The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was Nintendo’s 16-bit upgrade from the wildly successful 8-bit NES. The system was packed with powerful graphics and sound capabilities, allowing for improvements across the board, and it boasted many great games. The SNES featured more than a thousand games, 717 of which were released in North America, many of which entertained kids and adults for days on end. We’ve drilled them down to the top ten, based on sales, their place in the console’s history, and most importantly, how much fun they are to play. We’ve decided to include only one from each franchise to keep it interesting, and came up with these ten excellent games.
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10) Mega Man X
Mega Man X is the first title in the second Mega Man series, having debuted on the SNES in 1993. It’s technically a spin-off of the “Classic” Mega Man series, and is set 100 years after the events of the first series’ games. The game centers on X, the final creation of Dr. Light, who must stop Sigma alongside Zero, the last creation of Dr. Wily, to save the world and all of humanity. Mega Man X follows the same 2D platformer format as its predecessors, but introduces new elements, mechanics, and complexity. It’s since been re-released and remade, and is easily the best Mega Man game on the SNES.
9) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is the third title in the Zelda franchise and the first to arrive on the Super Nintendo. It features numerous improvements over its two predecessors, with enhancements to sound, graphics, and memory. In the game, Link must save Hyrule and defeat Ganon — that old chestnut. It features a top-down perspective, returning to the classic format of the first title in the series, and is easily one of the best Zelda games ever made. It also introduced several features that became standard, including the Master Sword.
8) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
The SNES’ hardware capabilities allowed for various expansions of existing franchises, including transforming a Mario game into an RPG. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is the first of these, and it’s easily the best on the SNES. The game follows Mario and his pals as they fight against the Smithy Gang, who have scattered the seven star pieces of Star Road all over the world. Square developed the game and incorporated many of the same RPG elements from its Final Fantasy series, which works incredibly well in Mario’s environments. Super Mario RPG was remade for the Nintendo Switch in 2023, demonstrating how much players love the classic SNES title.
7) Super Metroid
The third title in the Metroid franchise arrived on the SNES in 1994, following Metroid II: Return of Samus, which was released on the Game Boy a few years earlier. Super Metroid is an upgrade of everything related to the franchise, focusing on Samus traveling to Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid. The game is filled with explorable places, power-ups, and more. It was designed by many of the same devs who worked on the first game, and Super Metroid became a huge hit for the SNES, selling more than 1.4 million copies.
6) Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is an RPG that was released on the SNES in 1995. It is the first in the series, which would continue with three sequels. A fourth was planned, but it was ultimately cancelled. Regardless, Chrono Trigger remains one of the most beloved RPGs on the SNES, which had many great titles in the genre. Its design was influenced by its creators, who worked on Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Dragon Ball, so a lot of its elements are reminiscent of these franchises. In the game, the player takes a group of adventurers across time to stop a global catastrophe. Chrono Trigger’s story is exceptional, as is its gameplay and other elements, making it a massive success upon release.
5) Super Mario Kart
The first Mario Kart game was released on the SNES in 1992, establishing a franchise that’s not only continued to this day, but is also highly influential. There are scores of copycats from all kinds of franchises, but when it comes to kart racing games, Mario Kart reigns supreme. The game introduced many of the elements that remain in the franchise today. It’s beloved for its complexity, difficulty settings, PVP mode, and much more. Super Mario Kart was the SNES’ fourth best-selling title, having sold more than 8.75 million units, so it’s not surprising that the franchise continues.
4) Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana arrived on the SNES in 1993, and it’s a high-fantasy RPG that sees the player take three heroes on a journey to stop an empire from taking over the world with an ancient, flying fortress. The game has many similarities to Final Fantasy and is a sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure, released for the Game Boy in 1991. Still, it’s a different IP and eschews the turn-based battle system that was common at the time for a real-time battle with a power bar mechanic. It also has an interesting Ring Command system that pauses the action so the player can make decisions mid-fight. It’s now considered to be one of the best games ever made, and is easily the best RPG released on the SNES.
3) Street Fighter II’Turbo: Hyper Fighting
When the SNES was released in 1991, fighting games were all the rage. The 8-bit systems that preceded it didn’t have the capabilities to match the might of arcade games, but the SNES had that covered. The port of Street Fighter II Turbo, Street Fighter II’ Turbo: Hyper Fighting, is easily the best version on the SNES. It was released a few months after Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, which wasn’t ported to the SNES. Instead, Hyper Fighting allows the player(s) to select between Champion Edition rules and Hyper Fighting rules. This made it a better port than what was available elsewhere, and it’s the SNES’ best fighting game.
2) Super Mario World
Super Mario World was bundled with the SNES in North America, so if you bought a console, you got the game. That technically makes it the system’s best-selling title with over 20.6 million sold, but that’s what happens with a bundled game. Regardless, it would have done well enough on its own, as it’s easily one of the best Mario games ever made. It introduced Yoshi and added a wide variety of playing mechanics. It featured improved graphics and sound over previous titles, and essentially turned every aspect of Mario and company up to 11 on the new system. The game was designed to make full use of every hardware improvement on the 16-bit console, and it shows, as Super Mario World is one of the SNES’ best games.
1) Donkey Kong Country
When Rare took control of Donkey Kong and transformed him into a hero, the developer established what is inarguably the best game on the SNES in 1994. Donkey Kong Country is arguably the best game in the franchise. It’s beloved to this day for its inventive use of 3D-rendered sprites, dynamic sound, brilliant level design, and much more. The game features 40 side-scrolling levels, a multiplayer mode where players can work cooperatively or race one another, and tons more packed into this decades-old grey cartridge. Donkey Kong Country is easily the best game on the SNES, having sold over 9.3 million copies, and it remains as fun today as it was in ‘94.
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