The 8 Most Fun Nintendo Games of All Time, Ranked

Image via Nintendo Published Aug 25, 2026, 8:51 PM EDT Lucas Kloberdanz-Dyck is a writer for Collider. He grew up creating lists, stories, and worlds, which led to his love of anime and video games. He attended Sheridan College where he earned an Honours Bachelor of Game Design. Lucas and his group won 1st place for technical innovation at LevelUp Toronto 2023, and he was also an intern for the Oakville Film Festival of Arts. Sign in to your Collider account Video games try to achieve a lot of things, mainly an intended experience, and in order to do that, they need to capture certain feelings, design every detail, and play-test hundreds of times until it is perfect. But in the end, it all comes down to whether or not the player thinks the game is fun. There are plenty of fun video games, from God of War to Metal Gear Solid. However, one gaming company does fun better than most, and that is Nintendo, which aims for easy-to-learn, fun-to-play, and creative titles with unforgettable gameplay. That is why this list will rank the 8 most fun Nintendo video games based on aspects such as entertainment value, design, gameplay, visuals, originality, creativity, fan opinion, and overall quality. 8 'F-Zero GX' (2003) Image via Nintendo Nintendo has a lot of properties; some of them are world-renowned, and others are rather niche, including the underutilized F-Zero franchise, with the best it has to offer being F-Zero GX. Players are Captain Falcon, one of the racers who take on nine chapters of high-stakes challenges, taking them from dangerous mining facilities to a duel against the creators of the universe. Racing games are some of the most fun, and Nintendo knows that plenty well, which is why there are multiple on this list, including F-Zero GX. F-Zero GX gives an unprecedented sense of velocity, which is what true speed feels like, proving the key to fun sometimes lies in simply going fast. The game may be challenging, but the difficulty is half the fun, making winning even more satisfying. F-Zero GX is an over-the-top and chaotic racing masterpiece that is different than every other game on this list. 7 'Super Mario Bros. Wonder' (2023) Image via Nintendo The era of 2D platformers is mostly behind fans, with the 3D realm proving to be too engaging and satisfying, but that doesn't mean the genre still can't be fun. Nintendo proves the genre can still be creative when they released Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Bowser has grown tired of the Mushroom Kingdom, now setting his sights on the Flower Kingdom, which he takes control of using the powers of the Wonder Flower to fuse himself with the castle. Luckily, Mario and Luigi are here to stop him. The Nintendo Switch is one of the best Nintendo consoles and reintroduced gamers to what fun feels like, and they can definitely experience that in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. 2D platformers went out of style because they became predictable and stale after many felt like they couldn't be improved upon. However, Super Mario Bros. Wonder flips the script, creating an unpredictable spectacle of imaginative mechanics and style. As one of the best modern adventure games, it subverts expectations and brings creativity to life. 6 'The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker' (2002) The Legend of Zelda franchise is among Nintendo's most popular, and while all of them are fun, the most fun is arguably The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Set in a submerged version of Hyrule, Link must take his talking boat, named King of Red Lions, and sail across the ocean to find and save his captured sister. However, with Ganondorf back, Link needs to work together with Tetra, a pirate, in order to restore the Triforce and defeat the Gerudo King. Wind Waker may have been a polarizing video game when it came out, but after some time, it has become one of the best that the franchise has to offer. The toon art highlights the lightheartedness and childlike wonder this game represents, using the whimsy to create a captivating and fun vibe. The graphics still hold up today, and with the vibrant colors and cel-shaded art, it builds a mystical feeling embodying the spirit of The Legend of Zelda while reinventing many other aspects. Exploring uncharted islands and sailing the seas is a daring new direction that pays off well, especially when paired with The Wind Waker's fast-paced combat. 5 'Mario Party 6' (2004) Image via Nintendo Nintendo has a lot of new ways to put a new coat of paint on Mario, from racing games to RPG adventures to platformers and party games. Mario Party is a board game-type franchise that has players roll a die to make their way around a map and collect enough coins to purchase a star. The player with the most stars at the end of the game wins, but there are plenty of mini-games, twists, and roadblocks to make the outcome unexpected. Mario Party is designed to be fun, and so many games are, but the one that lands on this list is Mario Party 6, which strikes the perfect balance of old-school and new-school. As the best Mario Party game, this entry made gameplay more dynamic and unpredictable with the day and night cycle. More than that, Mario Party 6 had more gimmicks, characters, and mini-games than ever before, adding plenty of great content to an already fun formula. Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one. 🚀Star Wars 💍Lord of the Rings 🧙Harry Potter 👑Game of Thrones 🖖Star Trek FIND YOUR UNIVERSE → 01 What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question. ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast. NEXT QUESTION → 02 Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully. AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be. NEXT QUESTION → 03 How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul. AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count. NEXT QUESTION → 04 Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for. AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space. NEXT QUESTION → 05 What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are. AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat. NEXT QUESTION → 06 How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map. AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying? AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you. AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be. REVEAL MY UNIVERSE → Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose. Star WarsYou believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast. You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance. You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources. Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story. The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is. Lord of the RingsYou understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost. Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate. You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival. Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance. Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world. Harry PotterYou believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise. The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle. You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete. Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying. That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely. Game of ThronesYou see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it. Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation. You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be. Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer. Winter always comes. You are already prepared. Star TrekYou believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation. Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear. You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is. The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better? You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 4 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl' (2008) Image via Nintendo Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is probably the best, most quintessential, and improved game in the franchise, and while it is also endlessly fun, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has a certain style about it that places it on this list instead. Players can select from a catalogue of Nintendo and some third-party video game characters to compete in a series of fighting challenges. They can also embark on a story mission called Subspace Emissary, where they need to take down the Master Hand. The art style is grittier, and the vibe is immaculate, but there is much more than that which makes Super Smash Bros. Brawl the best fighting game. Subspace Emissary is one of the greatest additions to the franchise, spicing up the typical gameplay format with boss fights, progression, and unique mechanics. It was engaging and had difficulty levels, plus the general combat was perfected in this game, making each brawl a fluid fight of fists, swords, guns, and everything in between. 3 'Wii Sports' (2006) Image via Nintendo Some of the best-selling video games of all time come from Nintendo, including one of the most versatile and enjoyable titles on the Wii, which is Wii Sports. In this game, players use their Wii Remote as an intuitive controller to play a set of immersive sports, such as boxing, golf, bowling, tennis, and baseball. Gamers can take on friends, family, or strangers in this competitive, yet fun sports game. It is the best-selling Nintendo game because it was bundled with the Wii, but it became a cultural icon regardless because of a legacy that cemented itself as more than a game. Kids, adults, and elderly people alike could all enjoy Wii Sports, which used its intuitive controls to make the game easy and fun to play. Wii Sports isn't just essential; it is important to the landscape of the company and gaming in general because of its simple, yet addictive gameplay that anyone and everyone can play. 2 'Mario Kart 8' (2014) Image via Nintendo The Wii U is one of Nintendo's worst-selling consoles of all time, nearly bankrupting the company, which is unfortunate because it had so many underrated classics. One such masterpiece was Mario Kart 8, which would later become a best-selling game when ported to the Nintendo Switch. Players can select an array of racers and embark on trials, cups, tournaments, and battles. This game offers a large range of courses and races to compete in online, single-player, or couch co-op. Like Super Smash Bros., every Mario Kart game is fun, but the best is arguably Mario Kart 8, or the Deluxe version if fans like. This definitive Mario Kart game features some of the best course design ever, using its creativity, details, and opportunities in each race to create the best racing experience. The tightly designed levels build a flawless formula with intricate courses and a selection of fun characters. Mario Kart 8 is endlessly replayable, a feature that makes it such a fun game no matter how long gamers have played it. 1 'Super Mario Odyssey' (2017) Image via Nintendo Mario embodies fun more than most gaming franchises, especially with Nintendo. This list already mentioned Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but the Nintendo Switch also had a must-play 3D game, that being Super Mario Odyssey. When Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach to serve as his bride, Mario must travel around multiple kingdoms to find and save her. There is only one 3D Mario game on the Nintendo Switch, and the reason there aren't more is that Super Mario Odyssey is perfect. The many sandbox worlds are jam-packed with collectibles and platforming amazement, and when paired with the many jumping mechanics, players are given the most agency they have ever had in a Mario game. With the capture mechanic, one of the best video game power systems, a new layer of entertainment has been added to the fold, making every level more compelling. Freedom, scope, creativity, and polish combine to create one of the most definitive Nintendo games that is also the most fun.