Summary
The most important part of any new video game console’s release is arguably its lineup oflaunch titles. After all, consumers who are interested in buying a brand-new system the day it comes out need to know which pieces of software they will be able to experience from the get-go to justify their purchase.
Fortunately,Nintendo is very aware of this and, as a result, has made sure to always deliver high-quality video gamesthat players can play on their systems from day one, whether it’s on home consoles or handhelds. The Japanese publisher is renowned for its large number of excellent launch titles, so there are a lot to choose from, but the following games are the best ones in the company’s entire history.
Super Mario Bros.is undoubtedly one of the most important and influential video games ever created. Fortunately for consumers who bought a brand-newNintendo Entertainment Systemon July 12, 2025, they were immediately able to experience this wonderful adventure, which finally showed the world that video games could be bigger and better than anything they’d seen before.
While the NES eventually became a successful console with multiple solid titles (includingSuper Mario Bros 2andSuper Mario Bros 3), people around the world still kept buyingSuper Mario Bros. years after its initial release, so it can certainly be considered the console’s biggest system seller. However, this only applies to the North American version of the console because the Famicom had already come out 2 years before in Japan, so, even though the game was also very popular over there, it wasn’t a launch title at all.
After the huge success of the originalSuper Mario Bros.and the NES, Nintendo naturally began making sure that aMariogame would always launch alongside one of its new consoles. So, when the next generation of consoles arrived,Super Mario Worldimmediately became the Super Nintendo’s best and most effective launch title.
TheSuper Mario Brosseries had been evolving with the release of each sequel, butSuper Mario Worldwas on a whole new level. The technology of the SNES allowed for more detailed sprites, higher quality music, more ambitious levels, and more complex power-ups (like Yoshi, whom Shigeru Miyamoto had wanted to make a reality since the first game).Super Mario Worldwas one of the SNES’ biggest system sellers, and it was the main reason consumers back in 1990 wanted to buy the console on its release date. On top of that, it also helped Nintendo to turn the tide of the Console War against the Sega Genesis and its mascot,Sonic the Hedgehog.
Game Boy
Tetris (1989)
The Soviet game sensation!Your pulse quickens. Beans, boxes, zig-zags, and “L”-shaped building blocks drop relentlessly down a narrow passage. You quickly spin, shift, and align the shapes, then slide them in for a perfect fit.It’s challenging and the pace is demanding. But satisfaction comes as you position each block neatly into place. Start at new heights for a tougher contest. Pick the music and set your pace from 20 progressive skill levels.
As was tradition, the original Game Boy launched in Japan with a brand-newMariogame,Super Mario Land. But, not only did the rest of the world have to wait a few more months to experience it, people were also not eager to buy this new revolutionary handheld just to playMarioagain. Instead, gamers were way more attractedto its simple yet effective pack-in title,Tetris.
Nintendo heavily marketed the Game Boy aroundTetrisback in the day, since the accessible yet addictive nature of Alexey Pajitnov’s classic puzzle game was a perfect fit for the brand-new handheld device. The most fascinating part of this story is that the originalTetriswas almost 5 years old when the Game Boy came out, and yet the portability of this console completely re-contextualized its appeal.
In the mid-to-late 90s, a huge shift in the gaming industry began thanks to the arrival of 3D graphics, and Nintendo was no exception. And, while it may have joined this new trend a few years late in comparison to its competitors, the wait was certainly worth it becausethe Nintendo 64 launched with none other thanSuper Mario 64, which instantly became one of the most revolutionary 3D video games ever made.
Super Mario 64did for the Nintendo 64 whatSuper Mario Bros. had done for the NES, as it showed the world what a true, fully 3D platformer could be, mostly thanks to the free movement that the console’s innovative analog sticks could achieve. At a moment in history when everyone was interested in the PlayStation 1,Super Mario 64gave them a reason to buy a Nintendo 64 on its release date instead (even though the rest of the console’s catalog was not able to fully maintain this momentum).
Super Mario 64 DSwas also a launch title for the Nintendo DS.
Nintendo took a big risk when it launched its sixth-generation console, the Nintendo GameCube. Instead of making a more traditionalMariogame, they decided to go with something completely different: an adventure/horror game starring his brother, Luigi. As a result of this odd concept,Luigi’s Mansiongot a lukewarm reception when it first came out, but it slowly gained a huge cult following.
Nevertheless,Luigi’s Mansiondemonstrated that both Nintendo and the Mario IP could always reinvent themselves and shouldn’t always rely on the same platforming formula. This game was brilliantly creative and unique (albeit a bit brief) and even though the GameCube eventually received a conventionalMariotitle in the form ofSuper Mario Sunshine,Luigi’s Mansionremains one of the most beloved games on the console’s entire catalog, to the point it even spawned two sequels on the 3DS and the Switch respectively.
The Nintendo Wii shocked the gaming world during the mid-2000s with its new and revolutionary motion controls. However, of course, the company needed to offer something that would let people try out this ambitious control scheme in a fun, accessible, and effective way.That’s exactly whyWii Sportswas the console’s main pack-in game, a brilliant idea that ended up working extremely well.
Entire groups of friends and families could join together and play simple, but addictive versions of popular sports like tennis, boxing, golf, and more, all enhanced by the console’s signature motion controls and charming new customizable characters called Miis.Wii Sportsplayed a key role in the Wii’s monumental success, and it was so incredibly popular that it’s the only exclusive that some people may have tried out on the console.
Nintendo Landmay not have been as accessible or appealing asWii Sports, but it had the same effect on the Nintendo Wii U as the console’s main pack-in game: to show off all the fascinating new features of the eight-generation system in entertaining and unique ways. And, to no one’s surprise, it ended up working quite well. Maybe a little too well.
Nintendo Landoffered players 12 different minigames based on classic Nintendo IPs, likeSuper Mario Bros,The Legend of Zelda,Donkey Kong,Metroid,and more. Every single game had its own unique mechanics and play styles, not to mention that they perfectly showcased the full potential of the GamePad, something that future exclusives tragically failed to do. Because of all of this,Nintendo Landis synonymous with the Wii U, even to this day. It literally can’t be ported over to Switch (or, at least, it would be extremely difficult to do so).
After the release ofSkyward Swordin 2011,Legend of Zeldafans spent years waiting for the arrival of the next mainline entry for home consoles. This game was revealed in 2014, and it was slated to come out on the Wii U, but it was delayed for so many years that it finally came out in 2017, on the very same day as the company released its new console, the Nintendo Switch.
However, this delay ended up being extremely beneficial for Nintendo,because everyone who bought a Switch on its release date could immediately try outThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,a stunning open-world adventure with hours and hours of content, incredible set pieces and an emotional storyline. The fact all of this could be experienced on a hybrid console that can also be used as a handheld was nothing short of mind-blowing, and it greatly contributed to the eventual success of the Switch, especially during its first year. The only remaining question is: Will the Nintendo Switch 2 launch with a title as ambitious and impressive asBreath of the Wild?
