Platform guide
All Mario N64 games
Eight Mario cartridges came out for the Nintendo 64 in Europe between 1997 and 2001 — the platformer that defined how a 3D character moves, the kart racer that sold the console, two sports games by Camelot, a role-playing game and three party games. A ninth exists but was never sold here.
The short answer
Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 (1997) → Mario Party and Mario Golf (1999) → Mario Party 2 and Mario Tennis (2000) → Paper Mario and Mario Party 3 (2001). Start with Super Mario 64. Dr. Mario 64 never reached Europe on a cartridge.
Every Mario N64 cartridge, in release order
| Game | Year (EU) | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Super Mario 64 | 1997 | 3D platformer |
| Mario Kart 64 | 1997 | Racing |
| Mario Party | 1999 | Party — board game |
| Mario Golf | 1999 | Sports |
| Mario Party 2 | 2000 | Party — board game |
| Mario Tennis | 2000 | Sports |
| Paper Mario | 2001 | RPG |
| Mario Party 3 | 2001 | Party — board game |
Game by game — the buying notes
Super Mario 64 (1997)
A European Nintendo 64 launch title, and the game that invented how a 3D character moves — the analogue stick, the camera you steer yourself, a hub world of paintings. Everything since has borrowed from it. Common, cheap, and the one cartridge every N64 owner should have.
Mario Kart 64 (1997)
Four-player split screen with no extra hardware beyond the controllers, which in 1997 was the whole point of owning the console. Sixteen tracks, Rainbow Road at the end, and a battle mode people still set up consoles for. As common as Super Mario 64 and just as affordable.
Mario Party (1999)
The first one, and notorious: several minigames ask you to spin the analogue stick with your palm, which wrecked both the sticks and the palms. Nintendo ended up sending out gloves in America. Play those games with your fingers. Otherwise the template for eighteen sequels is all here.
Mario Golf (1999)
Camelot’s first Mario sports game, and better than a golf game has any right to be — the same team went on to make the Game Boy Advance and GameCube ones. It linked to the Game Boy Color version to trade characters, using the Transfer Pak that came with Pokémon Stadium.
Mario Party 2 (2000)
The one most people mean when they say the N64 Mario Parties were the good ones: costumes per board, sharper minigames, and no palm-destroying stick spinners. If you buy one Mario Party for an N64, buy this.
Mario Tennis (2000)
Camelot again, and the game that introduced Waluigi. Fast, readable, and the best four-player game on the console after Mario Kart. Also linked to its Game Boy Color counterpart through the Transfer Pak.
Paper Mario (2001)
A turn-based role-playing game with timed button presses, and the start of a line that runs to the Switch. Europe got it on 5 October 2001 — eight months after America and more than a year after Japan, by which time the GameCube was weeks away. That late arrival is why European copies are scarcer and cost more than the American ones.
Mario Party 3 (2001)
The last N64 Mario Party, released here on 16 November 2001 — six months after America and three days before the GameCube launched in Japan. Duel boards for two players, and the largest minigame set of the three. The scarcest Mario Party there is in PAL form.
Why the late ones cost more
Europe was last in line for this console, and by 2001 that mattered. Paper Mario arrived here on 5 October 2001, eight months after America and over a year after Japan; Mario Party 3 followed on 16 November, six months late. By then shops were clearing shelves for the GameCube, so both were printed in far smaller numbers than Super Mario 64 or Mario Kart 64 had been. That is the whole reason a PAL Paper Mario costs several times what an American copy does — it is scarcity, not condition, and it is worth knowing before you judge a price.
Or buy one that has already been checked
Every N64 cartridge we sell is play-tested on real hardware, with a save written, the console switched off and the save checked again — so you know whether the battery still holds. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries.
Browse tested Nintendo gamesQuestions we get asked
How many Mario games are there on the Nintendo 64?
Eight cartridges in Europe: Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 (1997), Mario Party and Mario Golf (1999), Mario Party 2 and Mario Tennis (2000), and Paper Mario and Mario Party 3 (2001). Super Smash Bros. is not counted here — it uses Mario characters but is its own series. The Japanese 64DD titles, including the Mario Artist tools, never came to Europe at all.
Which Mario game never came out in Europe?
Dr. Mario 64. It was released on cartridge in North America in 2001 and never in the PAL region; its first European appearance was on Nintendo Classics in October 2021. There is no European cartridge to look for, and an American one will not fit a European console — the N64 slot is a different shape per region.
Which Mario N64 game should I buy first?
Super Mario 64 alone, Mario Kart 64 with other people. Both are common and cheap. After those, Mario Party 2 for four players and Paper Mario if you want something long — though the European Paper Mario costs noticeably more than the rest, because it arrived here eight months late and sold in smaller numbers.
Will the save still work on a used N64 cartridge?
It depends on the game. Super Mario 64 and Mario Kart 64 use EEPROM, which needs no power and does not age out. The Mario Party games and Paper Mario keep their save in memory powered by a coin cell, the same as a Game Boy cartridge, and some of those are now flat — the game plays but forgets everything when you switch off. The cell is replaceable. We write a save on every cartridge, power the console down and check it again before listing.
Are N64 cartridges region-locked?
Yes, and physically: the cartridge slot has a different shape per region, so an American cartridge will not fit a European console without modification. Everything we sell is the European (PAL) version unless the product page says otherwise.
Why did the analogue sticks wear out?
Partly design, partly Mario Party. The N64 stick uses a plastic gear mechanism that grinds itself smooth with use, and the first Mario Party has minigames that ask you to rotate the stick as fast as possible — which people did with the flat of their hand. Nintendo of America ended up offering gloves. A worn stick can be replaced; we test every controller we sell for drift and range.
Do you ship Mario N64 games across the EU?
Yes — tracked shipping from the Netherlands to all 27 EU countries, no customs charges inside the EU, and 30 days to return an order. Your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
One console on: all Mario GameCube games and all Mario Wii games — or the whole series in order. Same console, different franchise: both Zelda N64 games.
Dutch reader? Nintendo 64-games — het hele aanbod in het Nederlands.
