The best SNES games start with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, with Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid completing a top three that has barely shifted in thirty years of retrospectives. Nintendo made six of the 10, Square three and Capcom one, and all but Chrono Trigger shipped on the SNES Classic Edition, Nintendo’s own 21-game selection of the console’s library.
The order follows the top 25 compiled by Retro Gamer magazine with GamesRadar+, the longest-running panel ranking of the console, last revised in March 2026. Metacritic has no scores for Super Nintendo games, which all predate the site, so a panel list is the closest thing to a critical consensus. The table adds the two availability checks that matter today: whether each game was on the SNES Classic and whether it is on Nintendo Switch Online.
Best SNES Games: Year, Developer and Where to Play
| # | Game | Year | Developer | SNES Classic | Switch Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past | 1992 | Nintendo EAD | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Chrono Trigger | 1995 | Square | No | No |
| 3 | Super Metroid | 1994 | Nintendo R&D1 | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Super Mario World | 1991 | Nintendo EAD | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Street Fighter II Turbo | 1993 | Capcom | Yes | No |
| 6 | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island | 1995 | Nintendo EAD | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | EarthBound | 1995 | Ape and HAL Laboratory | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Super Mario Kart | 1992 | Nintendo EAD | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Final Fantasy VI | 1994 | Square | Yes | No |
| 10 | Secret of Mana | 1993 | Square | Yes | No |
Why a Panel Ranking and Not a Score
Every other console list on this site ranks on Metacritic, which aggregates reviews from 1995 onward. The Super Nintendo’s best games were released between 1991 and 1996 and reviewed in print magazines that were never collected, so there is no score to sort by.
The Retro Gamer and GamesRadar+ list is used because it is a panel verdict rather than one writer’s taste, it is revised rather than republished, and its top 10 matches the games Nintendo itself chose for the SNES Classic in nine cases out of 10. The one omission, Chrono Trigger, is a licensing matter: Square Enix owns it, and it has never appeared on a Nintendo compilation or subscription service.
The SNES Classic Edition launched on September 29, 2017 at $79.99 with 21 games built in and sold 5.28 million units by the end of January 2018. Its line-up is the nearest thing to Nintendo’s own ranking of the console, which is why it appears as a column here.
The 10 Best SNES Games, Ranked
Years are North American release years. The availability columns are repeated in each entry, with the current alternative where there is one.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: Two Worlds, One Map
Year: 1992 · Developer: Nintendo EAD · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
A Link to the Past introduced the Light World and Dark World, two overlapping versions of Hyrule that you flip between to solve puzzles that span both. The dungeon design, the item progression and the overworld map became the template every 2D Zelda since has followed, including the Game Boy and DS entries.
Released within the console’s first year in North America, it proved the SNES could do more than a faster Super Mario, and it is the title the panel places first without much argument. It is on Nintendo Switch Online and was on the SNES Classic, so it is the easiest game on this list to play today.
2. Chrono Trigger: The Square Dream Team
Year: 1995 · Developer: Square · SNES Classic: No · Switch Online: No
Chrono Trigger brought together the creators of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest with the artist behind Dragon Ball for a time-travel RPG with battles fought on the field map rather than a separate screen, combo techniques between party members and more than a dozen endings depending on when you finish.
It is the only game in the top 10 that Nintendo cannot license. Square Enix sells it on Steam, iOS and Android in a version based on the 2008 Nintendo DS port, which also leads our ranking of the best DS games on a Metacritic score of 92.
3. Super Metroid: The Map That Made a Genre
Year: 1994 · Developer: Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
Super Metroid dropped Samus onto planet Zebes with an automap, a connected world that opened up as new abilities arrived, and a story told almost entirely without text. The structure it set out is the “Metroid” half of the Metroidvania genre.
It is on Switch Online and was on the SNES Classic. Its sequels Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission on Game Boy Advance are also on Switch Online, so the whole 2D line is playable on one console.
4. Super Mario World: The Pack-In
Year: 1991 · Developer: Nintendo EAD · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
Super Mario World launched with the console in North America in 1991 and was bundled with it, which makes it the game most SNES owners played first. It introduced Yoshi, the cape and a world map with secret exits that unlocked alternative routes through its 96 exits.
It sits fourth on the panel list, behind the three games above on ambition rather than quality. It is on Switch Online and was the first game many subscribers opened when the SNES app launched in 2019.
5. Street Fighter II Turbo: The Console Fighting Game
Year: 1993 · Developer: Capcom · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: No
Street Fighter II Turbo is the SNES version of the arcade revision known elsewhere as Hyper Fighting. It made the four bosses playable, raised the game speed and tightened the special-move timing, and it is the version most SNES owners mean when they say they played Street Fighter II at home.
It was on the SNES Classic but is not on Switch Online. Capcom’s Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection on Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC includes the arcade Hyper Fighting it was ported from, with online play.
6. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island: The Last 2D Mario on SNES
Year: 1995 · Developer: Nintendo EAD · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
Yoshi’s Island put the dinosaur in charge, with Baby Mario on his back, egg throwing, a flutter jump and a hand-drawn crayon art style the Super FX2 chip animated. Each level hides flowers, red coins and stars that score it out of 100, which turned completion into the real game.
It was Nintendo’s final 2D platformer for the console before Super Mario 64. It is on Switch Online and was on the SNES Classic.
7. EarthBound: The RPG Set in the Suburbs
Year: 1995 · Developer: Ape and HAL Laboratory · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
EarthBound swapped castles for a parody of 1990s America, with a boy named Ness, baseball bats for weapons, a rolling HP meter that gives you time to heal from a fatal hit, and a script that still reads as funny. It sold poorly on release and became one of the most requested re-releases in Nintendo’s catalogue.
It was on the SNES Classic and arrived on Switch Online on February 9, 2022. Its 1989 predecessor, EarthBound Beginnings, is on the NES section of the same service.
8. Super Mario Kart: Where Kart Racing Started
Year: 1992 · Developer: Nintendo EAD · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: Yes
Super Mario Kart used the console’s Mode 7 scaling to put eight Nintendo characters on flat tracks viewed from behind, with shells, bananas and a split-screen two-player mode that occupied the whole screen. Every kart racer since, from Nintendo or anyone else, starts here.
It is on Switch Online and was on the SNES Classic. The series it began is the subject of one of the best-selling Wii games of all time, Mario Kart Wii.
9. Final Fantasy VI: Sold Here as Final Fantasy III
Year: 1994 · Developer: Square · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: No
Final Fantasy VI, numbered III on its North American box because the second, third and fifth games had not been released here, follows 14 playable characters through an industrial world that the villain destroys halfway through. Its opera scene and its villain, Kefka, are the series’ most cited moments.
It was on the SNES Classic under the Final Fantasy III name but is not on Switch Online. Square Enix sells the Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster on Switch, PlayStation, PC and mobile.
10. Secret of Mana: Real-Time Battles, Three Players
Year: 1993 · Developer: Square · SNES Classic: Yes · Switch Online: No
Secret of Mana ran its battles in real time on the field, with a ring menu that paused the action for spells and items and support for three players at once through a multitap. Its soundtrack and its opening, a boy pulling a rusted sword from a stone in a waterfall, are the parts people remember.
It was on the SNES Classic but is not on Switch Online. Square Enix’s Collection of Mana on Switch contains the original alongside its two series neighbours, and a 2018 remake exists on PlayStation 4 and PC.
What the SNES Classic Got Right
Nine of the panel’s top 10 were on the SNES Classic, and the 21-game selection also included Super Castlevania IV, Mega Man X, Super Mario RPG, Kirby Super Star and Donkey Kong Country, which fill places 11 to 19 on the same panel list. Nintendo’s curation and the critical consensus overlap almost completely.
The console itself sold around 49.1 million units, and the Super Nintendo library runs to 1,757 officially released games, 717 of them in North America. The top 10 here are drawn from the first five years of that library, between the 1991 launch and EarthBound and Yoshi’s Island in 1995.
Which Best SNES Games Are on Switch Online
Six of the 10 are on the Super Nintendo app included with a Nintendo Switch Online membership: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, EarthBound and Super Mario Kart. All six are Nintendo-published, which is the pattern across the whole service.
The four missing games are all third-party. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and Secret of Mana belong to Square Enix and are sold separately on Switch or elsewhere, and Street Fighter II Turbo is covered by Capcom’s own collection. None of the four has ever been on the subscription service.
- On Switch Online: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island, EarthBound, Super Mario Kart
- Sold separately on Switch: Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster, Collection of Mana, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
- Not on Switch at all: Chrono Trigger, which is on Steam, iOS and Android
How the SNES List Compares With Later Consoles
The Super Nintendo’s top 10 is the most first-party list on this site. Nintendo made six of the 10, against four Nintendo games in the DS top 10 and none at all in the PlayStation 2 top 10, where Rockstar and Konami dominate. It is also the only list with three role-playing games in it.
The console was the second of Nintendo’s home machines and sits outside the ten best-selling consoles, a list the Nintendo DS and Wii both make. Its library, rather than its sales, is the reason it anchors every retro ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best SNES game of all time?
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, on the Retro Gamer and GamesRadar+ panel ranking used here. Chrono Trigger is second and Super Metroid third, and those three occupy the top of almost every retrospective of the console.
Why is Chrono Trigger not on Nintendo Switch Online?
Square Enix owns it and has never licensed it to a Nintendo compilation or subscription service. It was also absent from the SNES Classic. The game is sold directly on Steam, iOS and Android.
Is Final Fantasy III on SNES the same game as Final Fantasy VI?
Yes. The North American SNES release was renumbered III because Final Fantasy II, III and V had not been released outside Japan at the time. Every later release, including the SNES Classic listing and the Pixel Remaster, uses the original VI.
How many SNES games are on Nintendo Switch Online?
Nintendo’s store page for the Super Nintendo app lists more than 70 titles for North America. Six of the 10 games on this list are among them, all published by Nintendo.
Related Articles
Get the Fox Bulletin briefing
The stories that matter, in your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Newsletter signup will be available soon.
Related stories
Best Retro Games: The Top-Rated Game on 10 Classic Consoles
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time holds the highest Metacritic score of any game, and nine other consoles each have a clear peak. Here are the best retro games console by console, with the score, the year and how to play each one now.
Best DS Games: Top 10 Ranked by Metacritic Score
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is the highest-rated Nintendo DS game on Metacritic, with Chrono Trigger and Mario Kart DS behind it. Here are the 10 best DS games by critic score, with user ratings breaking every tie.
Best PSP Games: Top 10 Ranked by Metacritic Score
God of War: Chains of Olympus is the highest-rated PSP game ever released, and only one other title cracked 90. Here are the 10 best PSP games by critic score, with user ratings breaking every tie.