If you have already been to the cinema to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie, you have indeed gone home with the desire to play any installment of this famous Nintendo saga. But what if we told you that you don’t have to wait to get there to do it? Thanks to emulators, it is possible to enter the Mario universe by playing the best classics of Nintendo 64, Game Boy, Wii, GameCube, and even more retro consoles like NES and SNES. Here’s how.
How to play Super Mario Bros. on mobile devices
Although Nintendo has published a few Super Mario Bros. games for mobile devices, such as the hectic Super Mario Run, the addictive Dr. Mario World, or the successful Mario Kart Tour, the truth is that the great classics can also be run on smartphones thanks to retro console emulators —which do not include ROMS, mind you. Below you can see the best options for this:
How to play classic Mario games of NES, SNES, and Game Boy on Android?
Playing classic Mario games on mobile is a breeze. To do this, you have to get a retro console emulator, something for which we strongly recommend you get RetroArch. It is a free application that gives you access to all the games of consoles such as NES, SNES, Game Boy —both standard and Color— and Game Boy Advance. Only with this emulator will you access some of the best Super Mario Bros. video games in history, including the 1985 original, the acclaimed Super Mario Bros. 3, or the magnificent Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins.
Jump into 3D with Super Mario 64 and other Nintendo 64 classics
If you want to explore the first testings of Super Mario with the three dimensions, you have to download Mupen64Plus FZ Edition— a Nintendo 64 emulator fully compatible with classics like the essential Super Mario 64 and with an interface so simple and easy that you will find it very comfortable not only to play but also to install the ROMS of the games you want. Of course, emulating this console, you will also have access to other Mario games such as the first Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 64, or the recommended Yoshi’s Story.
The best Mario games of Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS on your mobile device
There are really good Super Mario Bros. games in the catalogs of Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, so it is always a good idea to emulate both systems on our mobile devices for when we feel like playing a game. We recommend the NDS Boy! emulator for Nintendo DS— which will give you access to titles such as New Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart DS, or the fantastic Mario & Luigi: Browser’s Inside Story. If you want to emulate Nintendo 3DS, you can try Citra Emulator, a free application —although still under development so it may give some bugs— that will allow you to play Super Mario 3D Land, New Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 7 and even the first Luigi’s Mansion.
Play Super Mario Bros. games of Wii and GameCube on Android
The emulation of classic systems is advancing by leaps and bounds. Today, it is even possible to run Wii and GameCube video games on Android mobiles thanks to Dolphin Emulator— the best emulator of these consoles you can download for free for your smartphone. This will give you access to great Mario games for GameCube— such as Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Strikers, or Super Smash Bros. Melee— and for Wii— such as the two installments of Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros. Wii. For these games, you can use both traditional controllers and touch controllers— which are used to mimic the Wii Remote’s movement in games where necessary.
