Switch 2 is Very Nearly the Perfect Super Mario Machine, but 6 Games Are Holding It Back

Nintendo Hits: 7

The Nintendo Switch 2 is very nearly the perfect Super Mario machine, but six games are keeping it from reaching that status. Thanks to backward compatibility and the Nintendo Classics service available through Switch Online, the Switch 2 launched with the ability to play the vast majority of Super Mario games across the franchise's 2D and 3D iterations.

Most classic Super Mario games are readily available to play on the Switch 2 right now, ranging from the original NES Super Mario Bros. all the way to 2023's Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The Switch 2 is backward compatible with the Switch 1, and so every Super Mario game on Switch 1 is playable on Switch 2. However, there is still work to be done to make the Switch 2 the ultimate Super Mario machine.

At the time of this writing, there are six Super Mario games missing from the Switch 2 library. The DS game New Super Mario Bros. is nowhere to be seen, and neither is the Wii sequel New Super Mario Bros. Wii. 3DS Super Mario games Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario Bros. 2 are both missing as well, as is the Wii U's Super Mario Maker. Finally, mobile game Super Mario Run is not playable on Switch 2. Super Mario Galaxy 2 was also missing from Switch 2, but it was finally ported over to the Switch this past October.

List of Super Mario Games Not Playable on Switch 2

  • New Super Mario Bros.
  • New Super Mario Bros. Wii
  • Super Mario 3D Land
  • New Super Mario Bros. 2
  • Super Mario Maker
  • Super Mario Run

Now, what's the likelihood that these games come to the Switch and Switch 2? It varies. New Super Mario Bros. was released for the Wii U Virtual Console, and so there is already precedent for it being released on non-DS hardware. Eventually, one has to imagine Nintendo might decide to add the DS to Nintendo Classics, and that could be how New Super Mario Bros. comes to the platform.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii could get a port one day. The other Wii-era Super Mario games are already playable on Switch 2, after all. Some may think New Super Mario Bros. Wii would be redundant since New Super Mario Bros. U is already on the platform, but while they are aesthetically very similar, the Wii game definitely stands on its own. It would need an HD makeover, but that alone could make it worth double-dipping for fans that already own the older version of the game.

Super Mario Sunshine is playable on Switch and Switch 2 through Super Mario 3D All-Stars. It will also be added to Nintendo Classics at some point, which should make it a lot easier for Switch 2 gamers to play it.

We've seen Nintendo bring 3DS games to the Switch through remakes, and the same could very well happen for Super Mario 3D Land and New Super Mario Bros. 2. Where things get tricky is Super Mario Maker. Super Mario Maker 2 is on the Switch and effectively makes the original game obsolete in many ways, but there is some original content in Super Mario Maker that doesn't exist in the sequel. The 3DS version even had a bunch of Nintendo-made levels and challenges specific to that platform, so maybe that version of the game is how it could live on, via a remake or something along those lines.

 

Super Mario Run also seems highly unlikely to ever come to the Switch 2. Super Mario Run was built specifically for mobile devices, and endless runner-style games don't really make sense on console when you could just let the player have full control of the character. Maybe Super Mario Run can be thrown on the eShop for the sake of completing the entire main series on the platform, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Every Super Mario Game You Can Play on the Switch 2

2D Super Mario Games on Switch 2

  • Super Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
  • Super Mario Bros. 2
  • Super Mario Bros. 3
  • Super Mario World
  • Super Mario Land
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
  • New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe
  • Super Mario Maker 2
  • Super Mario Bros. Wonder

3D Super Mario Games on Switch 2

  • Super Mario 64
  • Super Mario Sunshine
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2
  • Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
  • Super Mario Odyssey

Chances are that a brand-new 3D Super Mario game will be announced for the Switch 2 sooner rather than later. Nintendo likes to release 3D Super Mario games fairly early in its consoles' lifespans, and hopefully the newest system isn't an exception to the rule.