The Most Downloaded Retro Mario Games Ever!

Mario games have been known for impressive gameplays, stunning effects and the fact they are the number 1, the bestselling franchise in the gaming industry. But, there are over 100 different sequels, released in different parts of history, so we will need to take a deep look into the ones that reached the consoles of most gamers. We must add that the best-selling games are also the most commonly downloaded games, hence the similarity between two facts. Let’s see the ones that are downloaded a million times or more.


1. Super Mario Bros.


Super Mario Bros. was released in 1985 and it was sold over 40 million times. This also made it one of the most popular and the most downloaded retro games in the lifespan of the game. The plot is simple. You will control Super Mario who must navigate wonderful stages to save his princess. You will encounter all kinds of enemies and you must defeat each one. The game is developed by Nintendo, for its consoles.


2. Super Mario World


Super Mario World was released in 1990 and it was designed for SNES. The game offered many similarities to Super Mario 3 and was also known as Super Mario Bros 4. In Japan. Besides the better design and graphics, the game also had more advanced mechanics and features and introduced Yoshi who was a playable character. This is one of the most downloaded Mario games in form of ROMs.


Good old Super Mario and Pals!

3. Super Mario Land


The game we have here was released in 1989 and it is commonly known as one of the most desirable Mario games of all time. It was sold in over 18 million copies and today it is a game each retro gamer must download at some point. The mission is to save a princess from Tatanga who is a mysterious alien by the way. The game was developed for game Boy but these days you can play it using emulators on almost any device.


Mario, wahoo!

4. Super Mario Bros. 3


Super Mario Bros. 3 came out in 1988 and was sold in over 17.2 million copies. The game is obviously the third sequel in the franchise and it offered some of the new moves, new gadgets and the level up feature. In a nutshell, this sequel is considered to be one of the best and the most remarkable games of all time. It is a well-known fact that games who like Mario games have been playing this sequel for ages and it is almost a must download the game. We must add that the game was released in the aforementioned year in Japan. It was released in 1990 in Europe and the United States but the rest of the world got it in 1991.


5. Super Mario 64


Super Mario 64 was released in 1996 and soon became the best game in the gaming communities around the globe. Over its lifespan, this game was sold in almost 12 million copies. It is more than just popular today and millions of gamers all around the globe have been playing it on all devices. The sequel is the first 3D game Nintendo developed and released for their new Nintendo 64 console. Besides all that we have mentioned, the game offered abilities such as kicking, jumping in various ways and so much more.


6. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins


Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins was released in 1992 and it also features Tatanga, the beautiful princess and obviously Mario. In the game, Warior renamed the Mario Land into Warior Land and made Mario the enemy. The residents are now brainwashed zombies who want to kill Mario. An interesting addition is the size of the game. In was 4MB which is almost 8 times more than the previous version of the game had.


7. Super Mario All-Stars (SNES)


Super Mario All-Stars (SNES) was released in 1993 and was sold in over 10.55 million copies. This was a mixture of games in one package. It features all Mario Bros sequels and each one was redeveloped to match the 16 bit graphics. There is a save option available in the game as well. This is the first game developed by Nintendo that had Super Mario Bros. 2 available for people outside Japan.


A custom made SMB1 stage

8. Mario Kart 64


Mario Kart 64 was sold in over 10 million copies and was released in 1996. As the name suggests, it was based on Super Mario and go-kart. One of the most important things regarding the game is the fact it had Donkey Kong and Wario alongside other characters implemented into the game. The game itself had a lot of similarities with the first Mario Kart version of the game. However, it offered better graphics and better mechanics. There are new levels in the game and new modes.


9. Super Mario Kart


The first game of its kind, Super Mario Kart was released in 1992 and sold in over 7 million copies. It allowed gamers to play with Super Mario, Luigi, Bowser and many other characters that originated in other games and to drive go karts using those characters. It was an instant hit and it is also commonly played today by retro gamers. The game had 3 difficulty levels which were based on the power of the karts. As such we can see 50cc, 100cc as the medium level and 150 cc which were the fastest and the most powerful go karts. With the levels, the overall difficulty of the playing was increased.


10. Super Mario Bros. 2


Super Mario Bros. 2 is one of the older games on the list due to the fact it was released in 1988. The game was sold in 7.3 million units and today it is known as one of the best Super Mario games on the web. It is a sequel to the older Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels game and it was known as themost advanced game at the time.


11. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe


Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a new version of the game originally developed for NES in 1986. The game was redeveloped for Game Boy Color and was released in 1999. This makes it one of the newer games on the list and one of the most commonly played in Europe. The game basically has the same mechanics and the same base as the first game but comes with suitable graphics and minor improvements. The story is based on Super Mario and Koopa (turtles that use dark magic) and their fights.


A fancy Super Mario world image

12. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island


Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was released in 1995 and sold in 4.12 million copies. The game was originally developed for SNES and is considered a prequel to the newer game known as Super Mario World. We can see a lot of similarities in these two games and gamers love the sequel in question so much that it is one of the best and the most popular ROMs downloaded these days. Thanks to ROMs and emulators gamers are able to play these retro games on any platform they like within seconds. There is no need to have an actual cartridge or CD depending on a game and you obviously don’t need a console.


The final word


These were the most popular and the most downloaded Super Mario games in human history. Each one of these was downloaded over a million times and was sold in much higher numbers. What this means is that you probably have been playing one or two of these games in your life and you will also play the rest in the close future. After all, these games are the best due to a simple reason. They are amazing to play and they offer some of the most appealing features, stories and characters of the lifetime.



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