The best Nintendo franchises, ranked

With a stable of iconic franchises like Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and more, Nintendo has proven that it knows how to make a series that can stand the test of time. With many series beginning back on the NES and still going strong to this day, it is hard to even keep track of every major Nintendo franchise, let alone rank them. Plus, with more upcoming Switch games on the way, Nintendo hasn’t stopped experimenting with new franchises that could end up being huge hits. We did the difficult task of looking back through every console generation, from the launch titles to the last games released on every Nintendo system, to compare and rank every franchise.

10. Splatoon

One of the newest franchises to catch on in a big way is Nintendo’s take on a third-person multiplayer shooter. That wasn’t a combination of words most people ever expected from a Nintendo-developed game, but the concept of spraying ink around as transforming squid kids was fresh, fun, and totally Nintendo. It has a great style that is nothing like anything else from Nintendo, or any other company for that matter. The single player mode in the last two games were great as well. Because it is such a young series and hasn’t evolved much from its core, it can’t quite overtake the more long-running franchises that have had the time to branch out.

9. Kirby

The little pink ball with an insatiable appetite got its start as one of the best Game Boy games before rising up to be one of the most recognizable Nintendo characters. Kirby has always been a more casual series that didn’t push the difficulty too hard, making them great games for kids. His ability to suck up enemies and absorb their powers is always fun, especially when you can start combining them, and he’s found himself in all sorts of spin-off games, like golf and racers. As cute and joyful as each Kirby game is, they can start to get boring as players get older and look for a bit more depth and challenge. There are optional and secret bosses that do push the difficulty a bit, but not enough to keep him above this placement in the ranking.

8. Animal Crossing

As a life-sim, the Animal Crossing games are at the top of the genre. Each game is essentially the same setup, only with more things to do. Just having a little avatar to go around doing simple chores, hanging out with villagers, gardening, and decorating is therapeutic to the point where it has become a phenomenon. There’s not much else to say here except that for the people a game like this works for, it works wonders. However, if doing daily tasks and just having a second life to chip away at every day doesn’t sound fun, there’s not going to be much else here for you.

7. Fire Emblem

Fire Emblem began years ago and held a cult status up until Three Houses brought the tactical RPG series mainstream. Tactics games have always been a bit niche, but the social component that has been evolving in this series gives it a unique flavor and wider appeal than just people who enjoy the gameplay. While the core game doesn’t shake things up too drastically, and those who don’t click with it won’t stick around, the focus on characters and story has yet to steer the series wrong.

6. Pokemon

It pains us to put such a juggernaut of a franchise, and biggest media IP in history, this low on the list, but we can’t in good conscience ignore how uneven this series is. The mainline Pokemon games have always had an issue with stagnation, but we’re also dealing with technical problems on top of that now. That said, we can’t argue that the concept of catching and training monsters in turn-based battles isn’t appealing even now. The new designs can be hit or miss, but the majority of the huge roster are winners for sure. And even for those who want bigger leaps, looking outside the mainline games to the Pokemon spinoffs yields tons of variety.

5. Mario Kart

Mario Kart is about as approachable a game as could be while still having tons of depth for more serious players. Everyone knows how a race works, and the controls are simple enough to get started holding down the gas and steering. Add in the colorful and creative tracks, familiar characters, and delightful soundtrack, and there is hardly a person who wouldn’t enjoy hopping in the kart for a few laps. The power-ups also help keep things close by giving weaker racers more tools to catch up. Nintendo is all about spreading joy, and few games do that better than Mario Kart.

4. Super Smash Bros.

Every kid on the playground has had the debate about which two fictional characters would win in a fight. Nintendo let us play out those debates in video game form with Super Smash Bros., which somehow has brought together a roster of characters that no one expected to see square off in an official game. But this game goes beyond just fan service. It is a fluid and fun fighter that shook up the formula by removing health and instead focuses on players smashing one another off the stage. Despite introducing the idea on the N64, no other copycat games have managed to do it even half as well. Both as a tribute to all the greatest gaming icons and as a platform fighter, Smash is miraculous.

3. Metroid

When a single game helps invent an entire genre, you have to give it some respect. Metroid is by far the more important in popularizing the Metroidvania. It introduced the non-linear exploration, secrets, power-ups, and more that inspired so many other games since. But Metroid didn’t just set the standard and walk away. No, Metroid games are still some of the best in the business in its own genre. The 2D games are polished action titles with lush worlds to explore, difficult bosses, and plenty of tricks and ways to sequence break that make it perfect for speedrunning. The 3D games somehow manage to keep the platforming and exploration elements feeling just as good while pivoting to a first-person perspective. With the exception of Other M, there isn’t a bad game in the bunch.

2. The Legend of Zelda

These final two spots are so interchangeable that we might as well have flipped a coin in placing them. For now, Zelda comes in at the very respectable second place. The only reason we put it here, for now anyway, is that most Zelda games don’t have as broad an appeal as our first place pick. Granted, Zelda has a ton of games for all kinds of players, but the focus on adventure, dungeon crawling, puzzle solving, and boss battling can turn some people off. For the vast majority of people for whom it does work, there are few games that do it better. The worlds are inspiring, the characters memorable, the dungeons tricky, the bosses creative, and in general a complete adventure in each game. Few games actually give players that feeling of being on an adventure like Zelda games can, and the way the series introduces new versions of Hyrule, Link, and Zelda in most entries gives it the freedom to make each game distinct.

1. Mario

Who else could hold the top spot but Mario? Not only is he the face of Nintendo, but arguably the face of gaming as a whole. Having been around since the days of the arcade, there’s almost no genre you can’t find Mario attached to. Obviously, he’s the king of both 2D and 3D platformers, but that’s just scratching the surface. Mario has multiple RPG series, puzzle games, party games, rhythm games, and just about every sport you can think of, to name a few. Diversity is great, but it is the standard of quality that really makes Mario something special. Not every game in his long, long history is perfect, but you have to do a lot of digging to find any that are even below average. If you see Mario’s name on a game, you can rest assured that you’re in for a great time.