The compilation was released on September 18, 2020, and was available until March 31, 2021, when it was discontinued and removed from theNintendo eShop. It received positive reviews for its games, technical improvements, and controls, but was criticized for its presentation, lack of additional content,time-limited release, and the absence ofSuper Mario Galaxy 2 (2010). As of March 2021,Super Mario 3D All-Stars had sold more than 9 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling video games of 2020.
All games in the collection utilizeemulation;[4] however,Galaxy was partially recompiled to run natively on the Nintendo Switch. They supportJoy-Con controls with rumble function, and are displayed at higher resolutions, such asSunshine running in a16:9 aspect ratio.[5] BothSunshine andGalaxy are displayed in1080p inTV Mode and720p in Handheld Mode, while64 is displayed in 720p in both modes in a4:3 aspect ratio.[6] Apatch released in November 2020 added camera options for all three games and control options for F.L.U.D.D. inSunshine.[7][8]
Sunshine did not initially natively support theGameCube controller on theNintendo Switch. When originally released on theGameCube,Sunshine used the GameCube controller's analog triggers (which Switch controllers do not have) to regulate F.L.U.D.D.'s water pressure.[9] For the collection, F.L.U.D.D. is controlled with the right bumper for precision aiming while standing still, while using the right trigger "is akin to pulling the GameCube's analog trigger to about the three-quarters mark".[3] GameCube controller support forSunshine was added in November 2020 for use in TV Mode.[8] A further patch released in November 2021 enabledSuper Mario 64 to be played with the Nintendo 64 wireless controller available toNintendo Switch Online subscribers.[10]
Galaxy features optional Joy-Con controls that imitate the motion-controlled setup of theWii Remote andNunchuk,[11] withMario's spin ability remapped to the X and Y buttons.[12] When using the Pro Controller, thegyroscope is utilized for the pointer, and it can be recentered with the right bumper. When playing in Handheld Mode or on theNintendo Switch Lite system, players must use thetouchscreen in lieu of the pointer.[13] To playGalaxy'scooperative mode in Handheld Mode or on the Nintendo Switch Lite, a secondary Joy-Con is needed.[14]
The compilation also features a music player mode, which compiles the entireoriginal soundtracks of all three games, totaling 175 tracks.[4] The music can be played when the screen is turned off.[11][15] Additionally, a random song from any of the three soundtracks will play whenever the player opens the collection's main menu.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was developed byNintendo EPD and published byNintendo,[16] and was internally known as "Super Mario All-Stars 2", according toEurogamer.[17] During development, the team intended to maintain elements of the original games, such as design and spirit, while offering improvements such as an increased resolution and changes to the controller layout. They interviewed team members of the original games to better understand the games' significance.[18] The constituent games of3D All-Stars utilizesoftware emulation,[19][20] and the emulation used forSuper Mario Sunshine was developed byNintendo European Research & Development, who also worked with the rest of the3D All-Stars team to develop several other features forSunshine, including16:9 rendering, controller bindings, and upgrading the fidelity ofcutscenes usingdeep learning.[21]
On March 30, 2020, a report fromVideo Games Chronicle (VGC) detailed that Nintendo would re-release severalSuper Mario games for theNintendo Switch in commemoration ofthe series' 35th anniversary,[22] andVentureBeat claimed that the compilation would includeSuper Mario 64,Super Mario Sunshine,Super Mario Galaxy, andSuper Mario Galaxy 2 (2010).[23] The next day, reports fromGematsu andEurogamer excludedGalaxy 2,[23][24] andVentureBeat later said that they could not verify the inclusion of the game.[23] A follow-up report byVGC corroborated the inclusion of64,Sunshine, andGalaxy, and claimed that Nintendo's plans to announce the compilation atE3 2020 were canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[25]
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was released in commemoration of theSuper Mario series'35th anniversary(logo pictured).
Super Mario 3D All-Stars was announced on September 3, 2020, during aNintendo Direct presentation dedicated to the 35th anniversary of theSuper Mario series.[26][27] The announcement trailer also revealed the game's release date to be September 18.[28][29] On the same day, it was announced that a limitedcollectible pin set would be made available to those who pre-ordered the game.[28] An overview trailer released on September 14 showcased more gameplay footage from3D All-Stars ahead of its release.[30]
On November 17, a post-launchsoftware update added support for theGameCube controller inSuper Mario Sunshine, as well as the ability to invert thecamera controls in all three games.[31][32] On March 31, 2021, physical copies of3D All-Stars were discontinued, and the game was delisted from theNintendo eShop.[33][34]Doug Bowser,president ofNintendo of America, said that thelimited release of3D All-Stars was intended to celebrate the anniversary in a "unique" way, and that Nintendo did not intend on widespread implementation of the release model.[35][36] Despite its discontinuation, the game continued to be sold at retail stores.[37][38][39] In November 2021, an update was released for3D All-Stars that allowedSuper Mario 64 to be played using theNintendo 64 controller available toNintendo Switch Online subscribers.[40][41]
According to thereview aggregating websiteMetacritic,Super Mario 3D All-Stars received "generally favorable reviews".[42] Fellow review aggregatorOpenCritic assessed that the compilation received strong approval, being recommended by 86% of critics.[43] Critics generally agreed that the games themselves remained enjoyable, but were divided over the presentation, which received criticism for its simplistic nature and lack of additional features, its limited time release, and the absence ofSuper Mario Galaxy 2 (2010).[51][45][57]
Ian Walker fromKotaku said the port of64 "hasn't introduced any obviously unfortunate consequences" and even fixed some "occasional performance dips" from the original, and that the controls for the game worked well on the Switch. ForSunshine, he felt the adjusted controls would affect anyone playing who had muscle memory from the original and that the visuals stuttered somewhat late in the game. ForGalaxy, Walker was thankful that some of the motion-based controls were remapped to controller buttons but added some of the areas that still required the motion controls were still problematic as they were on the Wii.[3]
IGN's Zachary Ryan was "a little bit disappointed in the lack of effort Nintendo has put into" the collection, when compared to the "major overhauls" done for the games inSuper Mario All-Stars, and noted the use of emulation to present the three games helped explain "a lot about the lack of upgrades" in each. For64, Ryan felt the upscaling made the game look the nicest it ever had, and called the controls "still super tight" and "right at home on a Pro Controller or Joy-Con", despite the x-axis camera controls being inverted (a later patch would make this optional). He did wish Nintendo had added "some quality-of-life upgrades", feeling players experiencing the game for the first time "might find it somewhat inaccessible". ForSunshine, Ryan said that it was still a fantastic looking game and commended the controls still remaining fluid, though Ryan experienced some slowdown in certain moments. Finally, Ryan felt upscalingGalaxy made it "a fully realized version" of the game and praised the updated control options, adding the handheld mode configuration, while "not the most ideal way to play", still worked.[4]
By September 7, pre-orders forSuper Mario 3D All-Stars had made it the second-best-selling game of 2020 onAmazon in the United States, behindAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.[58][59] Scalpers resold pre-orders on websites such aseBay, going as high asUS$265.[60][61] Base.com, an online retailer in the United Kingdom, was forced to cancel all of their customers' pre-orders because their allocation of physical games was not enough to fulfil pre-orders. They added that Nintendo and their UK distributors were "unable to give... any reassurance" that more copies would be made available to them through the on-sale period.[62]
In its first week of release,Super Mario 3D All-Stars was the best-selling game in the UK, and was the third-largest game launch of 2020 and the fifth-fastest-selling Switch game in the country.[63] In Japan, the game sold over 210,000 physical copies within the first three days of its release.[64] In the United States,Super Mario 3D All-Stars was the second-best-selling game of September behindMarvel's Avengers, and had become the tenth-best-selling game of 2020.[65][66] The collection was also the best-selling game in September for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.[67] As of March 2021,Super Mario 3D All-Stars has sold over 9.01 million units worldwide.[68] In March 2021, ahead of its delisting, the game's physical sales in the United Kingdom spiked around 267%.[69] Up until December 31, 2021, its shipment increased to 9.07 million copies.[70]
Super Mario 64 was subsequently included in theNintendo 64 - Nintendo Classics catalogue for theNintendo Switch Online service'sExpansion Pack add-on upon its introduction in October 2021,[71] whileSuper Mario Sunshine is set to be re-released as part of the Nintendo GameCube catalogue exclusive to theNintendo Switch 2 in the future.[72]Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, a compilation of the respective entries, was announced by Nintendo during the September 2025 installment ofNintendo Direct and released for Nintendo Switch on October 2, 2025 in commemoration of theSuper Mario Bros. 40th Anniversary celebration. Each game features improvements to their respective UI and resolution over either their original releases orGalaxy's appearance in3D All Stars, along with new content forRosalina's storybook expanded upon inGalaxy and newly added toGalaxy 2. A patch for the games on theNintendo Switch 2 allows for 4K resolution and support for the Joy-Con 2's mouse functions.[73]
^Rairdin, John; Ronaghan, Neal; Rudek, Jordan (September 16, 2020)."Super Mario 3D All-Stars (Switch) Review".Nintendo World Report.Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2020.
