Hardest Mario Games To 100% Complete

The Super Mario franchise isn't exactly synonymous with difficulty, but each installment certainly contains a plethora of content for fans, especially with collectibles. While each Super Mario game can be quite a breeze to complete, obtaining 100% of every single Mario game can be quite an endeavor for video game fans. This is especially true as the series has gotten more and more expansive every year.

These games from the franchise's history give players their money's worth. Whether it's due to extreme difficulty or a mountain of collectibles on every level, these are the hardest-to-complete games in the Mario series.

Updated July 25, 2024 by Blaise Santi: 2024 is halfway over, and Nintendo has already added a plethora of new games, and re-imaginings of old games to the Mario line-up on Switch, including Princess Peach: Showtime!, Super Mario RPG, Luigi's Mansion 2, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.

However, these spin-off games pale in comparison to the mainline series, which can be quite difficult to 100% complete due to the amount of collectibles and secrets hidden in every level. Check out these four additional Mario games that are some of the toughest to 100%.

Super Mario World

96 Exits And Two Bonus Worlds

Super Mario World requires a little more nuance to complete compared to most other 2D Mario games. The beloved SNES side-scroller is already a monster to defeat, with seven standard worlds, as well as Star World and Special Zone, which both feature some of the most difficult 2D levels in any Mario game, even by today's standards.

While one might imagine just having to complete every level to 100% Super Mario World, players have to find all the correct exits, of which some levels may have more than one. This can be especially tricky to do without a strategy guide, so players who seek the internet for each of them won't be judged for needing a little help.

Super Mario 3D Land

A Special World, 285 Star Medals, And Hitting The Top Of Every Flagpole

Before Super Mario 3D World came out on the Wii U, Super Mario 3D Land was the series' debut on 3DS, offering a fully-fledged 3D Mario experience on the go. To 100% complete this game, players have to do five things, including beating the game, beating all the courses in World 8, completing the Special 8 world, and collecting all 285 Star Medals.

The last task for players, and perhaps the hardest, is touching the top of every flagpole with BOTH Mario and Luigi. Luigi can only become playable after being saved from a level in Special 1. Doing all this will reward players with five sparkling stars on their save file, though if players have encountered an Assist Block, the stars will sadly not sparkle.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

255 Star Coins, An Extra World, And Hidden Exits

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is not dissimilar to its DS predecessor in terms of 100% completion goals. To accrue all five stars on a single player's save file, they must obviously complete the final level, World 8-Bowser's Castle, while also collecting 231 Star Coins from the first eight worlds. After that, there are an additional 24 Star Coins from the bonus World 9.

That's not all players have to do to earn 100% completion in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The game also requires players to locate every exit in the game, including the secret exits as well as all the world map's Warp Cannons. Like Super Mario Galaxy, players also have to be skilled enough to not summon the Super Guide Block, or they lose their five stars' sparkles.

Super Mario Sunshine

Hidden Blue Coins & 120 Shine Sprites

Many Mario fans have a nostalgic love for Super Mario Sunshine, as it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing games in the franchise. However, others have their gripes on the game's level of difficulty, particularly due to the control schemes, as every single level requires players to get creative with how they use the F.L.U.D.D. water pack.

In total, there are 120 Shine Sprites that players have to collect throughout the game, but to 100% complete it, players will also need to track down every hidden Blue Coin. Some of the levels can be especially difficult to complete, such as the Blooper Surfing levels, where completion will be based on the player's performance in hard-to-control Blooper races.

Super Mario Galaxy

121 Stars As Mario, And 121 Stars As Luigi

Super Mario Galaxy already has a lot for players to do to complete, with 120 Power Stars to collect throughout the game. However, it offers an extra challenge before players can technically 100% complete it. After defeating Bowser's final boss twice, players get the opportunity to replay the entire game as Luigi.

Not only do players have to beat Super Mario Galaxy twice, but completing the Super Luigi Galaxy mode unlocks one final galaxy, the Grand Finale Galaxy, which allows players to collect one more Power Star as each playable character for a total of 242 Power Stars. For their reward, players can speak to Mailtoad to unlock a special message and photo.

Super Mario 3D World

380 Green Stars, and 85 Stamps, Complete Every Level With Every Character

Super Mario 3D Worldrecently got an upgrade on Nintendo Switch, adding in the new campaign, Bowser's Fury. While this adds more for dedicated players to 100%, the core game itself is also a behemoth, with a total of 12 worlds, 380 Green Stars, and 85 stamps to collect, but to 100% it there's also another qualification players have to meet.

To designate your save file on Super Mario 3D World with the coveted 5-star rating, players must complete every level with all 5 playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Rosalina. Some fans have figured out cheats to get by as quickly as possible, but it still makes the process of getting through every level in the game slightly more tedious.

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Over 200 Star Coins

Typically, games in the New Super Mario Bros. line of games are very easy to 100% complete, but the exception is the 3DS-exclusive title New Super Mario Bros. 2. While the methods to 100% the game are fairly straight-forward, the act of actually doing it will drive some players crazy, though others might appreciate the challenge.

To fully complete New Super Mario Bros. 2, players not only have to complete all 80 levels (including the additional 17 hidden flagpoles throughout the game), but they also have to collect and spend over 200 Star Coins. Thankfully, Star Coins only need to be spent to advance through the main game, but finding everyone will be a journey for some levels.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Recipes, Badges, Starpieces & Pit Of 100 Trials

The Paper Mario franchise has some of the hardest Mario games out there, thanks to its integration of RPG gameplay. The iconic GameCube title Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which will be ported to Nintendo Switch in 2024, is one of those. The main story itself is already massive, taking approximately 30 hours to complete without even aiming for 100%.

The game also has a plethora of collectibles that players will need to seek out, such as Recipes, Badges, and Starpieces. Additionally, players have to fully complete the optional Pit of 100 Trials, which can take some trial and error for those who aren't leveled up enough. All in all, 100% completing The Thousand-Year Door is an ambitious task for any gamer.

Super Mario Odyssey

880 Power Moons

There are several worlds players encounter throughout Super Mario Odyssey, but thankfully, Nintendo offers help by showcasing how many Power Moons are available to collect in each world, which can especially help when exploring New Donk City or Tostarena.

Unfortunately for completionists, Super Mario Odyssey has lots of other objectives for players to mull over to 100% complete the game. There's a variety of unlockable costumes, achieving every available Capture, and 82 music tracks to discover. After collecting all Power Moons, players must defeat Bowser for a second time, though it'll be much harder this time.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Over 240 Stars

While Super Mario Galaxy 2 may be one of the harder Mario games to 100% complete, it comes with some pretty great rewards for longtime fans. There are 240 stars to collect throughout the game's levels, which includes Green Stars, which can only be acquired when players defeat galaxies visited by Prankster Comets.

Collecting all the stars will unlock one final galaxy: the Grandmaster Galaxy, which houses two more Power Stars. After this, players will be able to invite Rosalina from the first Super Mario Galaxy game to join them on Starship Mario. It's a lot more work than Mario fans may be used to, but seeing Rosalina again in this game makes it all worthwhile.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels

Difficult Levels Make Completion Harder

It's rare to find a Mario game more dedicated to frustrating players than Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Originally released in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2, it was deemed too difficult for Western audiences, and thus never released outside of Japan until the SNES compilation Super Mario All-Stars, in which it was given its new tagline, The Lost Levels.

The game operates similarly to the original Super Mario Bros., with the introduction of mechanics like the Poison Mushroom, which hurts players, or levels that require players to utilize their best gaming abilities to complete. This may be the only Mario game with no extra collectibles or hidden levels that are keeping players from 100% completing it.

Super Mario Maker 2

Over 120 Jobs

The main crux of Super Mario Maker and its Nintendo Switch sequel, Super Mario Maker 2, is letting players create their own Mario levels and share them with friends and strangers online. However, Super Mario Maker 2 also has a story mode if players want to 100% complete, though these levels are far above the difficulty usually found in a typical Mario game.

In the game's story mode, there are 120 "Jobs" to complete, which require players to complete pre-created levels of varying themes. To go the extra mile, however, players will need to get good at creating and sharing their own levels, to be awarded medals for ranking high on leaderboards, as well as finishing their own World Map.