Every Nintendo Switch Online SNES Game, Ranked

I like the option to take the 29 games on the go....... but I have a modded SNES classic with over 250 SNES games on it sitting next to me switch dock so..........

Super Mario world is a masterpiece

Alright, Super Metroid made the top three, but for me, it should be #1. With LttP at 2 and SMW at 3. I get why it’s not. Doesn’t mean I have to agree with it though.

Tried Panel de Pon but everything is in Japanese. Is there a way to change this?

Anyway my top 4 would be.
1: Zelda ALTTP
2. Super Metroid
3. Yoshi's Island
4. Mario World
But all 10/10 games anyway.

Agree with most of the list especially towards the top except for Super Metroid. Never been able to get into it though I've tried many times. Nintendo definitely needs to reach back into the valut, so many obvious classics missing from this service.

I'd love to see Zombies on SNES online, such a classic game, it could do with getting a new audience.

Super Mario World is a prime example of one of those games that I've grown increasingly numb towards in recent years, it just doesn't do it for me at all anymore to the point where I'd rather play just about any other Mario game before it. Whereas stuff like Super Metroid, Breath of Fire 2 and Link to the Past still feel fresh as ever.

Super Tennis was robbed. That game’s a stone cold classic.

Super Metroid is a perfect game. There are maybe 10 of those in existence. Should be #1.

I would love it if there was an option to still get the Tetris Attack version of Panel de Pon even if the title screen is lost. It can't be that hard to slap Panel de Pon's title logo onto the Tetris Attack one and remove/replace all other (if any) Tetris references from the game would it? It's nice to see Lip getting the spotlight again there at least though.

And much as I wanna argue that Yoshi's Island should be number 1, those three that come before it are definitely fantastic games as well that all would also deserve to be on that spot. Marvelous games to be sure.

Super Mario World being number 1 I can definitely find myself in too. It introduced the best video game character ever after all, Yoshi.

The top 4 were never in doubt, you could make an argument to put those games in any order.

The top three are the perfect SNES trifecta of gaming.

@LavaTwilight I’d like to see GBA games on NSO before GB or GBC games.

Predictable for the most part, but still a good list. But Metroid should be 1, with SMW and Zelda following behind. That game rocks

Super Tennis was robbed! Bunch of uncultured swine ranking these games!

@Maulbert agreed. Also hi. I feel like I see you everywhere lol

That top 4 is full of stone cold classics.

@LavaTwilight would be fun but they'd find a way to release 6 gms we never heard of and make us wait for the ones we want

@Expa0 That's my general view on most old 2D Mario games. Fun for a few minutes, but then I lose interest.

@Apportal_SMM2

I use this name a few places, and have been for over 20 years. Where did you see me?

Truly a great console library

As if Super Punch out is way higher than Stunt Race Fx

SMW is for me, the best game of all time. Every so often , I fire it up just to play a level or 2 - and every time , I end up getting hooked and completing the game over a week or so including all the secret areas.

I’ve tried to get into Zelda a couple times now over the years but I never get further than a few hours in before losing interest. It just isn’t a genre I played growing up.

Metroid - got halfway through this on the SNES Mini before getting distracted by something else. It’s just such a well represented genre that I’m a bit burned out on atm so it may be some time before I go back to it.

No way is Kirby Superstar not #3. It's objectively better than each of those games at something (context-sensitive communication to the player and controls for Super Metroid, instrumentation and variety of art for Super Mario Kart, and pacing along with not causing collectible-fatigue for Super Mario World 2).

I predicted it! In the original post, I said Super Mario World would win!

@nessisonett,

Awesome game and a classic, remember getting it with the SNES on launch day, but the game is a lot tougher than I remember.

@electrolite77,

So true, the game is awesome.

I'm actually glad they released it as Panel de Pon, I want Lip to be in the limelight again!

It's just a shame everything's in Japanese, so people won't be able to navigate the menus that well...

Some awesome games on SNES including the best Mario game ever. Best graphic arts, soundtrack, controls and physics.

Well, the rankings I reckon are close enough on the whole, but man alive Super Tennis should be much higher!

A lot of these user scores can be summed up as "Hey, this isn't Donkey Kong Country!"

The SNES had more than a small handful of great games, folks.

Yep those top 4 are all 10 out of ten ! Yoshi island for me is number 1 for many reasons. Just think of the pressure of following up Mario world! Gulp! But they did it, and it is a work of art x x x

KIRBY SUPER STAR AWWW YAAA. In the Top 10 where it DESERVES

Super Tennis is in my top ten overall best SNES games list, highly recommended.
I’m amazed it’s so low down in the rankings.

@Sandro89 Panel de Pon is only playable in Japanese, but the menus are really easy to figure out.

I’ve been playing the mode that has numbered stages, and it’s really difficult and fun.

Some great games available now, wish Kirby's Dream Land 3 was higher up the list, if you want to 100% the game then it's actually quite a challenge solving the puzzles.

Though I like Super Metroid can never seem to get the screw attack to work the way I want it to.

I was wondering where is Donkey Kong Country but then I remembered it was included in SNES Classic but it's not on Switch.

@wazlon I played it on SNES Classic for the first time and yes, the screw attack is messed up. It works perfectly in Metroid Prime which I played first.

I'm bummed that Breath of Fire II was so low. I love that game, and it would easily be in my Top 10 for sure.

"the presentation here [Kirby's Dream Land 3] gives Yoshi's Island a run for its money"

Behave yourselves.

I've been playing through Breath if Fire lately. I have a soft spot for 16 bit RPG's and Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire II were two games I salivated over as a kid but never got to play during that era, so I still have some nostalgia for them but the first one especially has some moments that require a lot of patience. It's not difficult and it had a lot of interesting ideas for that time but the pacing is just weird.

@Maulbert Almost every post I’ve been on here for the last week! The system update, the one with Reggie, and a lot of other ones.

I new super mario world would be there sooo called it.(my vote by the way)

I will not stand for this Slippy slander.

Other than that, I dig the list. Some games were placed lower or higher than I'd put them, but it was no question which three would be in the top spots–the only question was "Which goes where?"

The SNES era is overrated. They were very formative games for their respective series, yes, but their formulas have been done to death in so many of their sequels that little stands out about the originals.

Super Mario World is a solid 2D Mario game, but the NSMB games have included its mechanics AND migrated over moves from the 3D games like Ground Pound and Wall Jump. Super Metroid was the beginning of the modern Metroid formula, but its gameplay mechanics and abilities have been copied into other games such as the Prime Trilogy, Zero Mission, and Samus Returns which all have even more unique abilities and gameplay elements that Super does not. ALttP had the Light World/Dark World gimmick for a while, but ALBW brings that back AND adds a neat wall merging gimmick that opens up infinite gameplay possibilities.These games are important parts of gaming history but I disagree that most of these games are essential classics that gamers today need to play. Other entries in their series have outdone them.

I think I agree with the list overall, but maybe Super Mario Kart is a little too high, it was great in the 90s, but today it doesn't hold up well compared to other SNES games.

Am I the only one to think Star Fox 2 was bad? It's ahead of some pretty good games on this list.

@Bolt_Strike I can see where you are coming from with SMW, though I suppose it doesn't help that I have played it many times, so it does feel stale to me now. I can also sort of see what you mean with ALTTP despite it being one of my favourites, (to be fair, the whole light/dark world concept has been repeated in many Zelda games since).

But I personally disagree regarding Super Metroid. How Samus moves in that the game and the general feeling of exploration just feel fantasic compared to Samus Returns and Zero Mission (though Zero Mission is a fantastic remake), not to mention the overall freedom I felt in tackling certain parts of the game. Prime is fun to explore but I feel sluggish and not quite as awesome (difficult for me to convey what I mean here, my bad). I say that Super Metroid is definitely a classic worth visiting simply because it is the game where if it got remade, I think the remake would be worse. It feels timeless to me. (Just for clarity, I did not grow up with Super Metroid, I only played for the first time in 2013. My first Metroid was Other M.)

what a pointless article you guys act like the SNES mini never existed.

@skycargav2000 good for you

@Bolt_Strike I would disagree. I think of all the eras for Nintendo, the SNES has aged the best. N64 is almost unplayable now, NES has a ton of games with bad design choices that make them more frustrating than fun, and the GC/Wii/Wii U are too recent to be rated yet.

Am I the only one who thinks f-zero is better than Mario kart(except for the multiplayer aspect) and that the star fox franchise is overrated in general? I also think Kirby should be top 5, metroid should be number 1, and the soundtracks for earth defense force and brawl brothers are underrated.

Can't argue with the top 3.

Even the scores are pretty on point. A few nines, a handful of eights and a large pool of sevens.

Mario Bros. 3 is my pick for best game on the NES, but I think Link to the Past and Super Metroid are more revolutionary games than Super Mario World. SMW feels like an upgrade to the already excellent SM3, while Metroid and Zelda were a bit more ambitious for the franchise.

All top 3 SNES games though.

Super Metroid all the way, I'm finally properly playing it and I'm just impressed with the level design and all the habilities you acquire or you're taught, plus the art style specially for the bosses. Good soundtrack too.

Solid top 3 tho

I somewhat agree however I’d have moved the top 5 around slightly

29? Damn, I'm up to 950 on SNES9xRx on the Wii. Over 100 of them are Super Mario World hacks, over 50 are Super Metroid hacks. Those need their own best of lists

@Bolt_Strike

Try as Good-Feel and Retro might, I don't think there is anything that compares with Yoshi's Island and Donkey Kong Country 2.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is the greatest 16bit game of all time.

@Bolt_Strike "The SNES era is overrated. They were very formative games for their respective series, yes, but their formulas have been done to death in so many of their sequels that little stands out about the originals."

That very line of thinking is completely nonsensical. By any metric, it would be the other way around. If you're arguing the franchises are too formulaic, then the sequels are the ones that don't stand out because they're reusing something that already made a lasting, powerful impact.

It doesn't matter even if better games have come out since then, they're special and great for pioneering these things. Not to mention a number of them (not all) are still phenomenal today. Regardless of having more/newer abilities in NSMB or Samus Returns, that doesn't inherently make them better. Tons of games that have added "more" are simply worse and most people agree that Super Mario World is better, mechanically and ability-wise, than NSMB and that Super Metroid is better than all other 2D Metroids.

Obviously you don't have to agree, but it's definitely silly to think that more complex automatic means better. If that were true, Tetris wouldn't still be the highest grossing game of all time. Also, most card games and sports would have been abolished decades or centuries ago and replaced with similar games with constantly added complexity.

It sounds like you'd be a big fan of Blernsball.

Anyway, overrated is such a funny way of putting it. Games of any era are going to be limited by the technology of the times. That's why some (particularly younger) gamers can't go back and enjoy older games. Simpler, harder, uglier. It's just different. And some people crave those kinds of games, even today. Personally, Super Mario World isn't my favorite Mario. Super Metroid isn't my favorite Metroid. I prefer Odyssey and Prime by leaps and bounds. But A Link to the Past is my favorite Zelda. Just comes down to preference.

My own top 5

1. Yoshi's Island
2. Super Mario World
3. Super Metroid
4. A Link to the Past
5. Super Mario Kart

@Maulbert Super Metroid is one of the best games ever made. And I think one reason which makes the difference between a great and a superb game is the ending. I never played a game since 1994 with such a climax, startimg from the moment when you pass the four statues and ending when you enter your ship again. For all of you who never played this game: Don‘t let you spoiler but play the game by yourselves!

The compulsory connection to the internet to verify whether you have paid your rent on these old roms forces the switch to no longer operate as a portable console. I also can't invest time in games like Zelda and Metroid when I know, I'm playing on borrowed time. I'd much rather play these games on my 3ds. I know you can log onto snes online prior to leaving the house, but that removes the likelihood of spontaneous moments of gameplay while travelling.

@Moistnado You don't have to have an internet connection to play them. You just need to occasionally open them while connected to the internet. It will reset a timer in the software.

This list is about as surprising as stale bread.

I really hope Nintendo puts more effort into NSO at some point. The service is really lacking and the weakest aspect of the Switch.

Always preferred Yoshis Island to Mario World.

This list feels a little empty thanks to third party publishers dropping their games into collections that appeal only to niche markets. The absence of Squaresoft, Konami, Hudson, Capcom and other titles hurts the NSO offerings more than anything else. This should be the best, yet Jelico dominates third party offerings with their bargain bin fodder. It also doesn’t help that Nintendo has also has held back on beloved titles like Earthbound, DKC, and Super Mario RPG.

The results however is not surprising but the lack of a real d-pad make playing most Of these almost as frustrating as playing NES games with a GameCube d-pad.

What the!? How can Super tennis have such a low score. It’s a masterpiece.
Still the best tennis game ever. Should be top 10 definately!

There must be something very wrong here if Operation Logic Bomb comes out so deep with a 5.51

It's about time Nintendo takes a little more care of these apps, especially the SNES one, with just a few additions since it was released 9 months ago. The NES app started with monthly releases that just stopped to be monthly when the SNES Online came, but the latter hasn't even been monthly at any point.

Great list, the holy trinity of Super Mario World, Super Metroid and A Link to the Past are very difficult to separate, although I would always give the nod to Mario World as it's my favourite game ever.

I do think Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts could have been higher though, it's an excellent game!

Super Metroid is easily no1. Its odd as its a game I couldnt get into when I had it on Snes so its the only one on this list im not looking at with rose tinted specs. Started it umpteen times and always thought, "is this it??", put the controller down and couldnt see what all the fuss was about. Then got it on Wii Virtual Console in 2009 and forced myself to play through it once and for all. Stunning. In my top 5 games EVER. . . Might even be no 1!! Play through it once every year.

Not a bad list. Glad to see Panel de Pon in the top 10.

Good list! Things are mostly where they should be

@MS7000 How Samus moves isn't a mechanic though. The biggest factor in how much I like a game is its gameplay mechanics. The issue is that there's nothing mechanically unique about Super Metroid, all of its abilities and gameplay mechanics have been copied to other games.

@kingbk You don't seem to understand my reasoning. It's not about how playable the games are. It's about how unique they are. Set aside nostalgia and think, if you could go back to a game in that series, which would you play, the one whose gameplay has been done to death in other games or the one that has something actually unique and worth playing?

@Deltath While it is true that copying the mechanics makes the sequels less original, that doesn't necessarily make them formulaic. If they add nothing, then yes, but not all of the examples I mentioned did. Pioneering those mechanics doesn't mean much if you're choosing which game is more unique and fun, and whether or not the game pioneered those mechanics is tied more to the nostalgia of that game first introducing those mechanics than how well those games actually stand out compared to their successors. For someone who didn't grow up with the SNES who's just looking at these games as just regular old games in their series, they're just not going to stack up compared to newer entries that have more interesting additions. The SNES games are going to feel like NSMB-esque rehashes to them because they experienced those things first in the later entries. Also, the comparisons to card games and sports aren't really valid because video games progress differently. Video games have to sell completely different versions of itself every few years for people to keep playing, otherwise the games become technologically obsolete. Sports and card games, not so much. So because there's constantly entirely new entries, they need to do more to iterate on the game to get people to buy the next one.

I'd like too see there be online leaderboards for select games . Itd be interesting to see other people's skill level. Of course that mean an effort on Nintendos part

@fluggy I'm still in that phase. Hopefully this article would get me to start again. Link to the Past is another.

Pop'n TwinBee, I was hoping this would blend Magical Pop'n and TwinBee Rainbow Bell Adventure but it's just a shooter.

Not all that surprising about the order since there is such a lack of depth to choose from still anyway and chances are you won't be seeing most of the big third party Japanese published titles on the service since Konami, Campcom and SquareEnix prefer to make money by selling them in digital compilations now that people have realised how much people are still interested in playing older games because they still have value and are new to a younger generation. I would honestly like to see more western developed games on the services as they often get completely overlooked on both the NES and SNES over Japanese developed ones despite being plenty of fantastic and unique ones.

@Bolt_Strike
Ok zoomer

@Maulbert You don't need air to breathe, you just need to occasionally breathe air to reset your suffocation before you die.

@nessisonett The side switch song gets caught in my head to this day despite the fact that I probably haven't played the game since 1997.

@Bolt_Strike Well, I disagree on a few points, but first.. you said it doesn't necessarily make the games formulaic, but I wasn't the one who called them that. You did. Yes, I used the word formulaic, but you said "their formulas have been done to death in so many of their sequels", which is essentially the very the definition of formulaic.

Now for the disagreement. I definitely don't think that all people who didn't grow up playing older games will just look at them as lesser versions of newer things they've played. Otherwise there wouldn't be so much call for retro game consoles, ports, remasters, etc. Many younger gamers still love these older games. Not all. And it's definitely MORE likely they won't want to play them, if only because they're not what they're used to, but that's just life in any entertainment industry. Music, movies, games, TV.. even literature. Some people adore the classics, while others only want what's modern. But Nintendo has proven that enough people either prefer or at least still enjoy the classics such that they have a strong place in gaming still. Which makes them not overrated, at least from a success and appreciation standpoint by gamers on a general basis.

Also, you say that video games are different because they have to constantly make new ones. I mean, they don't have to. They can and could, but there are millions of people still playing the same games they've played for decades. Millions of players still playing StarCraft and Street Fighter II. Not to mention the people who come back and by basically the same shooter or sports game ever year. If anything, it's just that game companies have found an easier way of getting money for the same repeated efforts.

Thanks for calling Yoshi's Island and Super Metroid masterpieces, they honestly deserved to be higher!

I would have said:
1. Super Metroid
2. Yoshi's Island
3. A Link to the Past
4. Super Mario World

All amazing games of course but that's just how I would order them.

The Donkey Kong Country Trilogy needs to come back, remember the YouTube fan-made remasters, imagine if that were real!! The very least put them on the online service

Anyone interested in Panel De Pon but being put off by the language barrier, I wrote up a visual guide to the different game modes here https://twitter.com/Babybahamut/status/1264372702422487041

@Deltath Most of the people clamoring for re-releases of older games are fans of the originals that want to relive their nostalgia, the younger generations of gamers that never got the opportunity to play the originals might not even know about them unless they're dedicated gamers that do their research (which as we've seen through sales and buying habits, most people do not). Sure, there's a market for these older games, but that doesn't mean the majority of gamers want them.

Also, I never said that no one should be allowed to play old SNES games. If you like them, suit yourself. I was just voicing my opinion that the games get more praise than they deserve.

@Moistnado That is an inaccurate comparison at best.

Super Metroid is the best game of all time. Also I'm convinced Nintendo is remastering DKC trilogy for the Switch. Only reason why it's missing here.

I played 10 minutes of Zelda before switching to a new game on my snes mini. I didn't want to start a game, when I had no intention of renewing my subscription. Can someone let me know, do you have to open the app within 24hrs of playing the snes games offline or, can you just take your switch out, assuming that your house has Wi-Fi, the switch should be able to recognise you paid rent on these roms without you opening the app? I'm just wondering if it is a situation where I would be like , phone, keys, wallet, open the snes app and then close it again, before leaving the house.

@Hikingguy I suppose it isn't terribly inconvenient. I was on holiday on my 3DS last year and decided to play, super metroid. I wasn't planning on playing it, and I hadn't played it in over a year. That's my relationship with snes games: rare and spontaneous. This app is fine for people who regularly play the games I suppose. I might just stick to my 3DS, with its dedicated d-pad, the games play better, plus the Sega games are in 3D.

I like Slippy...

Come to think how influencing Super Metroid is, to the point that it's a historical game, it's probably the biggest commercial flop ever. For a game of this caliber not even reaching the TOP 30 on the SNES sales chart is a travesty. Not nearly enough gamers have bought it despite it getting perfect scores even back in the day. With just a million games sold, this game was just way ahead of its time. If you had a SNES and haven't bought this back then, you were one of the 48 million people with bad taste in gaming.

@skycargav2000 how did you mod it, that sounds amazing?

I still have my OG SNES from that first Christmas, with 29 games (I used to have slightly over 40, but I've given a lot away over the years to friends that haven't played something I'll probably never touch again).

found a guy who modded it for me. he hooked it up to his laptop at a starbucks and for 30 bucks put almost 300 games on it.

Mario's Super Picross being higher than Panel de Pon is absolutely CRIMINAL. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Mario's Super Picross, but Panel de Pon is better and is an EASY top 10!

@Maulbert Zelda AlttP is also a perfect game, and for all type of people (Metroid is more niche). No game deserves #1 more than that one. Not even Chrono Trigger, one of the best RPGs ever.

The only one I've spent any time with is Mario's Super Picross. I think I've played most of the other ones that I would have liked back on the WiiU Virtual Console.

BoF behind Pilotwings....Wow....opens door and leaves

@Hikingguy That is my biggest gripe with the NES/SNES titles. The need to manually check if the game can be played. From a software perspective, it would be sooooo easy to automatically validate a user's subscription on every login, such that the NES/SNES games will always work if accessed within 7 days of last login. Instead, if you randomly decide to play a game on a trip where you have no internet access, you're out of luck.

the most medicore of libraries for the greatest of systems

Claymates is supposed to be pretty good. Looking forward to trying out all the new games, even if they turn out to be duds.

@dustinprewitt C'mon, whine harder! I know you've got it in you!

I'd have Demon's Crest way higher on my list. I noticed while playing Resident Evil Village you find a key item called the Demon's Crest. I'm hoping this is Capcom hinting at a possible remake or reboot.

Now hold on! Super Soccer is much better than that!!

The games no one has played are rated the lowest? Weird!

@Sandro89 I would agree with that list. I do have some mad nostalgia for Yoshis Island though so I might be a little biased

“There is endless debate about whether Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World is the better game.”

No there isn’t, World beats 3 every time! Hehe

Also ALTTP really deserves a Links Awakening remake on switch!

My top games based on what ive played for prolonged periods (not many games to choose from)…

1: Super Mario All-Stars
It’s 4 games in one, remastered! 4 games!! Granted, I’ve only ‘beaten’ 1 and lost levels whilst near the end of 3. I’ll come back to 2 at one point. I prefer DKC to Mario but this game has 4 awesome games!

2: Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie’s Double Trouble
Really enjoyed playing through all the DKC games earlier this year. I believe they get better and better with each iteration. Internet under-hypes 3. It’s a quality game. Would have been cool to unlock Diddy and DK for the rest of the game when you free them from K.Rool though.

3: Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong-Quest
As above. Love these games.

4: Donkey Kong Country
As above. Love these games.

5: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
6: Super Metroid
These two games I have both started twice but never finished them. Played them about 15-20 years ago on emulation but didn’t finish and briefly started them on NSO. I enjoy the games though and will finish them properly one day and they’ll probably rank higher in my list.

7: Super Mario Kart
Played it in the 90s before the n64 and loved it. Still a decent game today, albeit Mario Kart franchise is more refined now.

8: F-Zero
Not played too much of it but I love me some F-Zero. Obviously not as good as X or GX but still a fun exhilarating time.

Splitting the All-Stars games up I have it as;

1) Donkey Kong Country 3
2) Donkey Kong Country 2
3) Donkey Kong Country
4) Super Mario Bros
5) Super Mario Bros 3
6) LoZ: A Link to the Past
7) Super Metroid
8) Super Mario Kart
9) F-Zero
10) Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels

KIRBY SUPER STAR 🌟 Plus should have also taken into account actually being able to use the switch's online feature for co-op for this one.

lmao at Mario Picross beating out the likes of Breath of Fire II and Super Ghouls N Ghosts

@dustinprewitt Do yourself a favor and look up "shill."

@dustinprewitt Well, there's surely no recovering from a barb as biting as that one. Guess I'll have to bow out.

@nessisonett not many games I’ve put more hours into

@Dr_Corndog I agree. There are some really good gems on the SNES. I get so tired of people whining about an optional free service that’s part of a online service. My fiancé decided and I have discovered some, great gems thst we play together like Magical Drop 2.

@dustinprewitt fact is you are whiner who can’t argue. Hey do you not like the SNES service? Or is that question to hard for you

You got some of the release dates wrong. Punch Out didn't come out in 2009. That's when I noticed. Started paying attention after I saw that one and didn't notice any other wrong ones but Punch Out is pretty deep into the list so maybe more wrong ones earlier above it

@Themagusx1 Magical Drop was a series I'd long heard about but never played. So, I was glad to get the chance on the SNES. (Full disclosure: I'm not that keen on it.)

That's just one example of a broader truth: there are a lot of games on this service that I'd never have considered to add, and by and large I'm glad they're here. Mostly, they're good, but not great. A few are genuine stinkers. Others are worth an afternoon or two.

I don't always get the games I want. (Where's Zoda's Revenge?) But as I've said elsewhere, the NES and SNES games are free extras for a service that costs pocket change to begin with. It's not worth the mental energy getting upset when your favorite game isn't added, especially when there are literally dozens of all-time classics between two apps already.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is better then Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island.

Here's how I would have ranked the top 5.

5. Yoshi's island

4. Super Mario World

3. Super Metroid

2. Donkey Kong Country 2

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

@Dr_Corndog Exactly. It gives me so,etching new to try. A d let’s be honest, I think Nintendo would sooner charge extra for earthbound as opposed to it being part of the service. Look at what happened last fall with the English release of the first fire emblem.

Those top 4 are always in my mind and heart. Today I gave up on link to the past again, got to the sixth dungeon in the dark world but now just too frustrating and too many deaths and feels like a slog,I swear it would be a better game if u took half damage throughout game. Still. A ten from me tho, and I know in a month or so will try again! Xxx yoshi island I think will always be my number 1 SNES game, or Mario world! Xxxx

@Caryslan Bold words! But I won't disagree.

@redd214 Same, Ive tried with Metroid and just can't get into it. Maybe Dredd changes that

@dustinprewitt ok what is mediocrity? You are the guy who is complaining about a bonus service for an online service. Lol

@Themagusx1 LOL at whining about other people's "whining"

Hmmm..More of this again.

WHAT! Both Star Foxes should have been higher ranked! A Link to the Past is not that good! Prehistorik Man is better than Joe&Mac! And Super Metroid is #1!

I can't believe Smash Tennis is only at 40. This is one of the greatest tennis games and multiplayer games on the SNES, if not ever, and would be in my top 10 here. It was unrivalled in 4-player mode, which is sadly missing from Switch Online (the app deactivates controllers 3 and 4), and that's the only reason I'd dock marks. Of course, Super Tennis (ranked 34) was only ever 2-player so Smash Tennis is still a better game as a direct comparison.

Others that are problematic: Stunt Race FX at 32, Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts at 23, Star Fox at 14, F-Zero at 13 and Super Metroid at 3.

Personally, Super Metroid is my number 1. Then I'd go Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart and Smash Tennis. Star Fox and F-Zero are easy top 10s, and probably Stunt Race FX. Add a DKC game and Super Ghouls' N Ghosts for the remaining spots. I've never played Zelda Link To The Past.

You look at these games and tell me that the SNES and NES libraries aren't one of the best (if not THE best) parts of NSO.

I was outraged by this list until I realised it was not all SNES games, but the switch online offerings. Whoopsie

NES Mario Originals better than Super Mario All Stars? I cant agree with that

Tetris attack is way way way way way to high. It should be number 12.

Super Mario World first game i played in my life.

@nessisonett The entire list is kinda suspect, tbh, I feel a lot of people rate the games without giving them a proper go.

Kirby Superstar is my most replayed SNES game. The way it had co-op platforming in this style before Mario, the introduction of movesets, the bold change in progression with varied modes instead. All of which still feel like Kirby yet change things up. It's super action packed and just an absolute blast to play through again.

Also the game is a huge influence on how Smash Brother plays.

Just an awesome game. Deserves top ten and more. Very awesome.

Doomsday Warrior really is that bad. Seeing it in action is kind of hilarious.

Jelly Boy is actually pretty decent. A bit more polish, and it could have been a "hidden gem."

How is Demon's Crest sitting in the mid-sevens? That game is fantastic.

This list just reminds me of how incredible the snes was!

The Donkey Kong Country games and Super Mario World will always be atemporal masterpieces. SNES is.

Brawl Bothers and The Peace Keepers are way better in their Japanese counterpart though. Rushing beat ran and Rushing Beat Shura are awesome, they were butchered for US release, that's a shame

Tetris Attack is on the SNES online???

People sleeping on Kirby's Dream Course...

LttP considered one of the best games ever and now we get these bland empty open world dungeonless Zelda's...oh joy!

@Tempestryke yes, under the name of its non-Tetris-licensed Japanese release Panel de Pon

Yoshi's Island No.4??? I HATED THAT GAME! Crying baby Mario made me mad as a kid & nothing has changed to this date!! Top 3 are bang on though!!!

My top 6 would be:
6. DKC2: Diddy Kong’s Quest
5. SMW2: Yoshi’s Island
4. Earthbound
3. Super Metroid
2. Zelda: Link to the Past
1. Super Mario World
But it would be just as easy to swap 4 and 5, and the top three could easily be arranged any which way. All GOATs, IMO. Even though Switch is my favorite console of all time, due partly to accessibility of so many great games from other consoles and from the past and to the flexible form factor, I still consider SNES to be Ninty’s heyday as a software developer.

I rushed over to look, and was duly disappointed that it was Panel de Pon instead. Sadness.

The list is great btw.

@kingbk You bite your tongue about the NES, it had plenty of amazing games.

@Caryslan I hafta agree with you on that one.

That Earthbound isn't in the top 5 makes me seriously question the tastes of NintendoLife's readers. (J/k) (though maybe also slightly serious)

Most of the alternate gameplay styles in "Earthworm Jim 2" suck, and even a couple of the more standard levels were more annoying than they should've been. The first "Earthworm Jim" is a significantly better game.

Donkey Kong Country 2 is the best SNES game, hands down.

Wow, 53 games. So, since NSO started offering SNES games, they've release 2.52 games per month on average. So if the entire SNES library were released, it'd take 56 years and 5 months at this rate. Pretty wild considering the entire SNES game library has been dumped to ROMs since like the 2000's.

Donkey Kong country is more fun to me than SMW that is not to say that SMW is a bad game at all and DKC 2 only exists standing on DKC's shoulders.
So that makes DKC the best platform game on the SNES. LOZ: aLttP the second best game but since the best game. chrono trigger, is not on SNES online. I guess the 3rd place would
be Earthbound ?

I'm mildly surprised that SMW overtook ALttP. One of the things that made ALttP unique was the fact that there was no clear competitor on the Sega Genesis.

@hypercoyote Sorry but I’m not sure what your point is here? Of course the entirety of the SNES library is illegally free to download much quicker than Nintendo makes them available. One has zero financial compensation to consider, while the other has to painstakingly organise deals with publishers. And that’s assuming they’ll all even come to the negotiating table. NSO is hardly a fountain of endless cash for the likes of Square, Capcom and EA.

For all the complaining the SNES NSO is pretty solid. It's hard to mess up I guess. SNES is full of GOATs. Even if some of its greatest games never make it on there (the JRPGs, for example), it's still an incredible line-up.

@khululy Agreed, I enjoy playing DKC more than Super Mario World. For me that also holds true for DKC Returns / Tropical Freeze vs New Super Mario Bros. The 3d Mario platformers though are at the top of their genre.

@Jprhino84 I understand the negotiations, but I seriously doubt that's the bottleneck. It's about trickling just enough content to keep the majority of users content without giving too much. One need only take a look at the offerings on the Virtual Console compared to NSO to understand that's what's happening. I was just mentioning the ROMs originally in comparison of the work it took to dump that many roms vs the work involved to test the games on NSO before they are released. I've heard some people say that Nintendo wanted to make sure stuff ran right once. But I agree that money is probably the biggest factor in play.

@NotoriousWhiz Yeah, NSMB is a fine game but I enjoyed super mario 3D land on 3DS a lot more.
DKC returns on both Switch and 3DS are super fun to play and Tropical Freeze is up there with Rayman Legends when it comes to side scrollers imo.

@hypercoyote Money is definitely the bottleneck as far as acquiring any third-party games of genuine reputation. It’s also precisely why Virtual Console had more games. One will involve a lump sum, the other earned a cut per sale. Therefore, Nintendo have to be more conservative for NSO.

@SuperCharr ???

My ranking would have either Super Mario World or Donkey Kong Country 2 on number 1.

@Brad_Hogan Baby Mario was annoying and I didn't like the game as much as Super Mario World 😁.

Glad to have Fighter's History for its interesting place in...uh, history. Also glad to have The Peace Keepers because, as bad as you might expect for a game ranked dead last on this list, it's actually even worse, and it's kind of funny to witness.

🤩SUPER-GLAD to see SMW in its rightful place.

So many 10/10s on the SNES. I like the virtual console because it gives me some rewind options for games I'm not familiar with but want to experience still

I wish we had games like Chrono Trigger, Terranigma, FFVI or Mario RPG... They'd probably be among the 10 best games.

I’m a huge Zelda fan, but I just couldn’t get into Link To The Past for some reason. It’s actually really disappointing that I don’t like it, but maybe someday.

@Banjo- Totally my man/Bear! Hahaha
Baby Mario wrecked that game for me!!

@Brad_Hogan 😁

Tetris Attack and Mario's Super Picross over Super Puyo Puyo 2. Trololo!

This is a great article but I'd love to see all the platforms mashed into one list. It would be a fantastic resource for anyone who doesn't know where to start!

@-wc- y'know, I think this exact comment (about YI's inertia and pacing) is exactly why I never liked the Yoshi series in comparison to Nintendos other platformers. Even Kirbys Dream Land 3 had better pacing.

Dream Land 3 higher, Super Punch Out and LTTP lower. SMW should be #1.

Other than that, I think this list highlights how the NES and SNES are far from the perfect consoles they are made out to be. If you are reading this, I highly recommend watching the latest video on the YouTube channel Scott's Stash, "My Thoughts on Retro Gaming These Days." I think it highlights the problems I have with the retro community as a whole.

There are tons of great SNES games that aren't on the NSO. Just Square itself was banging out RPG all-timers, and they were SNES games. This list is just the tip of the iceberg.

@MontyCircus I know that. I've seen the top 50 list on this site. Problem is, almost none of those really appeal to me, especially since I'm not much of an RPG guy outside of Mario and Luigi.

@batmanbud2

Then you've got to give props to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. A game so good that it received rave reviews on re-release nearly 3 decades later.

SNES games are timeless. Fondly remembered because it was the height of pixel art and 2D games before primitive 3D polygons took over.

Just look at the difference between a top SNES game and a top N64 or PS1 game. The latter look and play pretty rough now, even though they came out later and are "more advanced".

And gamers are still craving that SNES style.

Super Mario Wonder looks like a Super Mario World sequel, and was nominated for Game of the Year.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom looks like a Link to the Past sequel.

Ah the SNES, a contender for the greatest console of all time. I dont have NSO but do have all the games I love on SNES mini, including NES, GB and GBA. Many of these games I've bought multiple times such is my love for them. The SNES has some of the best pixel art ever too, so many games being a thing of beauty.
Super Mario World is still my fav game of all time, it the music, the graphics that I just adore, the versatility in how you want to complete it with the map, that still no 2D has come close to topping. Simply a masterpiece that Nintendo will top one day and I cant wait for that day. Super Metroid, despite clunky controls is still my fav Metroid, a game I hold very dear, man that atmosphere is unbeatable. Mega Man X, best Mega Man ever? Quite possibly. A system full of masterpieces and many many games that whilst dont reach masterpiece level are still incredible.
So pleased that Americans can play Super Tennis, the amount of hours pumped into that game with friends when younger is unreal.

I have so many thinkg to catch up to.
Anyways, like 3 days ago I started playing Mario's Super Picross and have 20hrs+ already, so addictive!

I cant focus on Octopath II because if it lol.

Checks to see if Super Mario World is still where it should be

Ah... Good.

That top 10. Unbeatable.

@Banjo- baby Mario was supposed to be annoying so that you wouldn’t want to lose him, and to get him back quickly if you did

I wish the original Mario RPG was playable.

I'm glad Harvest Moon always pops up on N's digital SNES services, lots of fun 5am summer mornings playing it on Wii.

@Fiergala It's a miracle that it has been re-released, after the whole divorce saga between Natsume and Marvelous.

Here are high quality scans of every SNES game manual...
https://archive.org/details/snes-manual-archive

One doesn't need to read everything to know a Super Mario game will top the list. Why?

Earthbound is a monumental masterpiece of media, in writing, music, world building and much more. It's something we comprehend better as adult.

Super Metroid still feels as fresh and difficult as any other Metroid game, even more than Dread (not because of the stupid wall jump). A milestone game of metroidvania genre.

Super Marios is another (great) 2D platformer. It's the face of Nintendo and I love it too. But I dont get why it has to top every list ever on every system.

Fun Fact: One game on this list has both a ZZAP!64 Gold Medal and a Sizzler to its name.

The C64 version of Bombuzal scored 97% back in late 1988. The Amiga version was covered a month later, but only scored 92%.

...you ranked three Kirby kiddie games over

36. Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire

?????

You're out of your mind. Just out of your mind.

ROTK IV - as far as we can recall - still holds the record for being released on the greatest number of consoles of any game. One of the best games KOEI ever made, only surpassed by the original Uncharted Waters on SNES (New Horizons was trash).

My top 10 SNES games on NSO as of August 8th, 2025 would be
1. Super Mario World
3. Donkey Kong Country 2
2. Super Mario All-Stars
4. Kirby Super Star
5. Panel de Pon
6. EarthBound
7. Super Punch-Out!!
8. Wrecking Crew '98
9. Mario's Super Picross
10. Kirby's Avalanche / Super Puyo Puyo 2 (cannot decide which one I like more)

Runner-ups (part of top 15): Sutte Hakkun, Yoshi's Island, Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid and Killer Instinct.

Sorry, Super Metroid. As great as you are, your controls kinda ruin you for me after playing Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.

Seeing Psycho Dream so low on this list still hurts me. It's a genuinely cool game to have on the service and you just rarely ever see this kind of game being made in the 90s, even if it didn't release in the west.

I don't think it should be super high on the list or anything, but it's at least on par with something like Nobunaga's Ambition.

Following from my comment 5 years ago with the library now expanded...

I'm outraged to now see Smash Tennis at 54 (down from 40). It destroys Super Tennis (too low at 44 anyway) with its superior moves, presentation, sounds, excitement, and it was 4 player! Unfortunately, when I checked on Switch a few years ago, only two players could play. Super Tennis was actually outstanding in its own right, and only suffered once you learnt a cross court top spin was often enough to dupe the CPU. "Blue Hair", as we called him, (I think Mike) was the cheat to win in Smash Tennis. He could hit winners from anywhere and we banned his use in our 4 player games.

Stunt Race FX is unfairly low at 43.

Bubsy the Bobcat, one of the three new games added at the time of this comment, is actually a solid game. I finished it in the day. A rank of 64 reeks of bias by false reputation! It reviewed quite well in the day even if it was completely over hyped in promotions leading into its release.

Edit:
My ranking from 5 years ago hasn't changed:
"Super Metroid is my number 1. Then I'd go Yoshi's Island, Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart and Smash Tennis. Star Fox and F-Zero are easy top 10s, and probably Stunt Race FX. Add a Donkey Kong Country game and Super Ghouls' N Ghosts for the remaining spots. I've never played Zelda Link To The Past."

I've since played Zelda, and do like it! I've not played it long enough to rank it anywhere.

The first DKC is in my top 10 because I haven't played the other two sufficiently to judge them.

Bubsy has joined the list not in the position his game was destined to be. Things are not right in the universe.

I like super formation soccer the best

If they made a cartridge with all the best games for the SNES, I'd be willing to pay good money for it even if the same games are already available on NSO. Yeah, you read it well. Seriously, it only takes a quick look at the top games of this ranking to see how the SNES really represented Nintendo's golden age.

"Bubsy has his fans, and good luck to them"
.. seems kinda rude? Some people like Bubsy there is no need to be snarky