Here’s Why a New 3D Mario Game Could Be Announced Very Soon

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for nearly a full year, but a new 3D Super Mario game is still nowhere to be found on the console. While Super Mario Odyssey launched within the first year of the original Switch’s life cycle, Nintendo instead opted to put an emphasis on games like Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond with the Switch 2’s first months. For those who continue to hold out hope that a new Mario adventure is on the horizon, there’s reason to believe that it could be unveiled in less than a week.

On March 10th, Nintendo will be celebrating “Mario Day”, as it has done every year for the better part of the past decade. Nintendo’s annual holiday that honors all things related to its company mascot has taken a lot of different forms over the years, whether it be with various sales for current games, teasers of games to come, or even dedicated Directs tied to the Italian Plumber. In 2026, we don’t fully know what Nintendo has in store just yet, but if it is sitting on a 3D Mario title, then there’s an argument to be made that it should be unveiled on Mario Day itself.

The Timing of This Reveal Makes Sense

On paper, Nintendo already has a pretty strong lineup of exclusives for 2026. Titles like the newly released Pokemon Pokopia will join Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and Rhythm Heaven Groove in the months ahead. Still, Nintendo seems to be lacking a release from one of its biggest franchises, which could be resolved if it were to release a new Mario game.

Not only would the advent of a 3D Mario title catapult interest in the Switch 2 higher than ever before, but its announcement would come at the perfect time. Next month, on April 1st, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is going to hit theaters and is bound to be a massive success. With interest in Mario as a whole set to peak over the coming month, Nintendo choosing to unveil its next game tied to the character on March 10th would be perfect. Obviously, the caveat with this is that there’s no way to know if a Mario game is in the works, let alone close to releasing for Switch 2.

A New 3D Mario Game Is Inevitable

Even if a new 3D Mario game isn’t announced for Switch 2 to coincide with Mario Day, it’s inevitable that we’ll get one eventually. Nintendo has rarely missed a console generation when it comes to releasing a new mainline Mario title. Perhaps the only instance in which this wasn’t true was with the Wii U, which saw Super Mario 3D World on the platform. Still, this very much qualifies as a 3D platforming game starring Mario, even if it wasn’t in the same style as titles like Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy.

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While Mario Day could come and go without any major reveal, I’m hoping that this won’t be the case. As good as the first year of the Switch 2 has been, it still won’t truly feel like a Nintendo console until it has a new Mario title on it. As such, I’ll cross my fingers and hope that we get a first glimpse at what’s next from Mario on Switch 2 this coming week.

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