Nintendo has been the biggest name in video games since the NES burst onto the scene in 1985. In the 40 years since, the Japanese gaming giant has released countless platforms and games that have been a hit with audiences around the globe. Even now in 2026, Nintendo remains a trailblazer of the industry that shows no signs of slowing down.
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On the software front, Nintendo’s most acclaimed games have always belonged to two prominent franchises: Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda. Both series have been with Nintendo from the beginning and have continued to evolve over time. With each new installment, Nintendo keeps finding a way to reinvent each series and improve upon them in major ways. As such, Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda continue to see success and almost always garner endless praise from critics and players alike.
When looking outside of Mario and Zelda, though, it’s a bit harder to discern what the best games from Nintendo are. As such, let’s rank the five best games to ever come from Nintendo that aren’t tied to either of these properties. For the purposes of this list, this means we’ll be excluding games from franchises like Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart since they are tangentially tied to Mario and Zelda.
5. Fire Emblem: Awakening
Fire Emblem: Awakening was a pivotal game for the Fire Emblem series. Prior to its release on Nintendo DS in 2012, Fire Emblem had never really taken hold in Western markets and was still more well-known for its characters appearing in Super Smash Bros. games. Awakening finally changed all of that, though, and sparked a Fire Emblem renaissance that would usher in countless future installments in the decade after.
Outside of simply saving the series, Awakening still stands as the best Fire Emblem game in the franchise’s history. Its story, characters, and gripping strategy gameplay kept players more invested than ever before, which made it a must-buy game on 3DS. If you’ve somehow never played a Fire Emblem title before, Awakening is the one to check out.
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Since its introduction on the GameCube, Animal Crossing has slowly become one of the biggest franchises that Nintendo owns. The slow-paced, social sim is one of the progenitors of the “cozy” genre and has been incredibly influential to countless developers. While each Animal Crossing entry offers something unique of its own, New Horizons is easily the peak of the series as it gives players much more to do than ever before.
It also has to be mentioned that the timing of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ release on Switch could not have been more perfect. Launching almost immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic, New Horizons was the perfect game at the perfect time and provided a much-needed distraction for millions. Nintendo has also continued to improve New Horizons over time, most recently with its substantial 3.0 update. If you still haven’t played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for yourself, there’s honestly never been a better time to do so.
3. Super Metroid
Other than Zelda and Mario, Metroid is likely the third most acclaimed series that comes from Nintendo. The franchise’s spacefaring bounty hunter, Samus, has been on countless adventures, almost all of which are excellent. To choose just one Metroid game to represent the series on this list, though, it would almost certainly have to be Super Metroid.
Super Metroid more or less created the “Metroidvania” genre as we know it today. Despite being one of the earliest games in the genre, Super Metroid is still, without question, one of the best. Its stellar music and top-notch art direction create an atmosphere that is unmatched, especially for games on the Super Nintendo. Even with so many Metroidvania games releasing each year, Super Metroid is still one of the few “must-play” games in the genre that every Nintendo fan needs to experience.
2. Wii Sports
When the Nintendo Wii released in 2006, almost no one expected that the console’s free pack-in game, Wii Sports, would end up being anything other than a tech demo. Instead, Wii Sports wound up being a revelation. It wasn’t only the first game to show Nintendo fans what motion controls were capable of, but its five different sports that players could experience were all a ton of fun, providing endless hours of entertainment.
What still makes Wii Sports so special is that just about anyone, from children to senior citizens, could jump in and play for themselves. This ease of accessibility gave Wii Sports staying power that no one would have anticipated and made its cultural impact last long after the Wii had come and gone. Wii Sports is one of the greatest party games ever and is perhaps the biggest reason behind the success of the Wii as a whole.
1. Pokemon Gold and Silver
Pokemon has been a phenomenon since its introduction in 1996, and for good reason. The turn-based RPG series is perfect for all ages and features a compelling, deep gameplay loop that almost never gets stale. Now, even in its 30th year, Pokemon remains a powerhouse for Nintendo and is likely the most recognizable media franchise on the planet.
While there have been a ton of excellent Pokemon games over the years, Gold and Silver (or the DS remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver) remain the best that the franchise has to offer. Pokemon Gold and Silver are still the only entries in the series that feature two regions, which gives players the chance to take on 16 different Gym Leaders. Its story is also one of the most enjoyable in the series, primarily since it expands on the narrative found in the original Red and Blue. All of this makes Pokemon Gold and Silver not just the best that Pokemon has to offer, but they are the best games from Nintendo that aren’t tied to Mario and Zelda.
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