New Super Mario Bros. similar games & best alternatives

New Super Mario Bros. - new-super-mario-bros_1.avif
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New Super Mario Bros. - new-super-mario-bros_6.avif

New Super Mario Bros.

Wii U, Nintendo DS • 2006

Should you play it?

New Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling 2.5D action-adventure platformer game for the Nintendo DS, starring Mario and Luigi. The game features a solo story mode with Mario or Luigi, a two-player wireless game Mario Vs. Luigi, as well as a minigame mode for up to four players. The gameplay of New Super Mario Bros. is very much like that of the classic 2D platformers, mostly Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, and substantially builds upon them to create gameplay both classic and contemporary. As the game is on DS, the touch screen allows players to store an additional power-up and view the distance still to go in a level.

What works

  • Classic and responsive platforming controls
  • Imaginative level design with secrets and alternate paths
  • Balanced challenge suitable for a wide range of players
  • Engaging power-ups and moves integrating 3d mario elements
  • Strong nostalgic appeal with modern enhancements

Things to keep in mind

  • Boss fights are repetitive and easy
  • Some power-ups underused or infrequent
  • Multiplayer modes limited and less engaging
  • Occasional control imprecision and sliding
  • Visuals basic by later standards

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

Less competitive

Games that feels like New Super Mario Bros. but with less competition against others

Less fellowship-oriented

Games that feels like New Super Mario Bros. but with less of a community feel

Less social

Games that feels like New Super Mario Bros. but with less teamwork and cooperation

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

Similarity map

How to compare these games

Compare nearby games

Each card is a nearby game on the similarity map, compared with New Super Mario Bros.. Swipe sideways to move between games. Titles already listed in What to play next are left out.

  • Cover and title: open that game’s page.
  • What works / keep in mind: the same highlights as the desktop comparison panel.
  • Bars: the main motivational differences versus this game.
How to use the graph

Similarity map

Each dot is a game placed from its motivation profile relative to this page’s game. Direction shows which motivation differs most; distance along that axis shows how large the gap is.

  • Purple star: this page’s game at the centre — everything is relative to it.
  • Direction: each axis is a main motivational difference vs this game (e.g. more / less competitive).
  • Distance on an axis: how large that difference is (ring scales show +/− points).
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot to preview that game in the panel on the right; click to keep that comparison.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom.

How to read the map This is a polar difference map: direction = which motivation differs, and distance = how much (same units as the sidebar deltas).

Swipe to compare nearby games with New Super Mario Bros.. These titles are not in What to play next.

New Super Mario Bros.: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Cooperation, Fellowship, Intimacy, Leadership. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Leadership, Violence.

Last update: 02/09/2026