NextGameLike
Super Mario Bros. 3

24 Games with a fantasy setting like Super Mario Bros. 3 that you should try

Games like Super Mario Bros. 3 · Find similar →

We filtered the 50 games similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 down to the 24 that fit the “Fantasy” category. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World and Ghosts 'n Goblins top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Super Mario Bros. 3.

NextGameLike89/ 100

Did you find what you were looking for?

GenrePlatformerSubgenre2D Platformer
Tags
DarkSoloMultiplayer
Year 1988Dev Nintendo R&D4

Quick answer

Within the “Fantasy” category, 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.

🗳️

Help us build the best rankings

Community powered

Vote on each result below — good match or not. Every vote directly shapes how we rank similar games for everyone.

The best games with a fantasy setting like Super Mario Bros. 3

24 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

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.

1

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

72
NGL100
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Closest overall match
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2D
Year 1995Dev Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Nintendo

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.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Visuals100
2

Super Mario World

72
NGL100
Super Mario World
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2D
Year 1990Dev Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Nintendo

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.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Visuals100
3

Ghosts 'n Goblins

72
NGL90
Ghosts 'n Goblins
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2D
Year 1985Dev CapcomOn PC

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.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Visuals100
4

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

72
NGL70
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2D
Year 1995Dev Rare · Nintendo

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.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Visuals100
5

Super Mario Bros.

72
Super Mario Bros.
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2D
Year 1993Dev Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Nintendo

It shares the essentials of what Super Mario Bros. 3 does: fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation.

Released 5 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Game mode100Setting100Visuals100
6

Claw

70
NGL60
Claw
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DMagic
Year 1997Dev Monolith Productions · Egmont PolskaOn PC

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.

Genre100Game mode100Visuals100Setting58
7

LittleBigPlanet

68
NGL96
LittleBigPlanet
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DCo-op
Year 2008Dev Media Molecule · Sony Computer EntertainmentOn PlayStation 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.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Game mode71
8

Sonic & Knuckles

68
Sonic & Knuckles
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DCo-op
Year 1994Dev Sonic Team · Tec Toy

Held in common with Super Mario Bros. 3: fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. Its own ground is co-op play.

Released 6 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Game mode71
9

Yoshi's Woolly World

68
NGL79
Yoshi's Woolly World
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DCo-op
Year 2015Dev Good-Feel · Nintendo

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.

Genre100Setting100Game mode71Visuals69
10

Kirby & the Amazing Mirror

67
Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DOffline
Year 2004Dev Dimps · Nintendo

Held in common with Super Mario Bros. 3: fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. They part company on game mode: this one brings offline play.

Released 16 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Game mode65
11

Rayman Origins

66
NGL93
Rayman Origins
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DCo-op
Year 2011Dev Ubisoft Montpellier · Ubisoft EntertainmentOn PlayStation 3 · PC · Mac

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.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Game mode55
12

Kirby: Triple Deluxe

65
NGL80
Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerFantasy2DOffline
Year 2014Dev HAL Laboratory · Nintendo

The thread back to Super Mario Bros. 3 runs through fantasy world, single-player focus and 2D presentation. The distance is in game mode — its own ground is offline play.

Released 26 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Setting100Visuals100Game mode51
13

Metal Slug 2

65
NGL89
Metal Slug 2
Platformer2D Platformer
MultiplayerSoloFantasy2DCo-op
Year 1998Dev DotEmu · SNK PlaymoreOn PlayStation 3 · Android · PC

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.

Genre100Visuals86Game mode63Setting58
14

Super Paper Mario

63
NGL78
Super Paper Mario
Closest on tone
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloDarkFantasy2DLoot
Year 2007Dev Intelligent Systems · Nintendo

Same family as Super Mario Bros. 3: dark, oppressive atmosphere, fantasy world and single-player focus. The common ground extends to 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is game mode and visuals: a third-person camera.

Released 19 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Tone100Setting100Visuals69Game mode54
15

Super Ghouls'n Ghosts

62
NGL70
Super Ghouls'n Ghosts
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloDarkFantasy2DRanged
Year 1991Dev Capcom · Playtronic

Same family as Super Mario Bros. 3: dark, oppressive atmosphere, fantasy world and single-player focus. Both also lean on 2D presentation. The distance is in game mode and setting — its own ground is horror setting.

Released 3 years after Super Mario Bros. 3.

Genre100Tone100Visuals100Setting61Game mode54

Explore games similar to Super Mario Bros. 3 by category

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.

Rankings in the same genre

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.