Super Mario Bros. similar games & best alternatives

Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_1.avif
Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_2.avif
Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_3.avif
Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_4.avif
Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_5.avif
Super Mario Bros. - super-mario-bros_6.avif

Super Mario Bros.

Family Computer Disk System, Arcade, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Family Computer, Wii U, Nintendo Entertainment System • 1985

Should you play it?

What works

  • Iconic, tight controls and physics
  • Masterful level design teaching through gameplay
  • Challenging but fair difficulty curve
  • Engaging progression and secrets
  • Timeless music and visuals

Things to keep in mind

  • Punishing restarts and lack of save system
  • Limited multiplayer and social features
  • Slippery momentum can frustrate new players
  • Minimal character customization
  • Dated graphics and sound by modern standards

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

  • Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX)

  • Cyber Shadow

  • Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures

  • Crackle Cradle

  • Primal Light

  • Rex Rocket

More creative

Games that feels like Super Mario Bros. but with more room to create and customize

  • Super Mario Galaxy 2

  • Super Mario World

  • Super Mario 64

  • Ben and Ed

  • Zexion

  • Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition

Choose your own criteria ->

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with Super Mario Bros.. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with Super Mario Bros.. These titles are not in What to play next.

Super Mario Bros.: Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Creativity, Expression, Relaxation.

Last update: 21/08/2026