10 games similar to Super Mario Bros., a Platform, Adventure game, drawn from IGDB's similarity data. Each pick below notes the genres it shares with Super Mario Bros..
01Shares PlatformSuper Mario Bros. 3 expands on the original's side-scrolling platforming formula with more diverse movement options, complex level designs, and boss battles. Both games center on Mario rescuing kingdoms from magical threats through platforming challenges and feature collectibles, multiple playable characters, and high scores. The sequel maintains the action-focused adventure structure while offering greater variety in how you navigate each stage.
Games like Super Mario Bros. 3 →
02Shares AdventurePlatformSuper Mario World continues the side-scrolling platformer formula of the original, again tasking Mario with rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser across multiple levels. Both games center on action-driven platforming with a damsel-in-distress narrative, though World expands the formula with new movement options, a world map structure, and the addition of Yoshi as a rideable companion that transforms level design.
Games like Super Mario World →
03Shares AdventureBoth games are 8-bit action adventures where you guide a hero through hostile terrain to rescue royalty from evil captors. The Legend of Zelda expands on Mario's formula by adding exploration and permanent character growth through power-ups, letting you discover dungeons across a continuous world rather than progressing through linear levels. Each game defined its console generation through innovative gameplay.
Games like The Legend of Zelda →
04Shares AdventurePlatformBoth games center on Mario rescuing Princess Peach from capture, driving the core quest. They share boss fights and collectibles as central mechanics, with countdown timers adding urgency to sections. While Galaxy 2 shifts to 3D platforming in space, it maintains the action-focused adventure structure and anthropomorphic cast that define the original, making it a natural evolution of the franchise's formula.
Games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 →
05Shares AdventurePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door brings Mario back to rescue Princess Peach from captors, echoing the original's damsel-in-distress premise. Both games center on character growth through collecting items and defeating bosses across distinct worlds. While the original is a side-scrolling platformer, Paper Mario shifts to turn-based RPG combat, but maintains that same adventure spirit of traversing dangerous lands to save the kingdom.
Games like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door →
06Shares AdventureBoth games center on a male hero rescuing a princess from an evil force threatening the kingdom, and both feature boss fights as major obstacles. Ocarina of Time shares the action-adventure structure of Mario, with character growth and collectibles rewarding exploration. While Ocarina trades Mario's side-scrolling platforming for third-person adventure and puzzle-solving, it maintains that same quest-driven heroic narrative at its core.
Games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time →
07Shares AdventureBoth games center on a male hero rescuing a kidnapped princess from an evil ruler, driving the narrative forward through action-adventure gameplay. Each features boss fights as major milestones, collectibles scattered throughout the world, and pixel art presentation. While Mario emphasizes side-scrolling platforming, Link to the Past expands the formula with puzzle-solving and a larger world to explore, maintaining the same heroic rescue mission at its core.
Games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past →
08Shares AdventurePlatformBoth games are 8-bit side-scrolling adventures centered on rescuing a princess from magical forces. Zelda II shares Mario's platforming action and boss fights, but expands the formula with RPG elements and a darker tone. Where Mario focuses on linear obstacle courses, Zelda II mixes side-scrolling combat with an overworld to explore, offering more complexity for players ready to move beyond the original's straightforward challenge.
09Shares AdventureBoth games center on a male hero rescuing a princess from magical forces threatening the kingdom. Each features boss fights as major challenges, collectibles scattered throughout the adventure, and countdown timers that add urgency. While Mario navigates side-scrolling platforming challenges, Minish Cap offers top-down exploration and puzzle-solving, but both deliver that same quest structure where action and obstacle-clearing drive the story forward.
Games like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap →
10Shares PlatformSuper Mario 3D World preserves the core platforming structure of the original: navigate linear levels within a countdown timer, defeat bosses, and rescue a kidnapped princess from Bowser. Both games emphasize character growth through collectibles and feature multiple playable characters. The 3D sequel expands the formula with simultaneous four-player co-op, letting you experience Mario's quest alongside friends rather than solo.
Games like Super Mario 3D World →
Frequently asked
10 games similar to Super Mario Bros.: Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.
Most of these games share Action, Adventure and Platform with Super Mario Bros., based on IGDB's similarity data. Each pick has a short note explaining what it has in common with Super Mario Bros..