Series guide
All Wario games in order
Wario started as Mario’s villain and ended up with two series of his own: the Wario Land platformers, where he shrugs off damage and hoards treasure, and WarioWare, the five-second microgame collections. Searches mix the two lines up constantly, so below they are listed separately, in release order, with the platforms linked — because those are the cartridges we stock and test.
The short answer
Platformers: Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (1994) through Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Wii, 2008) — eight games. Microgames: WarioWare from 2003 through Move It! (Switch, 2023) — ten boxed games. No order required; start with Wario Land 4 (GBA) or WarioWare Gold (3DS).
The Wario Land line in order
- Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 · 1994 · Game Boy — his first starring role, straight after his 1992 debut as a villain
- Virtual Boy Wario Land · 1995 · Virtual Boy — stuck on Nintendo’s red headset, which never launched in Europe
- Wario Land II · 1998 · Game Boy / Color — introduces the twist: Wario can’t die, and getting hurt transforms him
- Wario Land 3 · 2000 · Game Boy Color — Color-only cartridge — it won’t run on an original Game Boy
- Wario Land 4 · 2001 · Game Boy Advance — the last portable Wario Land
- Wario World · 2003 · GameCube — the 3D experiment, made with Treasure
- Wario: Master of Disguise · 2007 · Nintendo DS — touch-controlled side story
- Wario Land: The Shake Dimension · 2008 · Wii — hand-drawn finale — called Shake It! in America
The WarioWare line in order
- WarioWare, Inc.: Minigame Mania · 2003 · Game Boy Advance — the microgame formula starts here; Mega Microgame$! in America
- WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Game$! · 2003 · GameCube — the GBA microgames turned into a multiplayer party
- WarioWare: Twisted! · 2004 · Game Boy Advance — gyro-sensor cartridge, never released in Europe
- WarioWare: Touched! · 2004 · Nintendo DS — stylus and microphone microgames
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves · 2006 · Wii — motion controls — the party staple
- WarioWare: D.I.Y. · 2009 · Nintendo DS — make and share your own microgames
- Game & Wario · 2013 · Wii U — GamePad experiments rather than rapid-fire microgames
- WarioWare Gold · 2018 · Nintendo 3DS — the greatest-hits collection: about 300 microgames
- WarioWare: Get It Together! · 2021 · Nintendo Switch — playable characters that change how every microgame works
- WarioWare: Move It! · 2023 · Nintendo Switch — the motion party — Smooth Moves’ heir
Do you have to play them in order?
No. The Wario Land games are self-contained adventures, and WarioWare resets its premise every time. Release order mainly shows the evolution: Wario Land grew from a Mario spin-off into its own no-death puzzle-platforming idea, and WarioWare reinvented its controls with nearly every console — stylus, gyro, motion, and back again.
Which Wario game should you buy now?
- Platforming: Wario Land 4 (GBA) — the series at full speed, and it also plays on a DS or DS Lite’s GBA slot.
- Microgames, the collection: WarioWare Gold (3DS) — about 300 microgames from across the series in one cartridge.
- Microgames, current: Get It Together! or Move It! on Switch — solo-friendly and party-friendly respectively.
- The origin: Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy) — where the greed began.
Buying Wario second-hand
Two lines, two kinds of game
Wario Land is a run of greedy, deliberate platformers; WarioWare is five-second microgames played in rapid succession. The names sound alike and the boxes look alike, so check which line you are buying — the lists above keep them apart.
Twisted! never came to Europe
Its cartridge has a built-in gyro sensor, and the European release was cancelled — copies you find are American or Japanese imports. The GBA itself is region-free, so an import cartridge does play on a European Game Boy Advance.
Check which Game Boy your cartridge needs
Wario Land II plays on both the original Game Boy and the Color; Wario Land 3 is a Color-only cartridge and Wario Land 4 is Game Boy Advance. All three generations are region-free, and saves live on the cartridge.
Original manuals, sold separately
For several Wario Land games we also stock the original manual on its own — useful if your loose cartridge deserves its booklet back. Every listing states exactly what you get.
Every copy tested before it is listed
Booting, gameplay, saving, label condition — checked on real hardware. We have been doing this since 2019, with 1400+ verified reviews at 5.0★, and we ship tracked to all 27 EU countries. Originals only; if something ever turns out not to be genuine, you get your money back.
Browse tested Nintendo gamesQuestions we get asked
Do I need to play the Wario games in order?
No. Every Wario Land stands on its own and WarioWare has no story to follow. The lists are release order, which mainly matters if you want to see how the ideas evolved.
What is the difference between Wario Land and WarioWare?
Wario Land is platforming: levels, treasure, secrets. WarioWare is a rapid chain of five-second microgames. They share a main character and nothing else.
When did Wario first appear?
As the villain of Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992). Two years later he got his own game, Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 — which is why that Game Boy cartridge carries both names.
Which Wario game should I start with?
For platforming: Wario Land 4 on GBA. For microgames today: WarioWare Gold on 3DS collects about 300 of them, and Get It Together! is the current Switch entry.
Is Wario Land: Shake It! the same game as The Shake Dimension?
Yes — Shake It! is the American title, The Shake Dimension the European one. Same Wii game.
Do you ship outside the Netherlands?
We ship to all 27 EU countries with track & trace. Parcels leave from the Netherlands, there are no customs charges within the EU, and your country’s exact rate appears at checkout before you pay.
Years given are the first release; European dates were sometimes a few months later. Onze Mario-collectie in het Nederlands.
