the release of both Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario and Luigi: Brothership, we’ve officially seen the launch of every Mario game for the original Switch. The next time we see a new Mario game will be on the Switch successor. Fortunately, the Switch 2 announcement trailer confirms the new console will be (mostly) backwards compatible, so it will continue to support existing Switch games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Looking ahead to the future of Mario, Nintendo’s official Switch 2 announcement shows off gameplay from what appears to be a new Mario Kart game. Leaks have also suggested a new 3D Mario title will release later in the year. More details, including a Switch 2 release date and potential Mario games, should arrive during a Nintendo Direct scheduled for April 2. For now, see the full list of upcoming Switch games for everything we know for sure is coming to the Nintendo console in 2025.
Noah Hunter is a freelance writer and reviewer with a passion for games and technology. He co-founded Final Weapon, an outlet focused on nonsense-free Japanese gaming (in 2019) and has contributed to various publishers writing about the medium. His favorite series include Xeno and Final Fantasy.
In what has become fine tradition, I have learned of an amazing mod on the same day I have learned that the mod has been kiboshed by publishers. The mod in question is the GTA 5 Liberty City Preservation Project, a six year project that rebuilds GTA 4’s Liberty City in GTA 5’s world. It launched earlier this month – and now it is no more, for Rockstar have descended like briefcase-wielding peregrine falcons and performed what is being called a “friendly takedown” on modding team World Travel. My brother did a “friendly takedown” on me once, and my elbow still doesn’t bend the right way.
Nintendo has officially revealed the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart 9 alongside it, which appears to confirm 24 person races for the first time in series history.
A brief reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 mostly focused on hardware but also unveiled its first confirmed game: Mario Kart 9. While Nintendo only shared a relatively tame look at what’s likely the opening track and characters, something new was seemingly confirmed.
In the opening shots of the race, a total of 24 starting positions could be seen on the track, twice the amount of the standard 12 used in previous games. And while this could solely be an aesthetic choice, the closing gameplay shots appear to show at least 14 individual racers on the track at once.
Not only this, but the track shown in the trailer looks excessively wide, likely to compensate for this increased number of racers (and chaos) Nintendo is deploying in Mario Kart 9.
It’s made similar moves in the past alongside leaps in technology too, as its fighting game Super Smash Bros. for Wii U introduced eight person brawls for the first time, twice the number possible in previous titles.
Fans will likely get a greater look at Mario Kart 9 and its number of racers in the Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Direct in April. The brief trailer has already confirmed a few things about the new hardware, of course, such as backwards compatibility features and the addition of a second USB-C port.
Most details, such as its other games and what the heck the mysterious new Joy-Con button does, were left out, though the Joy-Con mouse theory did gain a little traction.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
The world looked upon the Nintendo Switch 2, and saw that it was good. Or is it? Observe its enlarged, bezel-shaved screen. Its all-black colour scheme. Its redesigned, more sculpted controllers. Clearly, this is a naked attempt at ripping off and cashing in on the real best gaming handheld of 2025, the Steam Deck.
I, for one, won’t stand for it. Here are five reasons why everyone excited about the Switch 2 is wrong, and should buy a Steam Deck instead. Or maybe the Steam Deck OLED, that one’s better.
2 soon.
They only went and did it!
Yes, finally we can all relax and enjoy Nintendo’s new hardware: Switch 2 is real, it’s been officially revealed, and it’s looking a bit sexy.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the release of the Until Dawn game, and I’m thrilled to share with you the world premiere of the trailer for Until Dawn the movie, coming to theaters.
PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures have been working closely with director/producer David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation, Lights Out) and writer/producer Gary Dauberman (It, Annabelle series, The Nun series) to translate Until Dawn to the big screen. In making that transition, we wanted to honor the spirit of the Until Dawn game – especially the idea of decisions with branching paths and deadly consequences – while adapting it in a way that maximizes both the entertainment and terror for moviegoers.
Though the movie’s story is set in the same world as the game, it was important to us that the movie wasn’t just a retelling. Instead, the film will feature fresh characters in a new, original story. If you’ve played the game, you know not everything is what it seems. With the movie we wanted to keep the audience guessing until the end. We can’t wait for fans to discover how the events of the movie connect to the Until Dawn game.
Peter Stormare, whom you know as Dr. Hill in the game, is one of those key connecting links. The film will delve into his character’s involvement in the events of the game, raising questions for fans to explore. Given Peter’s role spanning both projects, it’s only fitting he introduce the first Until Dawn movie trailer to the world:
“I have been lucky to be part of Until Dawn since the original, incredible, super terrifying game, and that’s why I’m so excited to be part of this film, because the whole thing is a love letter to horror, and it completely honors the spirit of the game. The movie is going to be full of fresh characters and victims in a brand-new story, loaded with twists. So whether you’re a longtime fan or you’re discovering it for the first time, get ready for Until Dawn like you’ve never seen it before.”
– Peter Stormare
Now, enjoy the world premiere of the trailer, and keep checking back, as there will be plenty more updates between now and when Until Dawn hits theaters later this year.
Nobody should envy Firaxis. Once a decade or so, the legendary strategy game developer is asked to reinvent Civilization, a video game series that has been absent of any tangible weak points for quite some time. Nearly every entry has presented different flavors of that turn-based 4X recipe, but it’s hard to say that any one is substantially superior to the others. So, that is the burden that Civilization 7 carries with it. Here is a game that, after playing through the first of its three distinct eras, is shaping up to be very good, but the fact that it’s introducing a huge number of major tweaks and reinterpretations that—in both small ways and big—provide a brand-new way to play Civ means that it asks of its veteran players to enter with an open mind.
If you are new to this series, please know that the basic colors of Civilization 7 adhere to the time-tested formula: telling the story of humanity, one turn and one hex at a time. You begin nurturing a teensy village, armed with club-weilding warriors and torchlight, and evolve it into a globe-bestriding empire by balancing their cultural, scientific, diplomatic, and warfighting needs. Countless subsystems are woven into this pursuit, and when Civilization is at its best, it’s easy to enter something of a psychedelic zen as you remix human history. The marquee new feature of Civilization 7, which we detailed at length in IGN’s original preview last August. Rather than selecting one nation and charting a path to victory, you’ll wield control of a consistent leader, but you’ll switch from your original civilization to two others throughout history—which is divided into three ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern—before a win can be secured.
Some Civilization fans were understandably nervous about this pivot. It’s a big change! One of the things people love most about the previous six games and their spinoffs is their ability to tell strange and funny stories, creating a timeline where, say, the dogmatically Catholic people of China build the Parthenon. Will that still be possible if we’re abandoning our flag when the calendar tips over? After experiencing the change between the age of Antiquity to Exploration myself, I can say with certainty that this new approach will be intriguing for Civ-heads that love getting under the hood. There are so many distinct civilizations to choose from, and in tandem with your chosen leader, if you play smart you’ll will be able to uncover some devastating wombo combos. (For example, a highly expansionist Augustus Caesar, who shepherded the proud Egyptians in Antiquity, might find a perfect home with the Mongols during the Exploration Age.) It brings to mind the compositional choices one makes when assembling a League of Legends roster, but with the world at your feet.
The same thing can be said about the way Firaxis has refreshed its diplomacy system, which again chips away at some thematic richness in service of gameplay. If you are a veteran of Civilization 6, you are likely familiar with how mercurial the other barons on the map could be, and the exorbitant fees they’d charge for simple strategic agreements like open borders. All of that has been stripped away. Diplomacy in Civilization 7, like everything else, has become a currency. You accrue and spend “influence points” in the same way you might have spent faith or gold in generations past, and the accords available on the diplomacy screen all have non-negotiable costs. Want a research partnership? Or a denouncement? The price is on the menu. Some might miss the roundabout negotiations of earlier games, but personally, I think this streamlining is long overdue.
In fact, outside of the radical switch to a three-act structure, much of Civilization 7’s other big changes are remarkably subtle, and seem designed to iron out some of the murky micro-decisions that tend to gum up a campaign. Remember how, since the switch to only allowing one unit per tile in Civ 5, mustering an army required you to line up an unwieldy battalion that would inevitably become chokepointed by its own mass? Now you can rally multiple units on an Army Commander and use them to dictate group orders—like a powerful combined assault—on a single target, which should hopefully make military action less of a grind. (Those commanders are now the only units that can be leveled up, allowing you to tailor different ends of your fighting force.)
A change that sounded like a bigger deal than it actually turns out to be is the elimination of worker units. In Civilization 7, your cities lavishly sprawl outwards, upgrading tiles of your choice as they grow. You know the downtime in the early game where you’re mostly waiting around for your population to grow? This time you’re supplied with progression goals for your nation’s economic, cultural, scientific, and military pursuits. If you complete these you can unlock bonuses at the end of the age, and that makes sure that you always have something to do instead of mashing the end turn button.
The goal, from what I can tell, is to ensure that even in the doldrums, Civilization 7 has the capacity to surprise us. The best illustration of this might be the narrative choices threaded across the campaign, where your leader might encounter some flavor text and a branching pair of dialogue options where both are tied to a short-term boon. (In one early game instance, I found an abandoned mine and could either strip it for gold or convert it into a permanent silver resource on the map.) It is the slightest dusting of Crusader Kings-style roleplaying in a series that has typically steered away from any inkling of morality. I can’t wait to see what ethical quandaries the modern age holds.
I played my Civilization 7 campaign into the Exploration Age, when the map begins to open up for startup empires to venture beyond their home continents. Units can begin to trek across the ocean with wooden fleets, and I was pleased to see that, just off my native shores, enticing archipelagos were ripe for the taking. It was interesting to see how quickly my priorities changed between the eras, and how incentivized I suddenly became to explore the open seas. It makes me wonder if the Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern Ages will function more like siloed gameplay experiences, and given how Civilization 7 allows you to boot up a run at the beginning of each of them, I imagine that is Firaxis’s intent.
But even after 10 hours, I was still scratching the surface of all Civilization 7 had to offer. For instance: On the leader selection screen, there is a meta-progression system built into its DNA, allowing you to slowly unlock perks for the characters you invest the most time in. That represents a huge shakeup to how we’ve all played Civ all this time. How will all of these pieces come together? The answers will be revealed in modernity, and beyond.
The mystery continues… maybe.
Last year, we had a great time with Revolution Software’s ‘Reforged’ remaster of the classic point-and-click adventure Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. “It sure would be neat if the rest of the series received such a treatment,” we thought to ourselves, “if only Revolution had something up its sleeve…”
As it turns out, it does! Or, more accurately, it might. Three weeks ago, the studio released its ‘Christmas Video 2024‘, thanking fans for their support over the past 12 months and showing off some of the game’s original art. It’s a sweet video that, we’ll admit, flew under the radar for us a little; but, as noted by Game Watcher (and brought to our attention by our friends over at Push Square), the message also contains a tease of what the future might hold — ooh, how sneaky!
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Video game piracy has entered a new era as Japanese police have arrested, for the first time, someone accused of modifying Nintendo Switch hardware.
As reported by NTV News and translated by Automaton, a 58-year-old Japanese man was arrested on January 15 on suspicion of violating the Trademark Act. He is suspected of modifying Switch consoles to run pirated games before selling them.
This was allegedly done by welding modified parts to the circuit boards of second-hand consoles that allowed them to run pirated games. The man is accused of loading the hardware with 27 illegally accessed games and selling the consoles for ¥28,000 (around $180) each.
He has admitted to the charges and is currently being investigated for other possible violations, according to police.
Video game companies like Nintendo have long battled with piracy. A takedown request in May 2024, for example, saw Nintendo target 8,500 copies of Switch emulator Yuzu after the emulator itself was taken down two months prior. Its initial lawsuit against creator Tropic Haze said the $70 game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo’s premiere video game release of 2023, had been pirated one million times before it was even released.
Legal action like this is becoming more and more common in an attempt to thwart piracy, however. Other successful lawsuits include those against game file sharing website RomUniverse, which was ordered to pay $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo in 2021, while a similar case saw it receive more than $12 million in damages in 2018. It also blocked GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin from releasing on PC game platform Steam.
This week, a patent lawyer representing Nintendo lifted the lid on the company’s approach to piracy and emulation, discussing how the propagation of emulators could lead to software piracy. Nintendo’s Assistant Manager of the Intellectual Property Division, Koji Nishiura, said: “To begin with, are emulators illegal or not? This is a point often debated. While you can’t immediately claim that an emulator is illegal in itself, it can become illegal depending on how it’s used.”
Image Credit: Nintendo
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
