The best SNES games of all time

By Steven Petite Updated July 30, 2024

When the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) launched, it was an instant success following some of the legendary Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Nintendo sold out the initial shipment of 300,000 systems within hours, making it one of the best-selling consoles of all time. While not quite as big of a quantum leap as the jump to the N64 would be, the SNES was a technical powerhouse for its time.

The system offered now-classic games and follow-ups to some of the best NES games with , and, of course, some of the best Mario games. The system brings back fond memories for lots of players, but because it was so long ago, some of our favorites have been lost to time. To highlight some of these missing classics, we have compiled a list of some of the best games the SNES had to offer.

If you’re diving into Nintendo history, you should also check out our round-ups of the best Game Boy Color, best Nintendo 64 games, and best Game Boy Advance games. There are also a lot of great Nintendo titles included in Digital Trends’ ranking of the top 50 best video games of all time.

Few video game series carry the reverence the video game industry holds for the best The Legend of Zelda games. This franchise has been around for almost 30 years and has introduced generations of gamers to fantastic games. It’s one of the most influential series, on par with titles like Super Mario games. There are points to be made for which Zelda game is the best today — many people would argue for a more recent entry, — but for a long time, was the pinnacle of the series and the best game in the SNES’s stellar library. This installment in the franchise is a classic because of the outstanding gameplay.  is an incredibly exciting adventure, and it also introduces concepts that you will recognize from other Zelda games, including the Dark World, or the Sages. The story of influenced the subsequent games in the franchise. The vast lands of Hyrule and the Dark World are jam-packed with secrets to uncover, making for a thrilling playing experience. The game’s secrets and exploration mechanism are memorable. Finding a cave’s entrance was a wildly exciting adventure, allowing you to imagine all the challenges and hidden treasures awaiting you. The dungeons in are perfect examples of the ones all The Legend of Zelda games are famous for. dungeons aren’t easy, but they’re fair. Winning the exclusive treasures and weapons deep within them transforms Link from a green-clothed explorer into a formidable warrior. Other video games encourage players to crush their foes, but manages to provide entertainment and a challenge without promoting needless violence. To win the game, you have to defeat Ganon and all the other villains – but you’ll spend most of the game solving puzzles and unraveling adventures. delivers a unique experience by focusing on independent exploration rather than simply hunting and killing. Like other games in the Legend of Zelda series, instills child-like wonder and curiosity while cultivating a deep appreciation of a plot and the power of character.