More Mustache: Here Are the Top-Selling Mario Games of All Time

Ever since Mario’s green warp pipe first invaded our living rooms, the Italian plumber has inspired many of the world’s most beloved games.

Mario made his first appearance in Donkey Kong in 1981, then took center stage alongside Luigi in Super Mario Bros. in 1985(Opens in a new window). Many other titles have followed in the nearly four decades since: Mario Party, Mario Kart, Mario Golf. Everyone has their favorite.

This year has seen two exciting new chapters to the franchise’s storied history. In February, Super Nintendo World opened in Orlando, Florida (PCMag had an exclusive visit). Today, the Super Mario Bros. movie debuts.

While it’s hard quantify the love for our mustachioed friend, a new study(Opens in a new window) from Brightspeedplans.com reveals the most searched game in each US state. The results find some regional differences and a clear preference for two games in particular.

Super Mario claims the top spot, being the most-searched in 23 states concentrated in the Northeast and South. Mario Party follows, with 17 states—mostly in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest—clamoring to take a spin around the virtual board game.

Soccer-themed Mario Strikers is a distant third (five states), then Mario Golf and Mario Kart (two states each), and finally Mario Tennis and Paper Mario (one state each).

Most-searched Mario games by state.
(Credit: Brightspeedplans.com)

While Mario Kart is the most searched title in only Iowa and the District of Columbia, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017, Switch) is the franchise’s top-selling title of all time: 45.3 million copies have been sold, followed by the original 1985 Super Mario Bros., with 40 million sales.

Mario Kart and Super Mario are neck-and-neck in terms of critical acclaim, with games from both franchises receiving an average Metascore(Opens in a new window) of 86 out of 100.

So, which Mario game is most popular overall? Between Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros., it’s hard to name a clear winner. Super Mario Bros. might have the most sales of all time, but it came out seven years before Mario Kart. That said, even today, Super Mario Bros. is the most Googled in more states. Perhaps the critics are right: They’re equally epic.

(Credit: Brightspeedplans.com)

Methodology: Brightspeedplans.com, an internet and telecommunications company, began the study by compiling a list of the most popular Mario game series in the Nintendo franchise using ratings from Fandom(Opens in a new window), VGChartz(Opens in a new window), and Metacritic(Opens in a new window). Then, the company compiled all-time unit sales, as well as Google Trends data for the 12 months prior to November 2022.

Press Paws! With HyperX’s Gamer Pet Toys, Your Pooch Can Be an Esports Hound