Since 2001, Intelligent Systems has distributed seven mainline Paper Mario RPG titles that span four generations of Nintendo hardware. The inaugural Paper Mario game debuted in 2000 on the Nintendo 64, featuring a turn-based, action-command combat system and a unique art style made of cardboard and paper. The sequel, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, launched in 2004 on the Nintendo GameCube and expanded the formula with the most robust party system and partner-pivot mechanics as well as a chapter-based structure. The series has since innovated in other genres, with the Wii Super Paper Mario's action-platformer hybrid format, the 3DS Sticker Star's sticker-based combat, the Wii U Color Splash's paint-exploration mechanic, the Switch The Origami King's ring-puzzle combat, and the 2024 Nintendo Switch remake of The Thousand-Year Door. This extensive 2026 ranking features the ten mainline Paper Mario and Paper Mario-adjacent Mario tactical RPG games and their innovative combat system, distinct visual art style made of paper and cardboard, and Nintendo Switch expansion, establishing a defining franchise for the last 25 years.
The ranking has three primary criteria. The game has to be a mainline Paper Mario title or a closely-related Mario RPG featuring tactical or turn-based combat that is also exclusive to the Switch. The gameplay must be in line with modern standards through the end of 2026; games that do are ranked higher regardless of when they were released in relation to the Switch. And finally, the game's reach must extend well beyond the Paper Mario fandom into the Nintendo RPG community.
Combining the deepest partner system in the franchise with the most ambitious chapter structure, The Thousand-Year Door is the best Paper Mario game because of the GameCube original from 2004. Second place goes to Mario RPG on the Nintendo 64 because the 2001 original established the action-command combat template. This template has influenced two decades of Mario RPG design. Paper Mario: TTYD Switch Remake from 2024 also takes third place since the modern presentation preserves all gameplay elements of the GameCube original, updating it for today's Nintendo audiences.
This catalogue is shaped by the progression of hardware in the Paper Mario franchise and the expanded tactical Mario RPG sub-genres. All mainline entries of Paper Mario 2001-2024 are exclusively on Nintendo platforms across the N64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, WiiU, and Switch hardware generations. The only Paper Mario crossover with the Mario & Luigi franchise is the 2015 game Paper Jam, which fused both RPG sub-genres into one 3DS adventure. The 2017 game Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and its sequel in 2022, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, fall under the tactical Mario RPG sub-genre on Switch that is exclusive to Ubisoft Milan in collaboration with Nintendo. The Mario + Rabbids duology is included because it serves as a tactical RPG companion to the Paper Mario series, though the characters reframed into a tactical RPG format with XCOM-inspired grid combat are ones from neither series directly. For more Mario RPG context across various sub-franchises, including Mario & Luigi and Super Mario RPG, refer to our Every Mario RPG Ranked guide.
In 2026, readers looking into the legacy of Paper Mario's mainline RPG series will find the following titles as the best starting point for a twenty-five year span of Nintendo's platforming history. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
Ranking the Paper Mario & Mario Tactical RPG Games
In making the rankings, we have to explain our thinking in evaluating the Paper Mario series and the Mario tactical RPGs. To do this, we will break our rankings down into three categories, capturing certain design strengths that the games may have. First is the depth and innovation of the combat and mechanics. This includes things like The Thousand-Year Door's action-command timing system, partner-pivot combat mechanics, and audience participation - where players earn star power by performing stylish moves in a dramatic way. Another example is Super Paper Mario's unique 2D and 3D dimension-flipping and puzzle mechanic, which is a design idea that no other Paper Mario game has used again. The Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle game also changed the way we think about combat in Mario games by using tactical RPG mechanics where players have to use cover and coordinate abilities with other characters to win in combat.
Paper Mario also established a unique look and feel to the games that we consider visually and experientially innovative. The series originated the papercraft aesthetic used throughout the franchise - with 3D environments and 2D characters rendered as paper sprites. Other environments and characters would be destroyed or folded to tell part of the story. The Origami King uses these same ideas by implementing papercraft enemies that unfold during battles, creating new puzzles for players to solve by manipulating the papercraft terrain. The TTYD Paper Mario Switch Remake also uses the papercraft visuals while modernizing the GameCube version with HD graphics and updated lighting along with presentation refinements to fit the visual style of the Switch.
Game exclusivity and their overall influence on the genre and series provide further dimension to the evaluation process.
All the entries below have been re-evaluated for modern playability standards through 2026. If the entries continue to hold up, they will be ranked highly regardless of when the other entries were evaluated compared to the most recent quality-of-life improvements. The main series Paper Mario games are Nintendo platform exclusives stretching from the N64 all the way to the Switch. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is the only Paper Mario crossover with the Mario & Luigi franchise. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Sparks of Hope are tactical RPG Mario entries on Switch that sit on the Nintendo platform-publisher border of Cluster 3 with Paper Mario. This is why the inclusion of these entries prioritizes the Mario RPG sub-genre on Switch over strict adherence to only including titles from the Paper Mario series. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
10. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope — Mario Tactical RPG Sequel (2022)
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is placed tenth. The game is developed by Ubisoft Milan and is a sequel to Kingdom Battle, a 2022 Nintendo Switch exclusive. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is one of the few sequels in the franchise. It features an improved version of the tactical combat system which replaces the grid based square movement to circular movement zones for each character. There are 8 playable characters including Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, Rosalina, and Edge, a new sword-wielding protagonist Rabbid character. Each combat scenario occurs in one of the five different planets in the Sparkverse cosmos. Each of these planets has unique environmental situations and Spark creatures that keep the battles different from each other. This is in contrast to the first game, which had battles set in only the Mushroom Kingdom. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
When playing a character, you gain Sparks which are companion creatures. These Sparks provide additional elemental damage, status effect immunities, and other once per battle abilities. This increases the number of tactics a player can use. Each character has a skill tree that influences their character's role in combat. There are three roles: damage, support, and tank. The game has a few DLC expansions. One of these DLCs includes Rayman as a guest character. Rayman has his own campaign that spans three planets. This greatly increases completionist playtime. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is the first Mario RPG tactical game and along with Kingdom Battle, the Mario + Rabbids franchise has evolved out of the tactical grid format.
9. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle — The Beginning of Mario Tactical RPGs (2017)
Taking the ninth spot is Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle being developed by Ubisoft Milan. The game introduced a new sub-genre of tactical RPGs for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. The game features a grid based combat system and all 8 characters playable are Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Rabbid Mario, Rabbid Luigi, Rabbid Peach, and Rabbid Yoshi. The story consists of 4 worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom that are crafted from chaos after the time travel mishap of the Rabbids. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle features combat inspired by XCOM, and employs the use of cover systems and tactical positioning where your units can take damage based on how you position them. Each character has a different weapon and that encourages players to strategize in order to win. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
Each of the characters has a progression system to their abilities and in order to unlock the different weapon types and tactical abilities that are available, you will need to gain some orbs from combat. The abilities are damage modifiers and Mario has an overwatch ability called HeroSight, and Rabbid Peach has a healing aura, and Yoshi has a damage dealing skill where he launches an egg. The Donkey Kong Adventure DLC lets you play as Donkey Kong who also has his own multi-level campaign in the new tropical area that comes with the DLC. The game has a total of 8 worlds in the base game and 1 in the DLC and you will encounter bosses like Megabug, Rabbid Kong, and final Megabug Transformation at the end of each section. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle set the standard for all other Mario tactical RPGs after it as well as establishing Ubisoft Milan as a developer.
8. Paper Mario: Sticker Star — Sticker Combat Experiment (2012)
Paper Mario: Sticker Star is placed at 8th for being Intelligent Systems' 2012 Nintendo 3DS entry and being the first to test a different combat system by using stickers as a type of combat mechanic. Overworld fights are not turn-based but use Mario's Sticker Album, which gives him a set number of attack stickers, jump stickers, and hammer stickers, as well as special Item stickers. These stickers have to battle Mario’s opponents and are used up during combat. To make this game different than the other Mario games, the partner system was removed, so Mario has to fight on his own throughout all of the fights in the Decalburg and the surrounding Mushroom Kingdom chapters.
Sticker Star split the fanbase. TTYD fans saw the sticker system as a backwards step, whilst 3DS fans enjoyed the simplicity. With the 3DS's stereoscopic 3D, players could see the papercraft 3D environments and different Mushroom Kingdom locations. Some players liked the combat and puzzle mix, while others who wanted pure combat found it frustrating. Each boss needed a specific Item sticker, like the Goat for the first boss and the Fan for the third. Paper Mario: Sticker Star was the first game to try something different for the series by removing party-based combat and switching to solo Mario combat. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
7. Paper Mario: Color Splash — Paint-Themed Wii U Experiment (2016)
Paper Mario: Color Splash ranks seventh as Intelligent Systems' 2016 Nintendo Wii U exclusive that refined the Sticker Star template with a paint-themed combat and exploration system. The Card combat system replaces stickers with paint cards which have to be selected and powered up using the Wii U GamePad touchscreen for each combat encounter. The single-protagonist format from Sticker Star continues with Mario soloing all the Prism Island chapters to get back the seven Big Paint Stars that King Bowser stole. The painted-world aesthetic gives Color Splash a distinct visual identity unmatched by any other Paper Mario game. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
Sticker Star’s Battle Card system is improved by the addition of Thing Cards which are one-time, paint-powered enhancements, the Paint Hammer tool which allows Mario to add color to areas of the overworld that are drained, and the Cutout ability which lets Mario cut out portions of the paper world to uncover secrets. The GamePad from the Wii U is finally utilized in Color Splash with touchscreen card selection adding a level of strategy that has been missing from the Paper Mario games made during the Switch era. Paper Mario: Color Splash is the best of the Wii U Paper Mario games and set the standard for the visual aesthetic improvements The Origami King later built upon for the Switch generation.
6. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam — Paper Mario Merges with 2015
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam gets the number 6 spot because of being the result of a collaboration between both AlphaDream and Intelligent Systems for the 2015 Nintendo 3DS title that merged the Mario & Luigi RPG franchises with the Paper Mario franchise. The combat system has the Mario & Luigi action command turn-based battles with the added feature of having a 3rd paper Mario character who can do special trifecta attacks with the other two Mario characters. The Paper Mario and standard Mario worlds literally combine as they adventure throughout the Mushroom Kingdom because of a Bestiary book that was spilled in Princess Peach's castle. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
Paper Jam's trio combat dynamics add depth to the combat that neither Paper Mario nor Mario & Luigi could have shipped solo or together. Mario's Paper Mario lost unique abilities to the series like the paper folding stack maneuver that allows him to create clones of himself to perform multi-hit attacks. He also has the ability to paper airplane to cross over environmental puzzles and this is no other Mario RPG. The crossover narrative gives both franchises some narrative continuity and with the Bowser and Paper Bowser collab, there's an antagonist duo that spans the franchise team-ups of handheld history. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam remains the only release to crossover with Paper Mario, and is most rewarding to rediscover for fans.
5. Paper Mario: The Origami King — Ring-Battle Switch Peak (2020)
Intelligent Systems' Paper Mario: The Origami King takes fifth. It was released for Nintendo Switch in 2020, marking a return for the Paper Mario series after a hiatus since the Wii U Color Splash experiment. It features a new combat system called Ring Battles, which includes a series of concentric circles. Each circle has an enemy that Mario can attack while trying to align by rotating and sliding the circles. The pre-combat ring puzzle creates a spatial challenge for players and can create a successful alignment which leads to a damage multiplier to create a pre-attack strategy. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
Origami castle is the last dungeon in the game which shows the Nintendo Switch's capability to process papercraft objects. Players can interact with numerous in-game elements which will reveal papercraft objects and can unfold and fold origami enemies during combat. Olivia, the game’s new origami princess companion, takes over the role of partner from previous Paper Mario games, and provides combat support without the partner-combat mechanics. With the release of Paper Mario: The Origami King Nintendo showcased that the franchise has a lot of potential to keep developing their combat systems while staying true to their original vision of using paper craft for their graphics.
4. Super Paper Mario — 2007 Platformer RPG Hybrid
Super Paper Mario is in fourth place because of it's unique gameplay. They offer a dimension flip option, allowing you to change the view from 2D to 3D. You can see and access hidden pathways, items, and platforms. Additionally, you can turn off the traditional turn-based combat of the Paper Mario series and can utilize Mario's jumping moves to defeat enemies. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
There are also four main characters in this game: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser. Each has special attributes to get through the game. Mario is the main character and he gets to utilize all the Pixls (so he can do all the extra moves). Each Pixl gives a new special ability. For example, an explosive Pixl named Boomer can explode things. Mario also gets to fly with Peach's parasol and Bowser can shoot fire from his mouth to defeat enemies by jumping over them. Super Paper Mario has divided opinions in the past. It is an excellent game full of amazing stories seeing the antagonist Count Bleck.
3. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Remake — Switch Remake of All-Time Peak (2024)
Coming in third place is Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Remake. Intelligent Systems will be releasing the Nintendo Switch remake of the GameCube title from 2004 which will be The Paper Mario series highest-ranking title. Similar to the GameCube version of the title, the Switch version will maintain all gameplay elements including chapter-based stories, partner systems where 8 accomplices join you, timing-based action commands, an audience rating star power mechanic, and a badge customization system. The Switch version will also be improved for the Switch's HD capabilities allowing a Graphical upgrade to the levels of detail for Lighting and Textures improvements while maintaining the original feel of the game.
You will still traverse Rogueport as your hub and all of the chapter dungeons with a quest for the crystal star that will for sure eclipse over 35 hours of your time if you are a completionist. Each of the 8 partner characters will still deliver the unique abilities required for combat and world movement that you need to propel your progress: Goombella the goomba professor, Koops the koopa shy hero, Madame Flurrie the wind sprite performer, Yoshi the bratty rookie steed, Vivian the shadow siren, Bobbery the retired sailor, Ms. Mowz the badge-thief mouse, and Punio the Puni. The Pit of 100 Trials returns for the franchise's most demanding optional end game dungeon.
Ranking third, the Paper Mario: TTYD Switch Remake is the most accessible and flexible way to experience the peak of the franchise on modern hardware. The original remake gets the top spot as it is historically significant and preserves ranking-canon. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
2. Paper Mario — N64 Series Foundations (2001)
Paper Mario is the 2nd game to be released by Intelligent Systems. It was also the first game in the Paper Mario franchise, setting the standard for the future games to come. Out of all of the Mario RPG's, this game has the most unique and creative art style. Their use of papercraft aesthetics, 2D paper style sprites moving around in a 3D world, is something that has never been done before. The games combat system is turn based, but with a twist. It's not your typical boring turn based game. You have to time your button presses to add more damage and skill to each turn. This has influenced the design of combat in two decades worth of Mario games. Paper Mario has an 8 chapter structure, where each chapter is a dungeon located in the Mushroom Kingdom. This is the most structured progression of any Mario RPG to come, and the franchise has never changed this structure apart from refining it. The game has 7 partner characters. Goombario the goomba scholar, Kooper the blue koopa, Bombette the explosive bob-omb, Parakarry the koopa mailman, Bow the snobbish boo, Watt the electric li'l sparky, Sushie the cheep cheep, and Lakilester the cloud Lakitu.
Each partner provides a special combat ability and an ability to help you get around the map. The Thousand Year Door expanded on these partners. Badges are customization items that you can equip to Mario. These affect combat, and you can earn them by completing various challenges in the game. The game set a standard for future Paper Mario games with the badge system and how combat works. Paper Mario was critically acclaimed, and it set the standard for future Mario RPG sub-franchises and is the spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG which was released in 1996.
The entry continues to be the historical reference point that every subsequent Paper Mario title follows both mechanically and tonally. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — Paper Mario All-Time Peak (2004)
The Paper Mario franchise is headlined by Intelligent Systems' 2004 release for the Nintendo GameCube, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. It is the apex of all seven mainline entries and accompanying Mario RPGs. The GameCube original features the most ambitious chapter structure and the deepest partner system the franchise has ever shipped. Players have the ability to choose from 8 distinct partners, each with their own unique combat and overworld ability as well as their own unique stories that are interwoven with the Crystal Star main quest across the eight dungeons of the chapters. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
The Audience feature adds a level of theatrecism to the action-command combat system. Mario's Star Power gauge, which is charged by performing certain combat actions in a stylish way, is an example of this. Some of Mario's combat audience-pleasing attacks include the Charge attack (which is largely considered an audience-pleasing attack) and the partner-pivot Stylish Trick. These moves Mario performs then subsequently grant him Star Power, which is a requirement for certain powerful Special Moves that can be used in the later stages of a game. The chapter structure includes the franchise's most narrative-ambitious set-pieces — the Glitzville wrestling tournament where Mario fights through ranked combat tiers under the Great Gonzales pseudonym, the Twilight Town dimensional puzzle where Mario must shift between sun and moon-aligned realities, the Pirates' Grotto underwater dungeon with Bobbery's emotional backstory, and the Palace of Shadow final dungeon with the Shadow Queen antagonist confrontation.
The badge customization system reaches franchise depth with hundreds of unique badge combinations enabling combat builds ranging from defensive-focused stat boosters to offensive-focused damage maximizers to status-effect-focused control builds.
The Pit of 100 Trials post-game dungeon adds the most difficult optional content in the series. Eight of the partner characters — Goombella, Koops, Madame Flurrie, Yoshi, Vivian, Bobbery, Ms. Mowz, Punio — get full character arcs that the chapter format integrates into the main storyline. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is the height of the franchise and is the game that every Paper Mario fan first starting the series must play first to see what exactly great Paper Mario design is after 25 years of Nintendo platforming games.
Where To Start and Other Noteworthy Mentions
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, released in 1996, is one of the Mario RPGs close to inclusion that inspired the entire Paper Mario franchise. However, since it was published through a collaboration between Square Enix and Nintendo, it is positioned outside the Paper Mario franchise. The Super Mario RPG Switch Remake also falls outside the Paper Mario scope, as does the Mario & Luigi RPG sub-franchise (Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, Bowser's Inside Story, Dream Team, and Brothership), which is a parallel Mario RPG series that is featured in our Every Mario RPG Ranked listing. For wider Nintendo JRPG context across different franchises, refer to our Best Nintendo JRPGs of All Time hub. This comprehensive ranking reflects editorial standards in 2026.
For newcomers to the Paper Mario series in 2026, the 2024 Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door will be the best starting point as it will retain all the gameplay features of the 2004 GameCube version. Paper Mario on Nintendo 64 through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription will be required to play the first title in the franchise to set the foundation of the series. The Origami King is the latest title on Switch and features the ring-battle combat system, so that will be the last title that newcomers will have to play. Also, Paper Mario: The [Other] King is the last title on Switch and features the ring-battle combat system, so that will be the last title that newcomers will have to play.
Super Paper Mario is available on Wii via Wii Virtual Console and Wii backwards compatibility, and is the series' most out-there platformer-RPG hybrid diversion. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Sparks of Hope on Switch offer the modern Mario tactical RPG buddy experiences for those fans wondering about the broader Mario RPG sub-genre. Spanning twenty-five years of Intelligent Systems development, the Paper Mario series covers Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, and Switch hardware generations.
All images are official screenshots from their respective publishers and developers. Published May 17, 2026.