Super Mario Galaxy 2 similar games & best alternatives

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Wii, Wii U • 2010

Should you play it?

What works

  • Innovative and varied level design
  • Precise and responsive controls
  • Creative power-ups and mechanics
  • Engaging and challenging gameplay
  • Beautiful visuals and orchestral soundtrack

Things to keep in mind

  • Limited narrative depth
  • Second player role is minimal
  • Some camera angle issues
  • Pointer controls can be awkward on newer platforms
  • Repetitive story premise

What to play next

Top picks

Games that feels the closest overall

Less social

Games that feels like Super Mario Galaxy 2 but with less teamwork and cooperation

More intimate

Games that feels like Super Mario Galaxy 2 but with more focus on close relationships

Choose your own criteria ->

From the same developer

From the same developer, ranked by motivational fit.

Similarity map

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).

Super Mario Galaxy 2: 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: 05/08/2026