The Mario series boasts cumulative sales of 560 million copies worldwide and is certified by Guinness World Records as the best-selling game series.
This time, we will introduce the popular recommended ranking of the Mario Games Series in Japan
What is the Mario Series
Genres | Action games/ Puzzle games/ Sports games/ Race games/ Shooting games/ Action RPG/ Party games/ Music games |
Developers | Nintendo/ Tose/ Hudson/ Royal Industries/ Hal Laboratory/ Intelligent Systems/Many others |
Overview | The Mario series is a series of computer games released by Nintendo that features the company’s character “Mario” and his friends. As of 2020, the cumulative sales of all series are 560 million worldwide. It has sold over 10,000 copies and is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling game series. |
Super Mario 64

Basic Information
Genre: 3D Action
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto
Release Date: June 23, 1996
Number of Sales: Japan approx. 1.92 million / world approx. 11.89 million
Image Source: Pinterest
A popular series that had a decisive influence on later 3D action games.
“Super Mario 64” is an action game released by Nintendo on June 23, 1996, for the Nintendo 64, and became a big topic as the first 3D action game in the “Super Mario” series.
It is a popular series that has had a decisive influence on later 3D action games.
Super Smash Bros. SPECIAL

Basic Information
Genre: Fighting Action Game
Developer: Sora/Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shinya Saito/Yoshito Higuchi
Director: Masahiro Sakurai
Release Date World: December 7, 2018
Number of sales Japan 5.41 million / World 24.77 million
Image Source: Pinterest
Known as the Best-selling Fighting Game in the World.
Super Smash Bros. SPECIAL is a fighting action game for Nintendo Switch released simultaneously worldwide on December 7, 2018, by Nintendo. It is a game where you can select and battle characters from famous game titles, and it has become popular because each character has a different technique, and even if you fall off the field, you are not immediately defeated.
In November 2019, global sales reached 15.71 million units, and it is said to be the best-selling fighting game in the world, surpassing the cumulative sales of “Street Fighter II”, which was the number one selling fighting game in the world according to overseas reports. increase.
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Super Mario World

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling Action
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi (Executive Producer) / Shigeru Miyamoto
Director: Takashi Tezuka
Release Date: SFC Japan November 21, 1990 / Wii Japan December 2, 2006 / Wii U Japan April 2013 / March 27 / New Nintendo 3DS March 4, 2016
Number of Sales: Japan approx. 3.55 million units/ world approx. 20.61 million units
Image Source: Pinterest
Known as the no. 1 in the History of Super Famicom Software Sales in the World.
Super Mario World is an action game for the Super Famicom released by Nintendo on November 21, 1990. It is an action game for the Super Famicom (SFC) in which Nintendo’s game character “Mario” plays an active role.
With a total of 20,610,000 copies sold worldwide for Super Famicom, it sold 3,550,000 copies, second only to Super Mario Kart (3,820,000 copies) in Japan. I was.
Super Mario Bros

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling action game
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo (home version)
Main Producers: Shigeru Miyamoto/Takashi Tezuka/Koji Kondo/Hiroyuki Kimura
Release Date: September 13, 1985
Number of Sales: Japan Approx. 6.81 million units / World Approx. Book
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Bros. is Nintendo’s family computer game software, which caused an unprecedented social phenomenon, and is said to be the software that contributed most to raising awareness of NES games, and by extension, home video games.
Breaking through the conventional action game format, where you take damage when you touch an enemy, stepping on the enemy has been established as a method of attacking. Not only do you escape from enemies, but both sides of defense and attack are integrated into a simple game, pushing it up to become the number one hit in the world.
Super Mario Kart

Basic Information
Genre: Racing Game
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi (Executive Producer) / Shigeru Miyamoto
Director: Nao Sugiyama / Hideki Konno
Release Date: SFC August 27, 1992/ Wii June 9, 2009/ Wii U June 2013 19th/ New Nintendo 3DS May 9th, 2016
Number of Sales: Japan approx. 3.82 million / Worldwide approx. 8.76 million
Image Source: Pinterest
“Super Mario Kart” was released by Nintendo on August 27, 1992, for the Super Famicom, and is the first work in the Mario Kart series, which is still inherited today.
Due to its high degree of perfection, it is still popular as a prototype of the “kart racing game”, and has recorded the highest sales of software for Super Famicom in Japan.
New Super Mario Bros

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling Action
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer:
Satoshi Iwata (Executive Producer)
Takushi Tezuka (General Producer) / Hiroyuki Kimura
Director: Shigeyuki Asuke
Release Date: Nintendo DS May 25, 2006 / Wii U April 2, 2015
Number of Sales: Approximately 6.4 million in Japan
Image Source: Pinterest
New Super Mario Bros. is a Nintendo DS game software developed and released by Nintendo. While maintaining the exhilarating operability of the family computer’s Super Mario Bros. the characters are drawn in 3D and a new Mario action. has been added.
It is a blockbuster series that won the 2007 Japan Game Awards Excellence Award and the 2006 Famitsu Award Excellence Award (rearrangement award).
Super Mario Yoshi’s Island

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling action
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters/SRD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Japan August 5, 1995
Number of Sales: Japan Approx. 1.77 million units
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Yoshi’s Island is a side-scrolling action game released by Nintendo on August 5, 1995, for the Super Nintendo.
It is an action game in which the character “Yoshi” who adventures with Mario in “Super Mario World” released in 1990 plays the leading role. Various actions that were not in the conventional Super Mario series, such as “Funbari Jump” which allows you to fly far, became a hot topic.
Super Mario Maker

Basic Information
Genre: Create and play
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: Japan September 10, 2015
Number of sales Japan 1 million / World 4.02 million
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Maker is a game software for Wii U released by Nintendo on September 10, 2015. Released in 2015, the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., it is possible to create courses not found in the original Mario series simply by combining parts using the Wii U GamePad.
The sample courses included in the game from the beginning, as well as courses for people around the world that can be played by connecting to the Internet, have gained popularity as Super Mario games that can be played forever.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Basic Information
Genre: Action Racing Game
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters/ Bandai Namco Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Hideki Konno/Yasuyuki Ohyagi
Director: Kosuke Yabuki
Release Date: Japan May 29, 2014
Number of Sales Japan 1.28 million / Flags of the World 8.45 million
Image Source: Pinterest
Mario Kart 8 is a game software for Wii U released by Nintendo on May 29, 2014. Every place is a circuit, and it is a popular work with the addition of unprecedented characters, machines, and courses.
A total of 42 characters, including Link and Shizue, were delivered as additional content, as well as newly added girls and boys from Splatoon. The number of recorded courses is also the largest in the series, with 48 courses including 16 courses delivered as additional content.
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Super Mario Galaxy

Basic Information
Genre: 3D Action
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto / Takao Shimizu
Director: Yoshiaki Koizumi
Release Date: Wii version Japan November 1, 2007
Number of Sales: Japan 1,025,664 units / World 12.8 million units
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Galaxy, the theme of which is gravity, was developed by Nintendo and released on November 1, 2007, as Wii-exclusive game software. The 3rd installment of the 3D action Mario series, which inherits the flow of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, and is set on various planets in space.
This work, which received high praise on various overseas game sites, won IGN’s 2007 Game of the Year, Japan Game Awards 2008 Excellence Award, and the 5th British Academy Awards Game Category Award. was awarded.
Super Mario Bros. 2

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling action
Developer: Nintendo
Information Development Headquarters: Nintendo
Producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi
Director: Takashi Tezuka / Shigeru Miyamoto
Release Date: June 3, 1986
Number of Sales: Approximately 2.65 million units
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Bros. 2 is an action game released by Nintendo in 1986 (Showa 61), and it is said to boast the highest degree of difficulty among the successive Super Mario series, symbolizing the difficulty inflation of action games.
It is known as a work that In Japan, was released for the Family Computer Disk System on June 3, 1986, and boasts the highest cumulative number of rewrites with a disc writer.
Super Mario RPG

Basic Information
Genre Action RPG
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Department/ Square Development Section 5
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date:
SFC March 9, 1996
Wii June 24, 2008
Wii U August 5, 2015
Number of Sales: Japan Approx. 1.47 million units
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario RPG is an action RPG released by Nintendo. At the time of its release, it was the first RPG work in the Mario series in collaboration with Nintendo and Square, and it was a work that attracted a lot of attention from the beginning and was widely known as Mario.
While using the world view of the series, the creation and unique scenario that makes use of the characteristics of the action game series have made it a unique style both as a series work and as an RPG work.
Mario Kart 7

Basic Information
Genre: Action Racing Game
Developer: Nintendo/Retro Studio
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Hideki Konno/Yasuyuki Ohyagi
Director: Kosuke Yabuki
Release Date: December 1, 2011
Number of Sales Japan 3.01 million / Worldwide 18.94 million
Image Source: Pinterest
“Mario Kart 7” is Nintendo 3DS exclusive software released by Nintendo on December 1, 2011. This is the seventh Mario Kart series for home video game consoles.
In Japan, 451,932 units were sold in just four days after its release, making it the highest sales volume in the first week for 3DS software at the time. Within a month of its release, sales exceeded one million copies, making it the first million-seller for Nintendo 3DS software.
Super Mario Bros. 3

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling action
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto/Takashi Tezuka
Release Date: October 23, 1988
Number of Sales: Japan Approx. 3.84 million / World Approx. 17.28 million
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a side-scrolling action game released by Nintendo on October 23, 1988, for the family computer. The game aims to control the main characters, Mario and Luigi, retrieve the magic wand from Bowser, and rescue the kidnapped Princess Peach.
Elements such as sugoroku-shaped maps and mini-games have been added.
Super Mario USA

Basic Information
Genre: Side-scrolling Action
Developer: Nintendo Information Development Headquarters
Publisher: Nintendo
Producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi (Executive Producer) / Shigeru Miyamoto
Director: Kensuke Tanabe
Release Date September 14, 1992
Sales Approx. 700,000 units
Image Source: Pinterest
Super Mario USA is a game software for family computers (Famicom, FC) released by Nintendo. Originally, based on Dream Factory Doki Doki Panic (1987) released in Japan, the character is from the Mario series.
When the work was exported to markets outside of Japan such as the United States, it was released as SUPER MARIO BROS. 2 (1988) after replacing the player characters with Mario and others.
What are the Most Popular Mario Games in Japan
The fact that super Mario games have been well known not only by kids but also by grown-up gamers, trying out other versions of Mario games is definitely a must!
I hope this article helped you out in finding the best Mario games for you to try playing with your loved ones. Happy reading!
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