Every Nintendo 3D Platformer, Ranked

The 3D platformer is quintessentially Nintendo. As celebrated arsenic games similar Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Astro Bot are, they each unrecorded successful the shadiness of (and often beryllium a indebtedness of gratitude to) the large N. However, since launching the genre to wide popularity with Super Mario 64 backmost successful 1996, the realm of 3 dimensions isn’t 1 Nintendo returns to a full lot. A 3D platformer featuring a Nintendo quality is simply a special, uncommon thing. They’re games that showcase the precise champion the company, and the industry, has to offer; a monolithic excavation of originative ideas, collected and refined implicit years of development, that tin spell connected to specify an full console’s identity.

July 2025 volition spell down arsenic a peculiar period successful Nintendo past due to the fact that we are yet getting different summation to the company’s small-but-mighty 3D platforming room – Donkey Kong: Bananza. It’ll slot into a postulation that contains immoderate of the astir celebrated games successful Nintendo past (as good arsenic a mates of uncommon misses). Now’s a large clip to look backmost connected these games and analyse which ones inactive consciousness large to control, and which person been aged retired of the pantheon of Nintendo’s top hits.

Here’s each Nintendo 3D platformer, ranked.

11. Donkey Kong 64

Despite immoderate glowing reviews astatine the clip of its release, Donkey Kong 64 has go Nintendo’s default ‘bad platformer.’ In theory, the barrage of ideas the crippled throws astatine you are beauteous cool, and it’s casual to spot however reviewers astatine the clip were impressed by DK 64’s size – it infamously contains astir 4,000 items to collect. Some tin lone beryllium picked up by circumstantial characters, immoderate are lone accessible by utilizing circumstantial items, and others are hard-earned rewards for completing mini games. A crippled having this overmuch assortment is usually good.

However, successful practice, Donkey Kong 64 is conscionable tedious. The levels aren’t absorbing capable to support backtracking done with antithetic characters, which rapidly erodes the novelty of switching betwixt Kongs. It besides runs into the cardinal occupation galore games of this epoch bash – eclipsing King K. Rool, the camera is the toughest force you’ll travel across. It perpetually battles your attempts to spot the scenery clearly. Great platformers are satisfying to play, and DK64 is the antithesis of that.

10. Super Mario 3D Land

In opposition to DK64, Super Mario 3D Land is simply a truly smooth, breezy platformer… but possibly excessively breezy to beryllium memorable. Much of the restitution you extract from a bully platformer is the effect of overcoming seemingly intolerable challenges. You genuinely bash consciousness similar a deity aft perfecting your timing making the perfect jump. But you could bushed 3D Land wrong a play and 100% it implicit a week without overmuch strain oregon focus. It’s a fun, pocket-sized platformer that uses the 3DS’ gimmick truly well, but it sadly fails to marque a lasting impact.

But arsenic mentioned earlier, 3D Land is beautifully smooth. It hails from an epoch erstwhile Nintendo had quality question successful platformers down to a supremely satisfying science. It feels large to determination Mario around, adjacent without immoderate power-ups, and erstwhile combined with the large consciousness of momentum and fantastic satellite design, it ensures the levels are a joyousness to alert through.

9. Bowser’s Fury

Though packaged successful with the Switch larboard of Super Mario 3D World, Bowser’s Fury is acold from being ‘bonus content’ oregon adjacent an expansion. Despite its abbreviated length, it has capable unsocial and amusive ideas to beryllium considered its ain game. Rather than being made up of galore abstracted levels arsenic truthful galore Mario adventures are, Bowser’s Fury features 1 large unfastened satellite that evolves implicit time. It’s the astir unfastened a 3D Mario has ever been, which not lone feels freeing, but is besides a large impervious of conception for however sandbox Mario games tin propulsion supra and beyond the classical but unquestionably old-school models of Mario 64 and Odyssey.

Bowser’s Fury besides introduced instantly iconic imagery to the franchise, with kaiju versions of Bowser and Cat Suit Mario going stroke for stroke aggregate times passim the game. This super-sized mechanic keeps things fresh, banks connected your cognition of the unfastened satellite (which you present navigate from a precise antithetic perspective), and has a fantastic ‘out-of-control’ chill factor. It’s hard to spot this 1 higher because, ultimately, it’s not overmuch much than a abbreviated impervious of concept. But Bowser’s Fury could beryllium to beryllium the gathering blocks of Nintendo’s adjacent 3D platforming classic.

8. Super Mario Sunshine

Keeping the Mario bid caller has been a delicate balancing enactment for Nintendo – each crippled has to present a caller mechanic that helpfully changes the mode you play, but not truthful overmuch that the basics of Mario platforming are lost. The FLUDD h2o backpack mightiness beryllium the astir innovative platforming assistance Nintendo has ever introduced. Its galore antithetic nozzles crook it into a H20 swiss service weapon that evolves passim the game, allowing you to beryllium originative successful however you take to scope the adjacent ledge.

Isle Delfino stands retired arsenic an iconic Mario determination to this day, and Shine Sprites are mode cooler than Stars and Moons, but determination are immoderate issues, including immoderate uninspiring situation levels and a fewer game-breaking glitches. Ultimately, though, the mode Mario Sunshine splits the quality betwixt free-roaming sandbox plan and linear progression is frustrating – it would beryllium amended for nailing conscionable 1 of them.

7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

It took Kirby 30 years to marque the modulation to 3D, but what a modulation it was. Adapting the formerly 2D pinkish sphere's moveset, wherever the full woody is sucking successful enemies and spitting projectiles, could person been a catastrophe (afterall, aiming is easier erstwhile you lone person 2 dimensions to interest about.) But developer HAL Laboratory made it enactment amended than ever.

With the quality to instrumentality connected the abilities of his enemies, assortment has ever been astatine Kirby’s core. Forgotten Land takes this further than ever earlier with Mouthful Mode, which allows Kirby to instrumentality connected the signifier of inanimate objects similar vending machines, which propulsion retired tin cans arsenic a signifier of attack, and cars, which velocity you done levels. Through this strategy you’re ever being thrown caller methods of traversal and combat, which tin each beryllium enhanced to bring Kirby’s powers up to frightening levels.

6. Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D World was a precise bully Wii U crippled that became fantabulous connected the Nintendo Switch. All it took was a faster moving velocity for the unthinkable level plan to genuinely shine. Outside of the Galaxy series, this is arsenic bully arsenic Nintendo gets for linear 3D platforming, utilizing a amusive excavation of powerfulness ups and level types to propulsion the series’ classical mechanics to their implicit limits. All this comes unneurotic to make 1 of the astir celebrated levels successful Mario past – Champion’s Road, a staggeringly hard culmination of everything obtained crossed your 3D World adventure.

Despite the large level design, question successful 3D World is simply a small stilted owed to the deficiency of afloat analogue control. This means Mario and the unit are conscionable not arsenic satisfying to determination astir arsenic they are successful games higher up connected this list. It’s besides unremarkable visually, coming from an epoch of Mario wherever everything was a spot excessively inert and vanilla. It’s a victor erstwhile it comes to truly amusive and challenging levels, but unspectacular successful different (arguably little important) departments.

5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is unsocial not conscionable among Nintendo’s library, but the full 3D platforming space. Rather than focusing connected the restitution of movement, it goes each successful connected the restitution of solving puzzles. Crucially, though, it ne'er gives up its platformer credentials – Treasure Tracker is each astir navigation, adjacent if it trades precision jumps for a encephalon workout.

Captain Toad features diorama-like levels that you rotate successful bid to usher your small explorer Mushroom towards a Power Star. With nary quality to jump, it’s each down to the powerfulness of perception. We were introduced to the conception done bonus levels successful Super Mario 3D World, but Nintendo took that tiny thought and expanded it to its widest reaches, designing puzzles truthful intricate and challenging that you can’t assistance but beryllium charmed. Such a feeling is lone emphasised by Captain Toad’s adorable beingness – he’s specified a amusive quality to person astatine the centre of a game, and it's large that helium yet got to header a crippled with specified its ain identity. Treasure Tracker is simply a abbreviated and saccharine gem successful some the Wii U and Switch libraries.

4. Super Mario 64

Mario 64 being truthful precocious connected this database isn’t conscionable an acknowledgement of the crippled that practically invented the genre, but a testament to however good it inactive plays. The hub satellite of Peach’s Castle remains enchanting. The archetypal infinitesimal you instrumentality formation ne'er fails to rise the hairs connected your arms. Accessing antithetic worlds by jumping into paintings is inactive a phenomenal idea. The soundtrack is breathtaking. The level plan is ever reinventing itself. And, close astatine the precise halfway of it all, is Mario’s basal moveset – run, jump, and punch has seldom felt truthful versatile and satisfying.

You tin quibble with a fewer aspects, similar the camera, which isn’t ever the astir agreeable (though inactive much usable than different 3D games of this era), and immoderate of the present very-dated visuals. But the somewhat underwhelming DS remake of Mario 64, which unsuccessfully tampered with the power scheme, shows however hard it is to amended upon perfection.

3. Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy was Nintendo’s archetypal effort astatine making a crippled that felt cinematic. The standard is massive, and not conscionable due to the fact that of the outer-space setting. Each postulation feels worthy of that name, being sprawling, multi-faceted areas filled with originative challenges. You’re fixed clip to admit each prima system’s grandeur arsenic you soar done them, boosted by motorboat stars oregon floating portion holding onto angiosperm stems. The orchestral soundtrack supercharges these moments and infuses Galaxy with the top feeling of escapade the bid had ever had to this point. It’s harmless to accidental that Nintendo nailed its ‘bigger and bolder’ ambitions.

Galaxy’s biggest innovation, though, is its gravity mechanics, which adhd different furniture of restitution and trouble to the impeccable level design. Attempting an ambitious leap and making it acknowledgment to juuust astir being caught by a planet’s gravity feels incredible. And that’s what large platforming is each about: giving you the assurance to effort the craziest jumps. Also contributing to Galaxy’s uniqueness is simply a genuinely memorable communicative (a rarity among this list) with Rosalina’s past dilatory revealed arsenic you implicit each area. All successful all, Mario Galaxy is simply a terrific crippled with a batch of seemingly unbeatable ideas… but somehow, Nintendo had much successful the tank.

2. Super Mario Galaxy 2

By opening with a 2D platformer storybook-style sequence, Mario Galaxy 2 gives you the warm, fuzzy feeling of being backmost successful a beloved world. It’s thing Nintendo had ne'er done successful a 3D platformer before, nor has it since – Galaxy 2 remains Mario’s lone 3D nonstop sequel. And from your archetypal flick of the Wiimote successful Sky Garden Galaxy, you tin spot precisely wherefore Nintendo had to return; you’re reminded of however creaseless and intuitive the controls are and however beauteous the satellite is.

More Mario Galaxy would person sufficed, but Galaxy 2 introduces thing Nintendo could basal to adhd to galore different sequels – Yoshi. Riding astir connected the greenish dinosaur’s backmost adds truthful overmuch extent acknowledgment to his unsocial abilities. This expanded toolset gives Galaxy 2 a full caller individuality of its own, allowing you to rediscover the charm of Galaxy done a caller lens. For example, his flutter leap is simply a wonderfully applicable platforming aid, providing different instrumentality to propulsion disconnected crazier jumps. Without Yoshi, Galaxy 2 wouldn’t consciousness anyplace adjacent arsenic fresh. But his addition, on with galore caller items, lone heighten what was already 1 of the top platformers ever made.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

After playing Super Mario Odyssey, it’s hard to spell backmost to immoderate of the different (very, precise good) games successful the series. It truly is that strong. Mario feels unthinkable to control, truthful overmuch truthful that it tin consciousness similar you’re cheating. His throwable hat, Cappy, who tin beryllium utilized to widen your jumps, represents the halfway Nintendo rule of being casual to play but hard to master. Once you maestro everything Cappy tin bash (as a platforming aid, not adjacent counting his force capturing abilities that unlock a full big of caller skills), you’re capable to scope places that consciousness genuinely forbidden. Throwing Cappy retired and jumping connected him earlier diving onto a ledge feels truthful earthy and smooth, and yet it’s a determination acold much analyzable than thing featured successful immoderate different Mario game.

One of the reasons wherefore Mario Odyssey’s question feels truthful large is however wide-reaching the satellite is. Its extensiveness encourages exploration. There isn’t a ledge you can’t reach. Nothing is conscionable for show. And erstwhile you bash scope a ‘forbidden’ area, there’s a heap of coins waiting arsenic congratulations for your feat. Odyssey is besides a instrumentality to the old-school collectathon, and truthful that perfected platforming ensures each Moon you cod is simply a dopamine hit, alternatively than feeling similar a burden.

A perpetually stunning-looking escapade filled with wonderfully bonkers abilities, a banging soundtrack, and the champion controls Mario has ever had, Mario Odyssey is unquestionably the champion 3D platformer successful Nintendo history.

And that’s our ranking for each of Nintendo’s 3D platformers. Do you hold with our choices, oregon would you person had thing other successful the apical spot? Let america cognize successful the comments.