Games like Super Mario Bros. 3 · Find similar →
Looking for games like Super Mario Bros. 3? The NextGameLike editorial team analyzed its gameplay DNA — precision platforming, dark, oppressive atmosphere and fantasy world — against over 6,700 titles. These 50 alternatives are ranked by real similarity, not marketing tags. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island leads with 72/100, followed by the rest of the list.
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Quick answer
The closest game to Super Mario Bros. 3 is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island — scoring 72/100 on our similarity scale. Super Mario World and Ghosts 'n Goblins follow close behind.
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Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Super Mario Bros. 3. Each one has been evaluated across 6 real attributes — from combat style and progression mechanics to world structure and visual perspective — so every recommendation is based on how the game actually plays, not just its genre label.
What brings it close to Super Mario Bros. 3 is fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and setting.
Released 7 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
If Super Mario Bros. 3 worked for you because of fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation, the same is here. It sets itself apart with adventure storytelling.
What brings it close to Super Mario Bros. 3 is fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and setting. It sets itself apart with shooting mechanics.
What carries over from Super Mario Bros. 3 is dark, oppressive atmosphere, single-player focus and 2D presentation. What it adds of its own: adventure storytelling and melee combat.
Released 18 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
What carries over from Super Mario Bros. 3 is fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. It sets itself apart with sandbox freedom and co-op play.
Released 20 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
What brings it close to Super Mario Bros. 3 is fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation, and the two track each other on genre, game mode and setting.
Released 7 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
The thread back to Super Mario Bros. 3 runs through fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. They part company on game mode: this one brings co-op play.
Released 23 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
Held in common with Super Mario Bros. 3: fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is visuals: a third-person camera.
Released 27 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
The genre is the same as Super Mario Bros. 3’s, and with it fantasy world, multiplayer gameplay and 2D presentation. They part company on setting and game mode: this one brings historical setting and co-op play.
Released 10 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
Its point of contact with Super Mario Bros. 3 is single-player focus and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is visuals: a third-person camera.
Released 37 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
The thread back to Super Mario Bros. 3 runs through single-player focus and 2D presentation.
Released 31 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
It meets Super Mario Bros. 3 on single-player focus and 2D presentation. What it adds of its own: racing gameplay.
Released 24 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
Its point of contact with Super Mario Bros. 3 is single-player focus and 2D presentation.
Released 30 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
Held in common with Super Mario Bros. 3: fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is setting: historical setting.
Released 9 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
What carries over from Super Mario Bros. 3 is single-player focus and 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals — its own ground is an isometric view.
Released 14 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.
If Super Mario Bros. 3 left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the dark or the fantasy that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on PC, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, filter by platform and skip the games you could not play anyway.
Sometimes what you want is not a Super Mario Bros. 3 look-alike but simply the best 2D Platformer Games there are. That is what these rankings are for: no comparison to anything, just the highest-rated games. And if you feel like widening the net, the Platformer Games ranking is a good way to run into something you were not expecting.