10 games similar to Super Mario Bros. 3, a Platform game, drawn from IGDB's similarity data. Each pick below notes the genres it shares with Super Mario Bros. 3.
01Shares PlatformSuper Mario Bros. is the foundational platformer that established the series' core formula, which Super Mario Bros. 3 refines and expands. Both games feature side-scrolling action across multiple levels, boss fights against Bowser, and the rescue of Princess Peach as the central narrative. They share collectibles, death mechanics, and the ability to play as Luigi, making this the essential starting point for understanding the franchise's evolution.
Games like Super Mario Bros. →
02Shares PlatformBoth games center Mario's quest through giant environments filled with collectibles and obstacle courses, though Super Mario 64 expands the formula into three dimensions. Where Super Mario Bros. 3 chains linear levels across a world map, Super Mario 64 lets you explore interconnected worlds freely, each packed with hidden Power Stars and diverse movement challenges. Both feature flying, swimming, and encounters with Bowser across varied terrain.
Games like Super Mario 64 →
03Shares PlatformSuper Mario 3D Land borrows the linear level design and auto-scrolling structure from Super Mario Bros. 3, maintaining that forward-pushing momentum through each stage. Both games share classic obstacles like donut blocks and boomerang bros., plus the boss fights and collectibles that reward exploration. The core platforming remains familiar even as 3D Land shifts perspective, making it a natural evolution of the formula you already know.
Games like Super Mario 3D Land →
04Shares PlatformBoth games center on Mario recovering a kidnapped princess while battling Bowser's forces across diverse worlds. They share boss fights, collectibles, and damsel-in-distress storytelling. Galaxy 2 expands the movement vocabulary with flight and acrobatics similar to Mario 3's varied power-ups, though it trades side-scrolling levels for gravity-based 3D platforming across distinct planetary stages.
Games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 →
05Shares PlatformBoth games center on collecting items and defeating bosses across fantasy worlds while rescuing captured allies. Rayman 2 shares the flight mechanic and level-based structure of Mario 3, progressing through distinct stages with platforming challenges. Where Mario 3 uses a world map, Rayman 2 employs a hub system, but both reward exploration and offer diverse movement options to navigate their enchanted kingdoms.
06Shares PlatformBoth games structure their campaigns around a level select map leading to linear platforming stages with boss fights and collectibles. Super Mario 3D World translates the formula into 3D while preserving the core progression, and both feature boomerang bros. and donut blocks as recurring obstacles. The damsel-in-distress plot and high-score focus remain central to each game's design.
Games like Super Mario 3D World →
07Shares PlatformBoth games layer auto-scrolling sections with boss fights across varied environments, rewarding exploration for collectibles and hidden shortcuts. Donkey Kong Country shares the level-select map structure and multiplayer co-op option, letting two players tackle platforming challenges together. Each game emphasizes movement variety, from swinging and climbing to Mario's flight and power-ups, creating distinct gameplay rhythms within their nonlinear worlds.
Games like Donkey Kong Country →
08Shares PlatformBoth games are side-scrolling platformers built around navigating hostile environments filled with floating blocks and ghosts. Each culminates in boss fights that demand pattern recognition and precise timing. Castlevania shares Super Mario Bros. 3's structure of progressing through distinct stages toward a final confrontation, though it trades Mario's colorful power-ups and level variety for a darker, combat-focused approach using a whip as your primary tool.
Games like Castlevania →
09Mission Kellogg's 1999Shares PlatformMission Kellogg's shares Super Mario Bros. 3's side-scrolling platforming structure with multiple playable characters and boss fights to overcome. Both games emphasize collecting items throughout their levels and navigating environmental challenges like moving platforms and underwater sections. The fantasy-themed worlds and kid-friendly design create a similar adventuring feel, though Mission Kellogg's condenses the experience into a more compact campaign.
10Both games center on action-fantasy adventure with boss fights as major obstacles and collectibles scattered throughout. Like Mario's journey across the Mushroom World, Link progresses through distinct regions, each with its own challenges and a ruler to save. Both feature a silent protagonist on a quest to restore order after a villain's interference, combining exploration with combat across varied environments.
Games like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time →
Frequently asked
10 games similar to Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64, Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Rayman 2: The Great Escape, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country, Castlevania.
Most of these games share Action, Platform and Fantasy with Super Mario Bros. 3, based on IGDB's similarity data. Each pick has a short note explaining what it has in common with Super Mario Bros. 3.