The 3D platformer is quintessentially Nintendo. As famous as games like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Astro Bot are, they all live in the shadow of (and often owe a debt of gratitude to) the big N. However, since launching the genre to mass popularity with Super Mario 64 back in 1996, the realm of three dimensions isn’t one Nintendo returns to a whole lot. A 3D platformer featuring a Nintendo character is a special, rare thing. They’re games that showcase the very best the company, and the industry, has to offer; a massive pool of creative ideas, collected and refined over years of development, that can go on to define an entire console’s identity.
July 2025 will go down as a special month in Nintendo history because we are finally getting another addition to the company’s small-but-mighty 3D platforming library – Donkey Kong: Bananza. It’ll slot into a collection that contains some of the most celebrated games in Nintendo history (as well as a couple of rare misses). Now’s a great time to look back on these games and analyse which ones still feel great to control, and which have been aged out of the pantheon of Nintendo’s greatest hits.
Here’s every Nintendo 3D platformer, ranked.
11. Donkey Kong 64
Despite some glowing reviews at the time of its release, Donkey Kong 64 has become Nintendo’s default ‘bad platformer.’ In theory, the barrage of ideas the game throws at you are pretty cool, and it’s easy to see how reviewers at the time were impressed by DK 64’s size – it infamously contains almost 4,000 items to collect. Some can only be picked up by specific characters, some are only accessible by using specific items, and others are hard-earned rewards for completing mini games. A game having this much variety is usually good.
However, in practice, Donkey Kong 64 is just tedious. The levels aren’t interesting enough to keep backtracking through with different characters, which quickly erodes the novelty of switching between Kongs. It also runs into the key problem many games of this era do – eclipsing King K. Rool, the camera is the toughest enemy you’ll come across. It constantly battles your attempts to see the landscape clearly. Great platformers are satisfying to play, and DK64 is the antithesis of that.
10. Super Mario 3D Land
In contrast to DK64, Super Mario 3D Land is a really smooth, breezy platformer… but maybe too breezy to be memorable. Much of the satisfaction you extract from a good platformer is the result of overcoming seemingly impossible challenges. You truly do feel like a god after perfecting your timing making the perfect jump. But you could beat 3D Land within a weekend and 100% it over a week without much strain or focus. It’s a fun, pocket-sized platformer that uses the 3DS’ gimmick really well, but it sadly fails to make a lasting impact.
But as mentioned earlier, 3D Land is beautifully smooth. It hails from an era when Nintendo had character movement in platformers down to a supremely satisfying science. It feels great to move Mario around, even without any power-ups, and when combined with the great sense of momentum and fantastic world design, it ensures the levels are a joy to fly through.
9. Bowser’s Fury
Though packaged in with the Switch port of Super Mario 3D World, Bowser’s Fury is far from being ‘bonus content’ or even an expansion. Despite its short length, it has enough unique and fun ideas to be considered its own game. Rather than being made up of many separate levels as so many Mario adventures are, Bowser’s Fury features one big open world that evolves over time. It’s the most open a 3D Mario has ever been, which not only feels freeing, but is also a great proof of concept for how sandbox Mario games can push above and beyond the classic but unquestionably old-school models of Mario 64 and Odyssey.
Bowser’s Fury also introduced immediately iconic imagery to the franchise, with kaiju versions of Bowser and Cat Suit Mario going blow for blow multiple times throughout the game. This super-sized mechanic keeps things fresh, banks on your knowledge of the open world (which you now navigate from a very different perspective), and has a wonderful ‘out-of-control’ cool factor. It’s difficult to place this one higher because, ultimately, it’s not much more than a short proof of concept. But Bowser’s Fury could prove to be the building blocks of Nintendo’s next 3D platforming classic.
8. Super Mario Sunshine
Keeping the Mario series fresh has been a delicate balancing act for Nintendo – each game has to introduce a new mechanic that helpfully changes the way you play, but not so much that the basics of Mario platforming are lost. The FLUDD water backpack might be the most innovative platforming aid Nintendo has ever introduced. Its many different nozzles turn it into a H20 swiss army knife that evolves throughout the game, allowing you to be creative in how you choose to reach the next ledge.
Isle Delfino stands out as an iconic Mario location to this day, and Shine Sprites are way cooler than Stars and Moons, but there are some issues, including some uninspiring challenge levels and a few game-breaking glitches. Ultimately, though, the way Mario Sunshine splits the difference between free-roaming sandbox design and linear progression is frustrating – it would be better for nailing just one of them.
7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
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It took Kirby 30 years to make the transition to 3D, but what a transition it was. Adapting the formerly 2D pink sphere's moveset, where the whole deal is sucking in enemies and spitting projectiles, could have been a disaster (afterall, aiming is easier when you only have two dimensions to worry about.) But developer HAL Laboratory made it work better than ever.
With the ability to take on the abilities of his enemies, variety has always been at Kirby’s core. Forgotten Land takes this further than ever before with Mouthful Mode, which allows Kirby to take on the form of inanimate objects like vending machines, which throw out tin cans as a form of attack, and cars, which speed you through levels. Through this system you’re always being thrown new methods of traversal and combat, which can all be enhanced to bring Kirby’s powers up to frightening levels.
6. Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D World was a very good Wii U game that became excellent on the Nintendo Switch. All it took was a faster running speed for the incredible level design to truly shine. Outside of the Galaxy series, this is as good as Nintendo gets for linear 3D platforming, using a fun pool of power ups and platform types to push the series’ classic mechanics to their absolute limits. All this comes together to create one of the most famous levels in Mario history – Champion’s Road, a staggeringly difficult culmination of everything obtained across your 3D World adventure.
Despite the great level design, movement in 3D World is a little stilted due to the lack of full analogue control. This means Mario and the crew are just not as satisfying to move around as they are in games higher up on this list. It’s also unremarkable visually, coming from an era of Mario where everything was a bit too inert and vanilla. It’s a winner when it comes to really fun and challenging levels, but unspectacular in other (arguably less important) departments.
5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is unique not just among Nintendo’s library, but the entire 3D platforming space. Rather than focusing on the satisfaction of movement, it goes all in on the satisfaction of solving puzzles. Crucially, though, it never gives up its platformer credentials – Treasure Tracker is all about navigation, even if it trades precision jumps for a brain workout.
Captain Toad features diorama-like levels that you rotate in order to guide your little explorer Mushroom towards a Power Star. With no ability to jump, it’s all down to the power of perception. We were introduced to the concept through bonus levels in Super Mario 3D World, but Nintendo took that small idea and expanded it to its widest reaches, designing puzzles so intricate and challenging that you can’t help but be charmed. Such a feeling is only emphasised by Captain Toad’s adorable presence – he’s such a fun character to have at the centre of a game, and it's great that he finally got to headline a game with such its own identity. Treasure Tracker is a short and sweet gem in both the Wii U and Switch libraries.
4. Super Mario 64
Mario 64 being so high on this list isn’t just an acknowledgement of the game that practically invented the genre, but a testament to how well it still plays. The hub world of Peach’s Castle remains enchanting. The first moment you take flight never fails to raise the hairs on your arms. Accessing different worlds by jumping into paintings is still a phenomenal idea. The soundtrack is breathtaking. The level design is always reinventing itself. And, right at the very core of it all, is Mario’s basic moveset – run, jump, and punch has rarely felt so versatile and satisfying.
You can quibble with a few aspects, like the camera, which isn’t always the most agreeable (though still more usable than other 3D games of this era), and some of the now very-dated visuals. But the slightly underwhelming DS remake of Mario 64, which unsuccessfully tampered with the control scheme, shows how hard it is to improve upon perfection.
3. Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy was Nintendo’s first attempt at making a game that felt cinematic. The scale is massive, and not just because of the outer-space setting. Each galaxy feels worthy of that name, being sprawling, multi-faceted areas filled with creative challenges. You’re given time to appreciate each star system’s grandeur as you soar through them, boosted by launch stars or floating while holding onto flower stems. The orchestral soundtrack supercharges these moments and infuses Galaxy with the greatest feeling of adventure the series had ever had to this point. It’s safe to say that Nintendo nailed its ‘bigger and bolder’ ambitions.
Galaxy’s biggest innovation, though, is its gravity mechanics, which add another layer of satisfaction and difficulty to the impeccable level design. Attempting an ambitious jump and making it thanks to juuust about being caught by a planet’s gravity feels incredible. And that’s what great platforming is all about: giving you the confidence to try the craziest jumps. Also contributing to Galaxy’s uniqueness is a truly memorable story (a rarity among this list) with Rosalina’s history slowly revealed as you complete each area. All in all, Mario Galaxy is a terrific game with a lot of seemingly unbeatable ideas… but somehow, Nintendo had more in 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 back in a beloved world. It’s something Nintendo had never done in a 3D platformer before, nor has it since – Galaxy 2 remains Mario’s lone 3D direct sequel. And from your first flick of the Wiimote in Sky Garden Galaxy, you can see exactly why Nintendo had to return; you’re reminded of how smooth and intuitive the controls are and how beautiful the world is.
More Mario Galaxy would have sufficed, but Galaxy 2 introduces something Nintendo could stand to add to many other sequels – Yoshi. Riding around on the green dinosaur’s back adds so much depth thanks to his unique abilities. This expanded toolset gives Galaxy 2 a whole new identity of its own, allowing you to rediscover the charm of Galaxy through a new lens. For example, his flutter jump is a wonderfully practical platforming aid, providing another tool to pull off crazier jumps. Without Yoshi, Galaxy 2 wouldn’t feel anywhere near as fresh. But his addition, along with many new items, only enhance what was already one of the greatest platformers ever made.
1. Super Mario Odyssey
After playing Super Mario Odyssey, it’s hard to go back to any of the other (very, very good) games in the series. It really is that strong. Mario feels incredible to control, so much so that it can feel like you’re cheating. His throwable hat, Cappy, who can be used to extend your jumps, represents the core Nintendo principle of being easy to play but difficult to master. Once you master everything Cappy can do (as a platforming aid, not even counting his enemy capturing abilities that unlock a whole host of new skills), you’re able to reach places that feel genuinely forbidden. Throwing Cappy out and jumping on him before diving onto a ledge feels so natural and smooth, and yet it’s a move far more complex than anything featured in any other Mario game.
One of the reasons why Mario Odyssey’s movement feels so great is how wide-reaching the world is. Its extensiveness encourages exploration. There isn’t a ledge you can’t reach. Nothing is just for show. And when you do reach a ‘forbidden’ area, there’s a pile of coins waiting as congratulations for your feat. Odyssey is also a return to the old-school collectathon, and so that perfected platforming ensures each Moon you collect is a dopamine hit, rather than feeling like a burden.
A constantly stunning-looking adventure filled with wonderfully bonkers abilities, a banging soundtrack, and the best controls Mario has ever had, Mario Odyssey is unquestionably the best 3D platformer in Nintendo history.
And that’s our ranking for all of Nintendo’s 3D platformers. Do you agree with our choices, or would you have had something else in the top spot? Let us know in the comments.
