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 Mortal Kombat, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, 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.