Nintendo has built many traditions around its consoles, but one of the biggest has always involved Super Mario. For decades, a new Nintendo system has rarely had to wait long before receiving a major main-series Mario game.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is taking a very different approach.
Following the latest Nintendo Direct, there is still no new main-series 2D or 3D Super Mario game announced for the console. While Mario remains heavily represented through spin-offs, Nintendo appears willing to leave its biggest platforming franchise on the sidelines for considerably longer than usual.
Super Mario Has Traditionally Been There Early
Mario and Nintendo hardware have always been closely connected.
Across generations including the NES, Game Boy, SNES, Nintendo 64, Nintendo DS, Wii U and Nintendo Switch, players generally received a major Mario platformer either alongside the hardware, during its launch year or relatively early in the console’s life.
The original Nintendo Switch was a slightly different case because Super Mario Odyssey did not arrive at launch. However, players only had to wait until October 2017, roughly seven months after the console was released.
Switch 2 could potentially make that wait look extremely short.
Still No Main-Series Mario for Switch 2
The latest Nintendo Direct came and went without Nintendo announcing a new 2D or 3D Super Mario adventure.
That does not mean Mario has disappeared from Switch 2.
Quite the opposite.
Mario Kart World was one of the console’s biggest launch titles and has continued receiving additional content. Mario Tennis Fever has also expanded the Mario presence on the system.
However, these remain spin-offs.
Players waiting for Nintendo’s next major platforming adventure still have no confirmed release date, trailer or even official announcement to work with.
Could Nintendo Really Wait Until 2027?
Current rumors point toward 2027 potentially being an enormous year for Nintendo.
Leaks and speculation have suggested that a new Super Mario game could become one of Nintendo’s major releases for fall 2027, alongside Pokémon Winds and Waves.
If that happens, Switch 2 owners could be waiting roughly two years after the console’s launch before receiving its first completely new main-series Mario platformer.
That would be an unusually long absence for a franchise historically used to demonstrating what new Nintendo hardware can do.
It could also explain Nintendo’s current strategy.
Rather than rushing Mario into the early Switch 2 lineup, Nintendo may be allowing other franchises and third-party releases to carry the console while its next major Mario project receives significantly more development time.
An Open-World Super Mario Could Explain the Wait
One of the more interesting rumors surrounding the next 3D Mario is that Nintendo could expand on ideas introduced in Bowser’s Fury.
Unlike the more structured kingdoms of Super Mario Odyssey, Bowser’s Fury allowed players to explore a connected environment with considerably more freedom.
That experiment immediately led to speculation about Nintendo eventually developing a fully open-world Super Mario game.
If the next title really does take that approach, the longer development cycle would make considerably more sense.
Creating a larger interconnected world while maintaining the precise movement, level design and constant variety expected from 3D Mario would be a substantial undertaking.
Nintendo has not officially confirmed that the next Mario game will be open world, however, so those claims should remain firmly in rumor territory.
The Gap Between 3D Mario Games Is Becoming Huge
There is another remarkable part of the situation.
Super Mario Odyssey launched in 2017.
If Nintendo’s next full 3D Mario adventure arrives in 2027, approximately 10 years will have passed between major standalone 3D Mario releases.
Bowser’s Fury arrived in 2021 as part of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, giving players a new 3D Mario experience during that period. However, it was significantly smaller than a traditional standalone entry.
A decade between games on the scale of Super Mario Odyssey would therefore represent an extraordinary gap for one of Nintendo’s most important franchises.
It also raises expectations considerably.
After waiting that long, players will understandably expect Nintendo’s next 3D Mario to represent a substantial leap rather than simply another variation on Odyssey.
Switch 2 Isn’t Exactly Running Out of Mario
The strange thing is that Switch 2 does not feel completely starved of Mario content.
Mario Kart World gives Nintendo a massive multiplayer title capable of remaining relevant for years, while Mario Tennis Fever provides another familiar option for Mario fans.
Nintendo can therefore keep Mario visible without immediately releasing its biggest platforming project.
That gives the company something previous generations did not always have: time.
Instead of needing Super Mario to establish the console, Nintendo can potentially save its next major adventure for the moment when Switch 2 needs another enormous first-party release.
2027 Could Be a Monster Year for Switch 2
Nintendo also has plenty planned before then.
A mixture of first-party games, third-party releases and continuing support for existing Switch 2 titles should help fill the gap while players wait for the next major Mario adventure.
But if the rumors surrounding 2027 eventually prove accurate, Nintendo could be preparing an exceptionally strong year.
A new 3D Super Mario combined with Pokémon Winds and Waves would immediately give Switch 2 two enormous releases capable of dominating the second half of the year.
For now, though, the absence remains unusual.
Super Mario has spent decades being one of the franchises Nintendo uses to introduce players to new hardware. Switch 2 is breaking that pattern, and Nintendo appears surprisingly comfortable doing so.
Whether that patience eventually results in Mario’s biggest adventure yet remains to be seen.
