There is no official or objective ranking of Nintendo’s greatest games. This list weighs influence, design and execution, staying power, and contribution to Nintendo’s range of genres. It uses original release dates, counting games first released from 1996 through 2026; remasters do not reset that clock. The selection includes games developed or published by Nintendo, including titles first released on other platforms when Nintendo published them.
Rankings across different genres are inevitably editorial: a racing game, a platformer, and an adventure game succeed on different terms. The order below reflects those criteria, not sales alone or a claim of universal consensus.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.82 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - US Version | $52.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Mario Kart™ World (Nintendo Switch 2) | $79.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Super Mario Galaxy™ + Super Mario Galaxy™ 2 | $64.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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How this ranking works
- Influence: Did the game advance a genre, establish a new direction, or leave a mark on its series?
- Design and execution: How well do its controls, spaces, pacing, and systems work together?
- Staying power: Does it still offer a compelling experience beyond nostalgia?
- Range and significance: What does it contribute to Nintendo’s catalogue and its reach across players and genres?
Sales can indicate audience reach, but they do not measure artistic or design quality. Nintendo’s Switch sales page lists Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Super Mario Odyssey among the system’s top-selling software; that is evidence of Switch-era reach, not an all-time quality ranking. Nintendo’s Switch software sales data
This is a selective list, not a representative survey of every Nintendo series. It favors games with especially strong cross-era influence and enduring play, while acknowledging that Pokémon, Fire Emblem, Kirby, and Pikmin have major claims on any broader account of Nintendo’s history.
#1 Best Overall
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
10. Super Smash Bros. Melee
Original release: 2001, Nintendo GameCube.
Melee’s appeal comes from a deceptively simple premise: Nintendo characters fight on stages drawn from their worlds. Its speed, responsive movement, and layered combat give it staying power as both a party game and a demanding competitive game. It ranks tenth because its strengths are concentrated in a particular kind of multiplayer experience; the games above it make broader contributions to their genres or to Nintendo’s catalogue.
9. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Original release: 2020, Nintendo Switch.
New Horizons turns a daily routine into the game’s central structure. Players shape an island, collect and craft, and make gradual progress at their own pace. That calm, open-ended design gives it a distinct place among Nintendo’s major releases. Its narrower, deliberately slow rhythm places it below games with more varied moment-to-moment challenges or longer-established influence.
8. Metroid Prime
Original release: 2002, Nintendo GameCube.
Metroid Prime translated exploration and atmospheric isolation into a first-person adventure. Its scanning, environmental storytelling, and interconnected world make observation part of the action rather than a break from it. That design remains a significant achievement, though the series’ deliberate backtracking and measured pace are less immediately inviting than the more accessible worlds higher on this list.
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7. Super Mario Odyssey
Original release: 2017, Nintendo Switch.
Odyssey gives Mario’s movement room to shine. Its compact, varied kingdoms reward curiosity, while Cappy’s capture ability turns familiar enemies and objects into temporary ways to move and play. The result is a generous 3D platformer with a steady stream of discoveries. It sits below the top six because its individual worlds do not reshape the genre as decisively as the highest-ranked entries.
Rank #2
- New stages and fighters are joined by the combined rosters of every past Super Smash Bros. Game
- Challenge others anytime, anywhere, whether you're on the couch or on the go
- Play any way you want—locally, online, in TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode, or even with GameCube Controllers
- Fight faster and smarter with new and returning techniques, like the perfect shield and directional air dodge
- Face off in 2-4 player battles, or play against the computer
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Original release: 2017 for the Deluxe edition on Nintendo Switch; the original Mario Kart 8 launched in 2014 on Wii U.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a polished, immediately readable racing game that works for newcomers and experienced players alike. Its tracks, items, and accessible controls make it one of Nintendo’s strongest multiplayer staples. Nintendo’s Switch sales listing confirms its exceptional commercial reach, but the ranking here rests on its design and enduring play rather than its sales position. It is sixth because it excels within racing and multiplayer, while the games above it have a greater impact on Nintendo’s broader creative identity.
5. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Original release: 2018, Nintendo Switch.
Ultimate expands the Smash formula into an unusually broad celebration of video-game characters and series. Its roster and modes give players many ways to engage, while the basic match remains understandable at a glance. It ranks above Melee for its breadth and accessibility, though Melee’s lasting competitive identity remains distinctive. Ultimate’s scale is also its limitation: it is a remarkable crossover and party-fighting game, but not as foundational to a genre as the entries at the top.
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4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Original release: 1998, Nintendo 64.
Ocarina of Time brought Zelda’s exploration, puzzles, and combat into a three-dimensional world with a strong sense of progression. Its lock-on targeting and dungeon structure helped make the shift from 2D adventure to 3D legible and satisfying. It ranks fourth because that influence is immense, but its fixed progression and more contained world offer less freedom than the later Zelda games above it.
Rank #3
- Race from one course to another through interconnected paths that span the world
- Traverse mountains, forests, cities, and more—with shifting weather patterns and a day/night cycle
- Ride on rails, jump off walls, skim across water, and more as you race for the finish line
- Take on the adrenaline-packed Knockout Tour—a fierce 24-driver elimination mode
- Explore courses at your own pace and wander the world to discover fun surprises in Free Roam
3. Super Mario 64
Original release: 1996, Nintendo 64.
Super Mario 64 made movement itself the pleasure at the heart of a 3D platformer. Its open castle hub and varied courses give players space to experiment with jumps, routes, and objectives. It earns a place above Ocarina of Time for the immediacy and flexibility of its movement design, which remains the foundation of its appeal. Its age is more visible in camera and control expectations than in the core idea of exploring a space through expressive movement.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Original release: 2017, Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
Breath of the Wild makes exploration the organizing principle of Zelda. It encourages players to pursue distant landmarks, experiment with the environment, and solve problems in more than one way. That freedom changed what a large adventure world could ask of a player and gives it exceptional staying power. It lands at number two because its open structure is less tightly authored than the game at number one, even as that openness is exactly what makes it singular.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Original release: 2023, Nintendo Switch.
Tears of the Kingdom takes Breath of the Wild’s open-ended exploration and adds a powerful layer of construction and experimentation. Its abilities invite players to combine objects and solve challenges through their own designs, making creative problem-solving central to play. It ranks first for the way it extends an already expansive adventure into a flexible toolkit, while maintaining the pleasure of exploration. Its relationship to Breath of the Wild is close: players who prefer a cleaner, more focused introduction to the open-world formula may reasonably put its predecessor first.
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Which is best, BOTW or TOTK?
Choose Breath of the Wild for a more focused introduction to its open-world approach and the experience that established that structure. Choose Tears of the Kingdom if building, combining tools, and experimenting with solutions are the main draw. This ranking puts Tears of the Kingdom first for the reach of its added creative systems, not because it makes Breath of the Wild obsolete.
Rank #4
- Journey through space in two Super Mario adventures, now improved for the Nintendo Switch system!
- Travel the stars with enhanced resolution, improved UI, and additional content
- Learn more about the Lumas from additional Storybook chapters, groove to a bit of additional music
- Get additional Health and fall recovery in Assist Mode
- Join Rosalina and the Lumas to restore the Comet Observatory and rescue Princess Peach in Super Mario Galaxy.
Where to play these games now
Availability depends on region, edition, and whether a game remains in a current store or subscription library. Nintendo’s US current games catalog lists current products and supports physical and digital catalog filters; its Metroid catalog includes Metroid Prime Remastered. These pages establish current catalog listings, not a complete access route for every older game in this ranking.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a later edition, not a separate entry here: the ranking counts the original 2002 release date. The same rule applies to remasters generally. Check the relevant regional store or platform library for a specific older title before planning to play it; a historical release does not establish that a new copy or subscription version is currently available.
Why some major Nintendo series are not ranked
A ten-game limit makes omissions unavoidable. Pokémon’s enormous reach, Fire Emblem’s tactical role-playing legacy, Kirby’s platforming, and Pikmin’s strategic design all broaden the picture of Nintendo’s catalogue. This ranking gives priority to entries whose influence, design, staying power, and range combine especially strongly across Nintendo’s 3D platforming, adventure, racing, and fighting output. It is a curated argument, not a verdict that omitted series matter less.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
