15 Best SNES Games On Nintendo Switch Online

Originally bundled with the first shipments of Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems, "Super Mario World" is the first game in the Super Mario series to introduce the ridable, adorable, and always hungry dinosaur, Yoshi. Princess Toadstool has been captured by the evil Bowser, and it's up to Mario and Luigi to adventure across Dinosaur Land alongside the Yoshis to rescue her. This 2D side scroller tasks players to get creative with game-changing powerups like a cape that allows the Mario Bros to fly and the classic fireball-flinging Fire Flower to clear levels as they see fit.

With 74 unique stages, tons of hidden secrets and bonuses, and an assortment of creatively designed enemies, "Super Mario World" has a lot of content to keep hardcore platformer fans entertained for a long time to come. From the relatively chill atmosphere of Yoshi's Island to the claustrophobic corridors of Vanilla Mountain, to the puzzling Forest of Illusion, to the ultra-secret Star Road levels, "Super Mario World" and its easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master controls regularly present players with exciting new challenges to keep them on their toes. The 1990 classic SNES game also sports a robust 2-player co-op mode, where players take on the roles of Mario and Luigi while taking turns to complete levels as they progressively get closer to Bowser's Castle.

Kirby fans certainly got their money's worth when "Kirby Super Star" was released in 1996, and now you can explore this sprawling SNES game's eight adventures packed in one collection. Sure, the simple four-stage game of "Spring Breeze" is an easy stroll across Dreamland to take back the food King Dedede stole, but it's only to train you for the more difficult challenges to come in games like the white-knuckle thrill ride of "Revenge of Meta Knight," the maze-like treasure discovering the fun of "The Great Cave Offensive," and the galaxy-spanning finale of "Milky Way Wishes."

Just like other Kirby titles, the little pink puffball gains the abilities of the enemies he swallows along the way, but with the press of a button, Kirby can toss aside his current power to summon a helpful ally character to fight alongside him, which can be controlled by a friend for a two-player co-op at any time. There are also a few fun minigames to be discovered within "Kirby Super Star" too, including "Megaton Punch," where you'll test your timing against your friend's to see who is the strongest in Dreamland, and "The Arena," where Kirby and company will have to overcome a gauntlet of every major baddie throughout the entire game.

While "EarthBound" may very well be the weirdest game to ever grace the SNES, this delightfully bizarre title is easily one of the console's best role-playing games. The story of "EarthBound" is a strange, hilarious, spooky, and heartwarming tale that centers around four young friends as they travel the world and battle oddball enemies to stop the end of the world, as predicted by a time-traveling alien entity that took the form of a bee. And that's just what happens in the first ten minutes of the game!

"EarthBound" may have sold poorly when it hit stores in 1994, but this RPG has amassed a huge cult following in the decades to follow due to its trippy visuals, innovative combat system, genuinely funny writing, and memorable cast of characters. It's a particularly lengthy game too, so you'll have plenty of time to find your best strategy for fighting hippies, cavemen, and zombies alongside your psychic, genius, and magical buddies.

One of the last great titles to release on the SNES way back in 1997, "Kirby's Dream Land 3" was the fifth and final Kirby game for the aging console. A mysterious dark force has engulfed the once-happy world of Dreamland, so Kirby ventures out with his animal buddies to drive back the encroaching baddies and restore peace one more time.

Some of the many ways "Kirby's Dream Land 3" differentiates itself from other Kirby games include the ability to summon his new pal, an always hungry long-tongued deep blue blob named Gooey at any time so a friend can jump in as a co-op buddy, an adorable hand-drawn art style, and an assortment of fun new animal friends like Nago the cat and ChuChu the octopus. This adorably sketchy game may seem simple at a glance, but it will take clever players to uncover all of "Kirby's Dream Land 3's" well-hidden secrets by combining Kirby's abilities and the help of cute animals to solve puzzles.

The lovable Yoshis are back, and this time, it's up to the colorful reptiles to travel to the far side of Yoshi's Island to reunite baby Mario with baby Luigi, who was kidnapped by evil Magikoopa Kamek. Sure, "Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island" is the direct sequel to the original "Super Mario World," but between playing exclusively as Yoshi, transforming into helicopters, cars, and other vehicles, and the ultimate goal of safely transporting little Mario to the end goal without him being abducted by baddies, it's an entirely different experience.

"Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island" features a colorful hand-drawn style that oozes charm and a responsive control scheme that will need to be mastered if your vibrant collection of Yoshis will have a chance of getting to the end of World 6. Speaking of which, there are plenty of collectibles to seek out, and getting 100% of the red coins, Special Flowers, and 30 stars per level will unlock an extra level per world that will put your jumping, egg-throwing, and ground-pounding skills to the ultimate test.

It's been far too long since Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong ventured out to explore the Northern Kremisphere, so it's up to Dixie Kong and Kiddie Kong to travel the dizzying heights of Razor Ridge, the industrial wasteland of Mekanos, and far beyond to find them. The exotic wilderness and the strange creatures that call it home will pose a challenge, but veteran players will keep an eye out for the best times to swap Kongs to utilize Dixie Kong's hair-twirling moves for Kiddie Kong's bulk-based moves to traverse the game's 48 creatively designed levels and find its many secrets.

Speaking of which, there are tons of collectibles to look for ranging from Bear Coins used to barter for goodies with the Brothers Bear family scattered around the world, to well-hidden Banana Birds that will provide players with a satisfying reward if they can find them all. With its intimidating boss enemies, atmospheric soundtrack, and action-packed gameplay, "Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!" ends the SNES Donkey Kong Country trilogy on a high note.

By the time Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System alongside "Super Mario World," Super Mario was a household name with multiple beloved adventures released for Nintendo's previous console. It would have been relatively easy for Nintendo to simply port a few NES Mario titles to the SNES, but "Super Mario All-Stars" features four completely remade versions of "Super Mario Bros.," "Super Mario Bros. 2," "Super Mario Bros. 3," and "Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels" in a single cartridge.

It was a delight to replay or discover the original Super Mario games for the first time with more detailed 16-bit visuals when "Super Mario All-Stars" hit shelves in 1993, but what western gamers call "Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels" is what Japanese fans know as the direct sequel to "Super Mario Bros," and it wasn't released outside of Japan until much later. If you're a fan of Mario's modern adventures, you owe it to yourself to play through the first few Super Mario games via this comprehensive SNES collection.

The last of the parasitic Metroid aliens is safely held in captivity, that is until Space Pirates recapture the creature and destroy the research station, and only Samus Aran can track the alien fiends to the center of the maze-like planet of Zebes to retrieve it. The winding caverns of Zebes are threatening, but as Samus finds upgrades to her cybernetic suit, like the Morph Ball, Grappling Beam, and Super Missiles, the grotesque native creatures get a little less scary with each new boost.

In addition to finding new ways to open up fresh hollows and hallways, players should keep their eyes open for little inconsistencies in the environment, as there are plenty of extremely well-hidden bonuses like missile capacity upgrades that are worth seeking out. With monsters that stand multiple screens tall, and new freakish aliens to surprise you behind every new environment Samus visits, sci-fi fans will have a blast with the futuristic world of "Super Metroid."