You have to play these Mario games before the Super Mario Galaxy Movie comes out in 2026

Nintendo announced the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be hitting theaters on April 3, 2026. The follow-up is titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and was revealed during the Sepember 2025 Nintendo Direct Presentation as part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Super Mario series. To commemorate the occasion, Nintendo is releasing multiple Mario games for the Nintendo Switch 2 before and around the time that the new movie is set to release. For any fan of Mario, it's going to be a joyous time filled with a ton of new adventures and surprises.

But with the new movie set to release during the Spring of 2026, Nintendo fans will want to be ready to spot all the fun references and point out the inspirations for the film. That means you'll want to play all the right Mario games before seeing the movie. And with the 40th anniversary of Super Mario happening, now is as good a time as any to get caught up with some Mario titles. There's plenty to choose from and explore on the Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch Online from the classics that are available to play. There are the Mario games you have to play before the Super Mario Galaxy Movie comes out in 2026.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Wonderfully fun and exciting

It makes total sense for Nintendo to find a way to somehow implement the latest Mario release into their new movie. While the majority of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will be heavily focused on the Mario Galaxy titles, the original film drew inspiration from multiple games. It wasn't just a celebration of classic Super Mario, but a first step towards building out a world for the characters to be part of, with tons of little nods that fans would love. This can be the same thing for the upcoming sequel, which could draw in more people towards games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder for the Nintendo Switch. Luckily for everyone, Nintendo is releasing a Switch 2 version of the game with more content.

Originally, Super Mario Bros. Wonder released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. It has 2D gameplay that is similar to some of the New Super Mario Bros. games that were made for the Wii U, which allowed for multiplayer action with up to four players. Mario and his allies can run and jump through stages, gathering power-ups that grant a variety of abilities that feel similar to some of his classic adventures. What stood out about Super Mario Bros. Wonder more than anything else was the visual style, which was slightly different from other Mario games at the time. The visuals were colorful and rendered beautifully, but had a stylistic presentation to them that felt fresh and unique.

Cooperative multiplayer was a big highlight of the game, which allowed Mario to team up with Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad. However, there are twelve playable characters in the game, including Yoshi and Nabbit, offering a variety of faces that could get in on the action. New items that can be collected changed the dynamics of gameplay, including the ability to manipulate surroundings by collecting the Wonder Flower. Other new power-ups could change Mario into an elephant to smash through obstacles, or give him a drill to burrow through the ground, as well as other abilities to boost his progress. It's possible that the new movie could reference something from this game, especially with the new version for the Nintendo Switch 2 coming out close to the release in theaters.

Mario Kart World

Racing across the globe

People were very surprised to see the Mario Kart series be referenced in The Super Mario Bros. Movie during some of its big scenes. And with Mario Kart World being a big hit on the Nintendo Switch 2, there's no reason to think Nintendo wouldn't do the same with the upcoming movie sequel. As a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as a bundled game for it, Mario Kart World has been widely successful. The game is constantly being played online on the Switch 2, and has received new updates that change parts of the game. In the future, Mario Kart World is expected to get new content as additional DLC, just like it's predecessor, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, did before.

Some of the newer additions to Mario Kart World were the open-world setting, as well as the snacks that racers could pick up for boosts to their karts, as well as a change in outfits. Players could roam around the large map and complete challenges, while going to Yoshi's pit stops for a meal that would yield a different outfit, depending on the region they were driving in. Multiple racetracks could be visited and different kinds of races could be participated in, including the Knockout Tour, which includes long-drives across the map in multiple races. It would be interesting to see if Nintendo has any references to these kinds of things from the game in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in some way, especially before the story makes the jump to galactic heights.

Super Mario Odyssey

Many places to go see

When it comes to journeys to new and exciting places, Mario games have a reputation for getting around. One of the most interesting trips for Mario comes from Super Mario Odyssey, which brought players to a variety of locations. While hunting for Power Moons to power an airship known as The Odyssey, Mario finds himself going to curious places that range from high-rising cities, to lush plant-filled environments. The plot has Mario on a quest to stop Bowser from forcing Princess Peach to marry him, after she is once again kidnapped. Helping him on the journey is a mysterious sentient hat named Cappy, a being from the Cap Kingdom whose sister was also kidnapped by Bowser. The two team up to chase Bowser down before the King of the Koopas could do any more damage.

The gameplay of Super Mario Odyssey is similar to other 3D Mario titles, but with much larger areas to roam. Finding Power Moons is similar to Power Stars from previous games, with various challenges and puzzles that can be solved to find and collect them. Using Cappy's powers, Mario can transform into a variety of forms to get around obstacles and take down enemies. It's a neat way of mixing up a classic formula that has been with the series for a long time, but manages to still feel fresh and interesting to play.

Super Mario Odyssey was one of the more beloved games for the original Nintendo Switch. It would make a lot of sense to see Nintendo have a nod to something from it in the new movie. Could we see some sort of nod to the Cap Kingdom when Mario finds his way up into space and travels around the galaxy? It's possible, especially if the movie is going to have a lot of fun easter eggs for fans to notice.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

A galactic sequel

Without question, Nintendo fans will have to play through both Super Mario Galaxy titles before the new movie is out in theaters. But the timing for everything couldn't be better, as Nintendo announced during the September Nintendo Direct presentation that a bundle for both Mario Galaxy games would be released for the Nintendo Switch 2. Not only are the stories for both games something that the movie will most likely pull from, but the characters we see will definitely be in the film. The trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has Rosalina's Luma show up at the very end, hinting at seeing them both in the film.

While Super Mario Galaxy is a classic that people love, it's sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, is just as beloved as the original. The original release on the Nintendo Wii had similar gameplay to its predecessor, but took things further by having more locations to visit and challenges to overcome. The original concept for Super Mario Galaxy 2 was going to just be an expansion of the first game, that was until development shifted and turned the project into a fully fleshed-out sequel. To many Nintendo fans, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of the best games ever released by the company, and in some places it's considered as one of the best games ever made. The new bundle for the Nintendo Switch 2 that has both Mario Galaxy games will be the first time that Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been released. The re-release will have 1080p visuals, an Assist Mode, additional storybook chapters, and an improved UI, among other features.

We can definitely expect to see some parts in the story of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie pulled from aspects of the games. Although it may not be a one-to-one adaptation of what we know, characters like the Lumas and Rosalina will most likely play a big part in the film. Whether Bowser will be up to the same nefarious plans as he does in the games is unknown, but things are going to be on a much bigger scale than what audiences saw in the first movie. Someway and somehow, Mario's adventure will take him into outer space and into a large and danger-filled galaxy.

Catching up with Mario before the move

Nintendo fans have a lot to get excited about going into 2026. With the Super Mario 40th anniversary in full swing, there's going to be a lot happening with the Super Mario franchise leading into the release of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie in theaters. In the meantime, there are a ton of games to play before it hits theaters, especially on the Nintendo Switch 2 from the eShop and the Switch Online classics. When it's finally time to go watch the newest Mario movie with everyone, you'll want to be ready to recognize some of those nods and easter eggs that will be cleverly placed throughout the movie. And what better way to be ready than to start playing some of Mario's biggest titles that are out now.