switch 2 This should have been Mario's easiest layup yet, especially after Nintendo's latest Direct left fans waiting for gaming's most famous mascot to finally step back into the spotlight. Instead, Direct came and went without any new standalone 3D announcements. mario That leaves the Switch 2 with an odd distinction that no Nintendo console would want to attach itself to. Notably, Mario is now more than eight and a half years away from his last original 3D platform adventure, marking the biggest drought ever for the iconic plumber.
super mario odyssey It was released on October 27, 2017 and still remains the last fully standalone 3D. mario A game released by Nintendo. of course, Bowser's Fury It deserves recognition because it was released in 2021 and experimented with a more open structure. Super Mario 3D World It was never produced or sold as a fully standalone successor. It was also incredibly short, so thinking the drought was over feels more like a loophole than a fair read. marioThe current situation seems to be avoiding Switch 2 for the time being.
After Ocarina of Time and Star Fox, Switch 2's Next N64 Remake Is Confirmed
After Ocarina of Time and Star Fox, Switch 2 already has the perfect opening to deliver a worthy remake of another classic N64 title.
Mario has never gone this long between full 3D games
The disappointing part is marioThe absence of the current Switch 2 is that long waits between 3D entries are nothing new, but this one is definitely different. Nintendo has never dealt with 3D mario It operates as an annual franchise, but that's actually a good thing. Because it helped each new entry feel like a major event worth the wait. Nevertheless, the gap after that Odyssey It has now far surpassed every major standby the series has seen since. super mario 64.
Who is that character?
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
start
Check out the silhouette before time runs out.
Easy (7.5 seconds) Medium (5.0 seconds) Hard (2.5 seconds) Eternal Death (2.5 seconds)
Any drought between major 3D Mario games
- super mario 64 to super mario sunshine: 5 years, 10 months, 28 days
- super mario sunshine to super mario galaxy: 5 years, 2 months, 17 days
- super mario galaxy to super mario galaxy 2: 2 years 6 months 11 days
- super mario galaxy 2 to Super Mario 3D Land: 1 year, 5 months, 21 days
- Super Mario 3D Land to Super Mario 3D World: 2 years 9 days
- Super Mario 3D World to super mario odyssey: 3 years, 11 months, 5 days
- super mario odyssey To date: over 8 years and 7 months
Considering the waiting time super mario odyssey And then 3D mario The game is now approaching nine years, and when the next entry finally arrives, the drought will likely double the longest release gap in the franchise's history. Previously the longest stretch was super mario 64—Original 3D mario games and super mario sunshineThis makes sense considering the scale of the jump from the Nintendo 64 to the GameCube era. but Odyssey We've now waited almost three more years than that, and there's no confirmed successor on the Switch 2 calendar.
Bowser's anger complicates the situation, but it still doesn't matter.
that Bowser's Fury The argument is the only problem, and even clearing the record is not enough. Bowser's Fury It was interesting because I felt like I could get a glimpse of where 3D is. mario Next, a more experimental approach to a single connected play space and structure could be used. But it was still an added feature combined with the improved Wii U port. mario's next flagship adventure.
space after Odyssey It has now far surpassed every major standby the series has seen since. super mario 64.
Historically 3D mario Games have defined the launch of Nintendo hardware. super mario 64 It introduced players to the Nintendo 64 and its features. super mario galaxy It became a great creative display for the Wii, super mario odyssey It gave the original Nintendo Switch one of its most important early exclusives. In switch 2 mario kart world As great as they are, racing games can't completely replace the feeling of discovery that comes with new 3D. mario Built around new hardware.
Fans aren't happy about the lack of 3D Mario on Switch 2.
The longer the wait, the more fans start talking about the missing 3D. mario It's one of the Switch 2's strangest and most glaring absences. One Reddit post by user West-Exam-4136 pointed out that October 2026 would mark nine years since then. Odyssey And I asked if Nintendo would show anything new. mario Enjoy or save your game this year Odyssey's 10th anniversary. The same post summarized the impatience bluntly, saying 10 years was “too long.”
Other comments show how the gap is starting to affect people's feelings about the Switch 2 itself. In the same post, user GOAt_tWO3 said: Odyssey It was the game that made me want the Switch in the first place, and it's exactly the kind of statement that explains why its absence feels so obvious now. User OilMeUpStewart also wrote: Donkey Kong Bananza It looked good, but it wasn't enough to get me to buy a Switch 2. mario The game will make them “trigger”.
But there are voices that are more generous, and it's worth acknowledging because this is Nintendo after all. Some fans are still willing to embrace the new 3D. mario User AttleesTears claims in a Reddit post by user ChiTownDog that the problem isn't a lack of good games, but rather the fact that Switch 2's release library and release schedule aren't what people expect from a new Nintendo console that will eventually release. And that's the crux of the problem. Because the frustration isn't necessarily that Nintendo doesn't have anything to play, but that Nintendo doesn't have full 3D. mario When you feel that the new system is already ready.
Zelda still gets games, Mario doesn't.
Compared to the original Switch, the situation with Switch 2 becomes more difficult to ignore. The first Switch was released in 2017. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and received super mario odyssey Less than 8 months later. That first year gave Nintendo fans something new, full 3D. mario and new zelda Rather than a simple but much-needed hardware upgrade, this is a game that immediately made the Switch feel like a complete generational reset.
Since then, zelda I've been receiving that type of treatment for a long time. mario Fans are still waiting. Tears of the Kingdom The massive sequel to was released in 2023. breath of the wild, Echo of Wisdom It was released a year later, and now ocarina of time The remake is scheduled for Switch 2 in 2026. zelda A new open world release, improved Switch 2 attention, an all-new entry featuring a new protagonist, and a 3D remake of one of the most beloved games ever made. mario still living lonely Odysseylegacy.
The frustration isn't that Nintendo doesn't have anything to play, it's that Nintendo doesn't have full 3D. mario When you feel that the new system is already ready.
None of this means Nintendo has completely ignored it. mario Overall though. super mario bros wonder gave 2D mario a major creative victory; mario kart world It's already brought us some great multiplayer games on Switch 2, and mario In general, the brand is still healthier than almost any franchise in gaming. The problem is that none of it answers certain questions fans have been asking ever since. OdysseyRotate around the following 3D: mario game.
So Switch 2 is now the wrong kind of mario Nintendo set a record because it allowed a wait that surpassed all historical comparisons. The company may eventually release 3D. mario It's a game that makes silence feel justified, and history shows that Nintendo is very capable of turning patience into a reward. But until the truth comes to light mario's most significant Switch 2 achievement was unfortunately the longest drought of any of his 3D series.
