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Super Mario Bros.

9 Melee games like Super Mario Bros. that you should try

Games like Super Mario Bros. · Find similar →

We filtered the 50 games similar to Super Mario Bros. down to the 9 that fit the “Melee” category. Kirby Super Star Ultra, Sonic Lost World and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land top the list, ranked by affinity and similarity score to Super Mario Bros..

NextGameLike84/ 100

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GenrePlatformerSubgenre2D Platformer
Tags
SoloMultiplayer
Year 1985Dev Nintendo R&D4

Quick answer

Within the “Melee” category, the closest game to Super Mario Bros. is Kirby Super Star Ultra — scoring 81/100 on our similarity scale. Sonic Lost World and Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land follow close behind.

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The best melee games like Super Mario Bros.

9 similar games foundUpdated May 2026

Handpicked by our similarity algorithm, these are the titles with the highest gameplay match to Super Mario Bros.. Each one has been evaluated across 8 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

Kirby Super Star Ultra

81
NGL77
Kirby Super Star Ultra
Closest overall match
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMagicMelee2D
Year 2008Dev HAL Laboratory · Nintendo

With Super Mario Bros. it shares magic-based combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation.

Released 23 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Combat100Game mode100Visuals72
2

Sonic Lost World

71
NGL61
Sonic Lost World
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMelee2DThird Person
Year 2013Dev Sonic Team · NintendoOn PC

The genre is the same as Super Mario Bros.’s, and with it melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals and combat — its own ground is a third-person camera.

Released 28 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Game mode100Combat55Visuals53
3

Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

71
NGL70
Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMelee2D
Year 2002Dev HAL Laboratory · Nintendo

Held in common with Super Mario Bros.: melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. The distance is in combat.

Released 17 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Game mode100Visuals72Combat51
4

Metal Slug 2

70
NGL89
Metal Slug 2
Closest on visuals
Platformer2D Platformer
MultiplayerSoloMelee2DPixel Art
Year 1998Dev DotEmu · SNK PlaymoreOn PlayStation 3 · Android · PC

The genre is the same as Super Mario Bros.’s, and with it melee combat, multiplayer gameplay and 2D presentation. They part company on game mode and combat: this one brings co-op play.

Released 13 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Visuals100Combat66Game mode63
5

Sonic Forces

67
NGL58
Sonic Forces
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMelee2DCo-op
Year 2017Dev Sonic Team · Sega GamesOn PS4 · PC · Xbox

Same family as Super Mario Bros.: melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. The distance is in visuals and combat — its own ground is tactical combat and a third-person camera.

Released 32 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Game mode71Combat53Visuals47
6

New Super Mario Bros.

66
NGL95
New Super Mario Bros.
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMelee2DCo-op
Year 2006Dev Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development · Nintendo

What carries over from Super Mario Bros. is melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. They part company on combat: this one brings dark, oppressive atmosphere and co-op play.

Released 21 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Visuals72Game mode71Combat51
7

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

63
NGL89
Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtFantasy
Year 2017Dev Yacht Club GamesOn PlayStation 3 · PS4 · Linux

The genre is the same as Super Mario Bros.’s, and with it melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is game mode and combat: fantasy world.

Released 32 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Visuals100Combat66Game mode55
8

Metal Slug 3

56
NGL82
Metal Slug 3
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMultiplayerMelee2DPixel Art
Year 2000Dev SNK · D4 EnterpriseOn Xbox

Held in common with Super Mario Bros.: melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. Where the two diverge is combat: shooting mechanics and dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Released 15 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Visuals100Game mode71Combat51
9

Gravity Circuit

50
NGL91
Gravity Circuit
Platformer2D Platformer
SoloMelee2DPixel ArtSci-Fi
Year 2023Dev Domesticated Ants · Plug In DigitalPlaytime ~2hOn PC · PS · Apple Macintosh

Genre puts it alongside Super Mario Bros., and so does melee combat, single-player focus and 2D presentation. They part company on game mode and combat: this one brings fighting mechanics and a sci-fi setting.

Released 38 years after Super Mario Bros..

Genre100Visuals100Combat66Game mode55

Explore games similar to Super Mario Bros. by category

If Super Mario Bros. left you wanting more, this is where you narrow it down. Was it the adventure or the magic that hooked you? There is a list of just that. And if you play on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox, 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. 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.