Best Nintendo game
Twenty-five landmark games published by Nintendo, from the NES era to the Switch.
Tier list by PairTier · 25 items
- Super Mario Bros. — 1985 NES platformer that defined the side-scrolling genre and revived the home console market.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 — 1988 NES platformer with a world map, power-ups like the Tanooki Suit and huge variety.
- Super Mario World — 1990 SNES launch title that introduced Yoshi and a sprawling world full of secret exits.
- Super Mario 64 — 1996 Nintendo 64 launch title that set the template for 3D platformers and camera control.
- Super Mario Galaxy — 2007 Wii platformer where Mario runs around small planets with shifting gravity.
- Super Mario Odyssey — 2017 Switch platformer in which Mario's hat, Cappy, lets him capture enemies and objects.
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past — 1991 SNES adventure with parallel Light and Dark Worlds, a blueprint for later Zelda games.
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — 1998 Nintendo 64 adventure that introduced Z-targeting and is often called one of the greatest games.
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask — 2000 Nintendo 64 sequel built around a three-day cycle before the moon falls.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — 2017 open-world Zelda on Switch and Wii U, celebrated for its physics-driven freedom.
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — 2023 Switch sequel to Breath of the Wild that adds sky islands and building vehicles.
- Super Metroid — 1994 SNES exploration game whose interconnected map helped define the 'Metroidvania' genre.
- Metroid Prime — 2002 GameCube game that took Samus Aran's exploration into first-person 3D.
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe — 2017 Switch version of the kart racer and one of the best-selling games in the series.
- Super Smash Bros. Melee — 2001 GameCube fighting game with a long-lived competitive scene.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate — 2018 Switch fighting game that brings back every fighter from the series' history.
- Pokémon Red and Blue — Game Boy role-playing games that launched the Pokémon phenomenon outside Japan in 1998.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — 2020 Switch life simulation on a deserted island, a huge hit during the pandemic.
- Donkey Kong Country — 1994 SNES platformer by Rare with pre-rendered 3D-style graphics.
- GoldenEye 007 — 1997 Nintendo 64 first-person shooter by Rare, famous for its split-screen multiplayer.
- Tetris — 1989 Game Boy version of the falling-block puzzle, bundled with the handheld in many regions.
- Wii Sports — 2006 motion-controlled sports collection bundled with the Wii, among the best-selling games ever.
- Kirby Super Star — 1996 SNES compilation of several Kirby games, with two-player co-op.
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses — 2019 Switch tactical role-playing game set at a monastery officers' academy.
- Splatoon 2 — 2017 Switch team shooter in which squid-kids cover the arena in ink.