Today, one of the most famous gaming mascots in the world turns 40, and that honor goes to none other than Mario himself. Super Mario got its start as a franchise with Super Mario Bros. On September 13, 1985. Back then, Super Mario Bros. Was a massive selling point for the NES. In an interesting twist, history has somewhat repeated itself with Mario Kart World helping assist initial sales of the Nintendo Switch 2. It serves as evidence that the more things change, the more they stay the same, as Mario is still as popular as ever.

Super Mario might be an incredibly large gaming franchise, but the titular plumber is a prominent gaming mascot in more ways than one. There are countless video games that the Mario series has influenced, and in some cases, Mario and friends have made a personal appearance in tribute or collaboration. This list compiles every single video game that has Mario in it in some shape or form that isn't from the Super Mario series itself.

As Donkey Kong is the original game Mario came from, and DK's series is treated as standalone more often than not, it'll be classified as its own franchise on this list.

All the Games That Feature Mario Without Being Part of the Super Mario Franchise

Mario finds a Power Star - Super Mario Galaxy

Donkey Kong Franchise

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  • Donkey Kong
  • Donkey Kong Jr.
  • Donkey Kong 2
  • Donkey Kong Circus
  • Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
  • Donkey Kong Land 2
  • Donkey Kong 64

Other Prominent Nintendo Franchises

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  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
  • The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, as a mask on the Happy Mask Salesman's back.
  • Animal Crossing
  • Animal Crossing: Wild World
  • Animal Crossing: City Folk
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizons
  • Kirby Super Star, kept in Super Star Ultra
  • WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!
  • WarioWare: Move It!
  • Super Smash Bros.
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Super Smash Bros. Brawl
  • Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and 3DS
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Even though Mario is one of the core eight fighters of the Super Smash Bros. Series, he shares that with many other Nintendo characters, and his name isn't in the title itself, which makes the series a candidate for this list.

Miscellaneous NES games

Mario In Wrecking Crew Gear Is Approached By An Enemy -1
  • Tennis, kept in the Arcade release Vs Tennis.
  • Pinball, kept in the Arcade release Vs Pinball.
  • Family Basic
  • Golf, kept in the Arcade release Vs Golf.
  • Family Basic v3.0
  • Wrecking Crew, kept in the Arcade release Vs Wrecking Crew.
  • Mike Tyson's Punch Out and all other rereleases and versions.
  • Famicom Grand Prix: F-1 Race
  • Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally

Family Basic is a programming language that could be used with the NES. It isn't exactly a game, however, Mario appears as one of the sprites users can access for whatever they choose to make.

Miscellaneous Nintendo Games

Promo art featuring characters in NES Remix

Similar to Super Smash Bros., the Mario games might be featured heavily in the NES Remix series, but he's only one of several prominent NES Nintendo stars, making those titles a candidate for this list .

Mario in Other Companies' Games

Mini statues of Mario and Yoshi appearing in Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes
  • Just Dance 3, Just Dance Wii, Just Dance 2018 Unlimited in the Just Mario song.
  • Tetris
  • Captain Rainbow
  • Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, as statues the player can shoot to knock over and play iconic sound effects.
  • Rocket League, with Mario and Luigi-styled cars.
  • 64 de Hakken!! Tamagotchi: Minna de Tamagotchi World, a Tamagotchi board game simulator that featured a Mariotchi and a Waruotokotchi based on Wario.
  • Pac-Man Vs.
  • Yakuman DS
  • SSX on Tour
  • Tetris DS
  • Fortune Street, a Monopoly-like game featuring Mario and Dragon Quest characters.
  • Fortune Street DS
  • Minecraft
  • Namco Museum

There are many other games featuring all sorts of Mario characters without featuring Mario himself, like SNES version of Sim City which has Bowser come and attack Tokyo in the place of Godzilla. Within this list, it's easy to see just how important Mario was to the NES and SNES era. Recently crowed as Nintendo's mascot around 1985, he was found in all sorts of games. The love for the red-capped plumber isn't stopping anytime soon. His 40th anniversary has only just begun, with the next Super Mario movie coming out next year and tons of other game-related surprises on the way. Mario fans have a lot to be excited about already, and it's clear that there will be a bright future ahead for many years to come.

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Mario Kart World
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Racing
Open-World
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Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
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Released
June 5, 2025
ESRB
Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Nintendo
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Racing, Open-World