The History of Mario
From Donkey Kong to Nintendo DS
Mario appeared in Donkey Kong in 1981. This timeline follows selected arcade, console, and handheld games through 2006.
Early games (1980s)
Donkey Kong
Mario appears as Jumpman in Shigeru Miyamoto’s arcade game Donkey Kong.
Mario Bros.
Mario and Luigi team up in the arcade game Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
Mario runs and jumps through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser.
Play GameSuper Mario Bros. 2 (Japan)
The Japanese sequel adds tougher jumps, poison mushrooms, and wind. It later became known as The Lost Levels overseas.
Super Mario Bros. 2 & 3
Super Mario Bros. 2 lets you choose four characters. Super Mario Bros. 3 adds flying with the Super Leaf and Tanooki Suit.
Play GameSuper Mario Land
Mario heads to Game Boy to rescue Daisy from Tatanga.
New worlds and 3D (1990s)
Super Mario World
Super Mario World introduces Yoshi, who can carry Mario and swallow enemies.
Play GameSuper Mario Kart & Super Mario Land 2
Super Mario Kart starts the kart-racing series, while Super Mario Land 2 introduces Wario.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Yoshi carries Baby Mario across an island drawn in a crayon-like style.
Play GameSuper Mario 64 & Super Mario RPG
Super Mario 64 takes Mario into 3D. Super Mario RPG adds turn-based battles and new companions.
Play GameMario Party & Mario Golf
Mario Party mixes board games and minigames. Mario Golf takes the cast to the golf course.
The Handheld Era (2000s)
Paper Mario
Mario and his companions travel through a paper-style world, with turn-based battles and timed button presses.
Play GameSuper Mario Advance Series
The Super Mario Advance series brings earlier Mario games to Game Boy Advance.
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Mario and Luigi travel to the Beanbean Kingdom to recover Peach’s stolen voice.
Play GameSuper Mario 64 DS
The DS remake adds Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario as playable characters, plus more stars and minigames.
New Super Mario Bros.
Mario returns to side-scrolling stages with 3D characters and new mushroom power-ups.
Play GameMario games through the years
Mario started out as Jumpman in Donkey Kong. Super Mario Bros. later brought his adventures to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Super Mario World introduced Yoshi, Super Mario Kart took the cast racing, and Super Mario 64 let players explore in 3D.
The timeline also covers Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS titles. Follow a game link to find out more or play.