5 Finest Nintendo Video games That Aren’t Super Mario or Zelda

Nintendo has been the largest title in video video games for the reason that NES burst onto the scene in 1985. In the 40 years since, the Japanese gaming large has launched numerous platforms and video games which were a success with audiences across the globe. Even now in 2026, Nintendo stays a trailblazer of the trade that reveals no indicators of slowing down.

On the software program entrance, Nintendo’s most acclaimed video games have all the time belonged to 2 distinguished franchises: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Both sequence have been with Nintendo from the start and have continued to evolve over time. With every new installment, Nintendo retains discovering a technique to reinvent every sequence and enhance upon them in main methods. As such, Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda proceed to see success and nearly all the time garner limitless reward from critics and gamers alike.

When trying outdoors of Mario and Zelda, although, it’s a bit more durable to discern what the perfect video games from Nintendo are. As such, let’s rank the 5 greatest video games to ever come from Nintendo that aren’t tied to both of those properties. For the needs of this listing, this implies we’ll be excluding video games from franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart since they’re tangentially tied to Mario and Zelda.

5. Fire Emblem: Awakening

Fire Emblem: Awakening was a pivotal recreation for the Fire Emblem sequence. Prior to its launch on Nintendo DS in 2012, Fire Emblem had by no means actually taken maintain in Western markets and was nonetheless extra well-known for its characters showing in Super Smash Bros. video games. Awakening lastly modified all of that, although, and sparked a Fire Emblem renaissance that will usher in numerous future installments within the decade after.

Outside of merely saving the sequence, Awakening nonetheless stands as the perfect Fire Emblem recreation within the franchise’s historical past. Its story, characters, and gripping technique gameplay saved gamers extra invested than ever earlier than, which made it a must-buy recreation on 3DS. If you’ve by some means by no means performed a Fire Emblem title earlier than, Awakening is the one to take a look at.

4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Since its introduction on the GameCube, Animal Crossing has slowly turn out to be one of many largest franchises that Nintendo owns. The slow-paced, social sim is without doubt one of the progenitors of the “cozy” style and has been extremely influential to numerous builders. While every Animal Crossing entry gives one thing distinctive of its personal, New Horizons is definitely the height of the sequence because it offers gamers way more to do than ever earlier than.

It additionally needs to be talked about that the timing of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ launch on Switch couldn’t have been extra excellent. Launching nearly instantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, New Horizons was the right recreation on the excellent time and offered a much-needed distraction for hundreds of thousands. Nintendo has additionally continued to enhance New Horizons over time, most lately with its substantial 3.0 replace. If you continue to haven’t performed Animal Crossing: New Horizons for your self, there’s actually by no means been a greater time to take action.

3. Super Metroid

Other than Zelda and Mario, Metroid is probably going the third most acclaimed sequence that comes from Nintendo. The franchise’s spacefaring bounty hunter, Samus, has been on numerous adventures, nearly all of that are glorious. To select only one Metroid recreation to signify the sequence on this listing, although, it might nearly actually must be Super Metroid.

Super Metroid roughly created the “Metroidvania” style as we all know it in the present day. Despite being one of many earliest video games within the style, Super Metroid continues to be, with out query, among the finest. Its stellar music and top-notch artwork route create an environment that’s unmatched, particularly for video games on the Super Nintendo. Even with so many Metroidvania video games releasing every year, Super Metroid continues to be one of many few “must-play” video games within the style that each Nintendo fan must expertise.

2. Wii Sports

When the Nintendo Wii launched in 2006, nearly nobody anticipated that the console’s free pack-in recreation, Wii Sports, would find yourself being something apart from a tech demo. Instead, Wii Sports wound up being a revelation. It wasn’t solely the primary recreation to indicate Nintendo followers what movement controls have been able to, however its 5 completely different sports activities that gamers might expertise have been all a ton of enjoyable, offering limitless hours of leisure.

What nonetheless makes Wii Sports so particular is that virtually anybody, from kids to senior residents, might soar in and play for themselves. This ease of accessibility gave Wii Sports endurance that nobody would have anticipated and made its cultural affect final lengthy after the Wii had come and gone. Wii Sports is without doubt one of the best social gathering video games ever and is probably the largest motive behind the success of the Wii as a complete.

1. Pokemon Gold and Silver

Pokemon has been a phenomenon since its introduction in 1996, and for good motive. The turn-based RPG sequence is ideal for all ages and contains a compelling, deep gameplay loop that just about by no means will get stale. Now, even in its thirtieth yr, Pokemon stays a powerhouse for Nintendo and is probably going probably the most recognizable media franchise on the planet.

While there have been a ton of fantastic Pokemon video games over time, Gold and Silver (or the DS remakes Coronary heartGold and SoulSilver) stay the perfect that the franchise has to supply. Pokemon Gold and Silver are nonetheless the one entries within the sequence that characteristic two areas, which supplies gamers the prospect to tackle 16 completely different Gym Leaders. Its story can be one of the gratifying within the sequence, primarily because it expands on the narrative discovered within the unique Red and Blue. All of this makes Pokemon Gold and Silver not simply the perfect that Pokemon has to supply, however they’re the perfect video games from Nintendo that aren’t tied to Mario and Zelda.

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