All Mario Game Boy games

Super Mario Land (1990)

The Game Boy launch Mario, made by the Game & Watch team rather than Miyamoto’s, which is why it feels slightly off — small sprites, a submarine level, a princess called Daisy. Four short worlds, no save, finished in half an hour. Historically essential and still fun; a cartridge with a clean label is easy to find.

Dr. Mario (1991)

The pill-dropping puzzle game, on the console it suits best. Two players with a link cable and two cartridges. No save and no battery, so there is nothing on this cartridge that can fail with age — a good one to buy without worrying.

Mario & Yoshi (1992)

Yoshi in America and Japan, Mario & Yoshi on the European box. Mario shuffles trays under falling enemies and eggshells to hatch Yoshis. A simple falling-block game, cheap, and one of the few Mario cartridges on which Mario barely appears.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1993)

The real Game Boy Mario: big sprites, an overworld map, six zones you can tackle in any order, and the first appearance of Wario. Europe got it in January 1993, two months after America. Saves to battery-backed memory — a thirty-year-old coin cell — so ask whether it still holds a save. The best game on this list.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994)

Wario’s first starring role, still under the Super Mario Land name. Slower and heavier than Mario, built around finding treasure rather than reaching the flag. Battery save. The cartridge that turned Wario from a villain into a series.

Yoshi’s Cookie (1994)

A match-the-rows puzzle game with cookies; the Game Boy version reached Europe in April 1994, a year after America. No save. Cheaper than the NES and SNES versions and the easiest way to own it.

Mario’s Picross (1995)

Nonogram puzzles — fill the grid from the numbers — with Mario as an archaeologist. Sold poorly in 1995 and became a cult cartridge; the whole Picross series grew from it. Saves your progress to battery. A superb train game.

Game & Watch Gallery (1997)

Four Game & Watch handhelds from the early eighties, each in the original form and a Modern version starring Mario and friends. Europe got it in August 1997. Battery save for high scores and unlocks. Mario headlines the Modern games, which is why the series counts as Mario here.

Game & Watch Gallery 2 (1998)

Six more Game & Watch games, in a dual-mode cartridge that runs in colour on a Game Boy Color and in mono on an older Game Boy. Europe’s release was November 1998. Battery save.

Mario Golf (1999)

Camelot’s golf RPG: you play a golfer who levels up, with Mario characters as the pros to beat, and the cartridge links to the N64 game via the Transfer Pak. Game Boy Color only — a clear cartridge that will not run on an original Game Boy. Battery save.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe (1999)

The NES original plus The Lost Levels, a challenge mode, Boo races and a photo album, on a cartridge that fits in a pocket. Game Boy Color only. The screen crops the view, so it is harder than the NES game, and it saves to battery. Common and cheap.

Game & Watch Gallery 3 (2000)

Five more Game & Watch games with six classics to unlock. Made for the Game Boy Color but, like Gallery 2, a dual-mode cartridge that also runs in mono on an original Game Boy. Europe had it in March 2000. The last of the three Galleries on this hardware; a fourth came to the Game Boy Advance.

Mario Tennis (2001)

Camelot again: a tennis academy RPG where you train up from junior to the Mario characters, with a Transfer Pak link to the N64 game. Game Boy Color only; Europe got it in February 2001, the last Mario game for the Game Boy line. Battery save. Better than it has any right to be.