Mario & Sonic
- "Mario and Sonic" redirects here. For the Story Mode episode in theNintendo 3DS version ofMario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, seeMario and Sonic (episode).
| Mario & Sonic | |
|---|---|
Final logo, used fromMario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games toMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition | |
| First installment | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007) |
| Latest installment | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020) |
| Number of installments | 15 (10 main, 2 arcade, 3 mobile) |
| Franchises | Super Mario,Sonic the Hedgehog |
Mario & Sonic[1][2] is a series of crossover sports games featuring characters fromNintendo'sSuper Mario franchise andSega'sSonic the Hedgehog franchise competing at theOlympic Games. This series marked the first timeMario andSonic ever appeared together in a video game.
The series began when Sega acquired the license to create video games based on the Olympic Games, intending to create such a game featuring characters from its well-knownSonic the Hedgehog franchise.[3] Due to the atmosphere of competitive sportsmanship the Olympics had to offer, Sega received approval from Nintendo to includeSuper Mario characters in the game as well. The first three games in the series were published by Nintendo in Asia and by Sega in other regions, the fourth and fifth games were published by Nintendo worldwide, and the sixth game was published by Sega worldwide. The first, second, third, and fifth games each have two versions with different content (one for a home console and the other for a handheld system); additionally, the fifth and sixth installments have arcade game counterparts.
Since the start of the series withMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (set at the2008 Summer Olympics), aMario & Sonic game was released for every Olympic Games (bothsummer andwinter) until the2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, asUbisoft acquired the rights to make video games for it before Sega could. There have been no new games released in the series sinceMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as in 2020, theInternational Olympic Committee let its licensing deal with Sega lapse in order to focus on other prospects such asnon-fungible tokens andesports.[4]
Games
Main series
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release, and system | Synopsis |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | |
Wii Nintendo DS | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is the first game in the series and the first game ever to feature both Mario and Sonic in a crossover appearance, in addition to other characters from each of their franchises. The game was released for both Wii and Nintendo DS, each one featuring exclusive content. The game is based on theBeijing 2008 Summer Olympics and includes 20 real-life events, taking place in actual locations in Beijing, and the fictitiousDream Events, taking place in fictional settings from both franchises. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | |
Wii,Nintendo DS | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the second game in the series, but this time the setting takes place at theVancouver 2010 Winter Olympics which includes different events from the previous games. It also incorporates four new playable characters in the series, namelyDonkey Kong,Bowser Jr.,Silver, andMetal Sonic. Much like its predecessor, it was released for both Wii and Nintendo DS. In addition, the Nintendo DS version includes an exclusive Adventure Mode revolving around a plot involvingBowser andDr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the Snow Spirits in Christmas Village, prompting Mario and Sonic to stop them. |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | |
Wii Nintendo 3DS | Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is the third installment of the series featuring new sports and events. It was released for the Wii like past installments, and is also the first in the series to be released for theNintendo 3DS. The game now takes place inLondon, home of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Nintendo 3DS exclusive adventure mode begins with Bowser and Dr. Eggman releasing a colorful fog that ruins the Olympics. The heroes must find a way to put an end to this fog in a total of seven adventure stories. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | |
Wii U | Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is the fourth installment in the series. It is the first in the series to be released for theWii U, and is the first that has not been released on a portable system. The game takes place inSochi, Russia, home of the 2014 Winter Olympics. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | |
Nintendo 3DS Wii U | Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is the fifth installment in the series. The game takes place inRio de Janeiro, home of the 2016 Summer Olympics. There is once again both home console and handheld versions for theWii U andNintendo 3DS respectively. An arcade edition was also released in Japan and North America in 2016. The game also features new playable characters for the first time since the second installment, with some of these characters having appeared previously in the series as non-playable boss/rival characters. Unlike previous games in the series, the character rosters differ between versions. Collectively, the games introduceBirdo,Ludwig,Dry Bones,Diddy Kong,Dry Bowser,Rosalina,Nabbit,Wendy,Larry,Roy,Espio,Cream,Omega,Eggman Nega,Sticks,Jet,Wave,Zazz,Zavok,Rouge, andToad as playable characters to the series. The 3DS version of this installment also marks the overall playable debuts of Eggman Nega, Zazz, and Zavok. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is the sixth and final installment in the series, taking place inTokyo ofJapan, home of the 2020 Summer Olympics. It was released forNintendo Switch in 2019, with anarcade version released in Japan in 2020. Unlike previous games in the series, most characters wear unique outfits that pertain to the chosen event, simultaneously marking the first time where male characters wear sport-based clothing instead of their standard attire.Larry,Ludwig,Wendy,Diddy Kong,Rosalina,Jet,Eggman Nega,Rouge,Espio,Zazz, andZavok all return as guests for certain events, whileToadette makes her playable debut in the series, also as a guest. New events include Surfing, Karate, Sport Climbing, and Skateboarding. The game also introduces2D Events, which take place within the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. These events feature 8 characters in sprite form as they play through old fashioned sports. There is also a Story Mode where Mario, Sonic, Toad, Bowser, and Dr. Eggman get sucked into a video game based off the Olympic Games of Tokyo 1964. They try to escape as Luigi and Tails also figure out how to get them out. |
Arcade spin-offs
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Logo, original release, and system | Synopsis |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition | |
Arcade | The arcade version ofMario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was released in February 2016 in Japan and February 2016 in North America as a companion game to its Wii U and Nintendo 3DS counterparts. The arcade machines make use of various components and have the player perform various physical tasks such as running, jumping, or controlling the analog sticks. The series' main 20 playable characters are playable in nine different Olympic Events. In addition, there are four rivals that can be fought against:Nabbit,Toad,Omega, andRouge. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition | |
Arcade | The arcade version ofMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was released in January 2020 in Japan as a companion game to its Nintendo Switch counterpart. As with its predecessor, the game makes use of various machine components to engage players in the events. In addition, there are also events played based on the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which used sprite based gameplay. In Tokyo 2020, 20 characters can be played across eight events, and unlike the Nintendo Switch version, each character's stats are now displayed. In Tokyo 1964, there are eight characters which can be played across three events. |
Sonic-centered tie-ins
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Logo, original release, and system | Synopsis |
| Sonic at the Olympic Games | |
Java ME, Browser | Following the release ofMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Sega publishedSonic at the Olympic Games, aJava ME-based mobile phone game that features only characters from theSonic the Hedgehog franchise competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[13] A shorter browser port of the game developed by Mediatonic was later released along with the launch of the PlaySega web service. |
| Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | |
iOS | Sega would publish another mobile title shortly after the release ofMario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, calledSonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this time on iOS. It similarly featuredSonic the Hedgehog elements but noSuper Mario elements appearing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was removed from the App Store within five days of its release, with no reason given.[15] |
| Sonic at the Olympic Games | |
iOS,Android,Fire OS | Sonic at the Olympic Games, also calledSonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 and sometimes written in all uppercase, was released worldwide for iOS, Android and Fire OS on May 7, 2020. When Sonic and his friends come to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to compete, they must also stop Dr. Eggman from turning Tokyo into Eggman City. The playable roster consists of all of theSonic the Hedgehog characters that are playable inMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. There are 17 different events. There are nine EX events, which are alternate versions of events with additional fantastical mechanics such asEgg Flappers,Springs, and/or more video-game style point systems. The game is a single player experience where each Stage has the player compete in a different event, with the different Stages tweaking the difficulty of the event. This is often done through changing the positions of objects in the event. Each Stage has a separate online leaderboard. Sonic is the primary player character, with Stages only allowing the use of other characters after beating the Stage for the first time, and each event only allows for certain characters in the same way the portable console entries of theMario & Sonic series do. Completing Stages also has the player earn Spirit items, which must be spent to unlock the SP Actions of non-Sonic characters. There are also Stages where the player has to play Games instead of events, which usually are about using non-Sonic characters. Games do not have a scoring system, and thus they do not have leaderboards. Games also do not grant Spirit items. Most cutscenes are presented similarly to a messaging app. WhileSonic at the Olympic Games is free to play, the player is restricted to the game's first Area unless they purchase or otherwise receive Pass items. The game was delisted on December 17, 2021 after the International Olympic Committee ended its licensing deal with Sega. Online functionality was closed on the 14th of the same month, as well as the ability to make in game purchases. These changes further mean players cannot obtain Passes that allow access into Areas of the game past the first one, unless they are restoring an existing purchase. |
Characters
Not including supporting characters, the series has spawned a total of 43 playable characters—22 from theSuper Mario franchise, 20 from theSonic the Hedgehog franchise, and Mii characters. Of those, 21 of them, including the Miis, have been fully playable across all events in each of their appearances (barring the Nintendo 3DS games, which limit all characters to specific events). The other 23 have been playable as "Guest" characters in a single event only in all of their appearances. Listed in the table below are which characters appear in each individual installment.
| Key | Playable in all events | Exclusive to theWii version | Only playable as a guest for a select event | Only playable in the Olympic and Plus versions of two events | Only playable in the Olympic and Plus versions of one event |
|---|
Team Mario
Team Sonic
Other
| Character | Beijing 2008 | Vancouver 2010 | London 2012 | Sochi 2014 | Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 3DS | Wii U | ||||||
| Mii | |||||||
Athlete types
All-Around
- Main article:All-Around
Characters in this classification have a roughly equal balance of speed, acceleration, power, skill, and stamina.
| Game | Characters |
|---|---|
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Mario · Luigi · Amy · Blaze |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Mario · Luigi · Bowser Jr. · Amy · Blaze |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 |
Speed
- Main article:Speed (type)
Characters in this classification have high speed and acceleration, but poor skill, power, and stamina.
| Game | Characters |
|---|---|
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · Metal Sonic |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) | Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · Metal Sonic · Nabbit · Toad · Jet · Wave · Zazz |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · Metal Sonic · Toadette · Jet · Zazz |
Power
- Main article:Power (type)
Characters in this classification have high power and stamina, but have poor speed, acceleration, and skill.
| Game | Characters |
|---|---|
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Bowser · Wario · Knuckles · Vector |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles · Vector |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) | Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles · Vector · Wendy · Dry Bowser · Zavok |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles · Vector · Wendy · Zavok |
Technique
- Main article:Technique (type)
Characters in this classification have high skill and an average balance of speed, acceleration, and stamina, but are weak in power. Prior toMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, this category was named "Skill".
| Game | Characters |
|---|---|
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver |
| Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games | |
| Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) | Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry · Rouge · Espio · Sticks |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 | Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry · Ludwig · Eggman Nega · Rouge · Espio |
Gallery
Notes
- Bowser and Peach are the only playableSuper Mario characters to change their voice actor during the series (the former switching fromScott Burns toKenny James in the third installment and the latter switching fromJen Taylor toSamantha Kelly in the second installment). Conversely, Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega are the only playableSonic characters to keep their English voice actor in every installment (keeping Mike Pollock as their voice actor).
- On the country/region selection screen when starting a new file in every game in the series,Israel is listed in the "Europe" section despite geographically being in Asia with no political, historical or cultural ties to Europe (the wayArmenia andCyprus do). This is because the Olympic Committee of Israel is a member of the European Olympic Committees and participates in more European sport competitions (e.g., aUEFA member) than Asian competitions because countries in Asia refuse to play against Israel for political reasons.
References
- ^"First, I would like you to say what you worked on for this game, also mentioning any past Mario & Sonic games you may have worked on." –Iwata, Satoru.Iwata Asks - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.nintendo.com (American English). Page 1. Retrieved December 24, 2024. (Archived February 24, 2023, 03:27:20 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^"Does that make this game the largest-scale development ever for Sega in the Mario & Sonic series?" – Iwata. Iwata Asks - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Page 1.
- ^"Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Interview". IGN.
- ^Philips, Tom (July 30, 2024).Olympics ditched Mario & Sonic series to explore NFTs and esports..Eurogamer (English). Retrieved July 30, 2024. (Archived December 2, 2024, 12:57:24 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Nintendo - Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.Nintendo of America (American English). Archived October 14, 2014, 11:40:23 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^マリオ&ソニック AT 北京オリンピック™.Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games at Nintendo :: Games.Nintendo of America (American English). Archived March 8, 2010, 01:48:03 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games at Nintendo :: Games.Nintendo of America (American English). Archived March 6, 2010, 00:08:50 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games :: Games.Nintendo of America. Archived January 18, 2013, 22:18:00 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^February 9, 2012.Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games™ Launch Trailer.SEGA Europe. Retrieved September 12, 2025 fromYouTube.
- ^Nintendo UK (October 1, 2013).Nintendo Direct Presentation - 01.10.2013. British English. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^July 24, 2008.The Greatest Sporting Event on Earth Comes to Mobile Phones. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^IGN Staff (April 8, 2008).SEGA Announces 2008 Mobile Games Line-Up.IGN. Retrieved March 7, 2019. (Archived November 22, 2013, 05:21:01 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Brad (January 29, 2010).Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Now Available for iPod Touch/iPhone.Sonic Stadium. Archived July 18, 2015, 06:56:55 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine.
- ^Erickson, Tracy (February 4, 2010).Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games disqualified from the App Store.Pocket Gamer. Retrieved March 7, 2019. (Archived September 26, 2019, 05:33:32 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020™.Sega. Retrieved September 12, 2025.

