Super Mario Bros. 3 similar games & best alternatives

Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_1.avif
Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_2.avif
Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_3.avif
Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_4.avif
Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_5.avif
Super Mario Bros. 3 - super-mario-bros-3_6.avif

Super Mario Bros. 3

Arcade, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Family Computer, Wii U, Nintendo Entertainment System • 1988

Should you play it?

What works

  • Innovative overworld map with player choice
  • Highly polished and satisfying platforming mechanics
  • Rich level design with secrets and exploration
  • Varied power-ups adding gameplay depth
  • Strong nostalgic and cultural legacy

Things to keep in mind

  • Lack of save feature in original release
  • Frequent auto-scrolling levels can frustrate
  • Limited cooperative multiplayer
  • Some difficulty spikes late in the game
  • Certain power-ups situational or less useful

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

Less social

Games that feels like Super Mario Bros. 3 but with less teamwork and cooperation

Less competitive

Games that feels like Super Mario Bros. 3 but with less competition against others

Less survival-focused

Games that feels like Super Mario Bros. 3 but with less survival pressure

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. 3. 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. 3. These titles are not in What to play next.

Super Mario Bros. 3: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Violence, Survival, Fellowship, Intimacy. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Cooperation, Competition. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Violence.

Last update: 21/08/2026