Best Family Games on the SNES

The family games worth playing on the Super Nintendo start with Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart.

The SNES and Family Games

The best-balanced 16-bit library there is. The SNES is where the NES generation's ideas got room to breathe, and where the Japanese RPG became a genre people outside Japan cared about.

Family Games are a solid rather than a defining part of this library — worth knowing, but not the reason anybody owns the machine.

Filtering to family means the game has to work for a child and an adult at the same table without either of them being bored. That is a much harder design problem than a difficulty slider.

The Family Games Worth Playing

  1. 1. Super Mario World

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Donkey Kong Country

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Super Mario Kart

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Yoshi's Island

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Pilotwings

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  6. 6. Super Mario RPG

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good Family Game

Something you can put in front of anyone. The best family games make the skill gap not matter rather than pretending it is not there.

Edge. Family games rarely go anywhere uncomfortable, and a few of them are too generous to hold an experienced player for long alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best family game on the SNES?

Super Mario World is the usual first answer, and there are 6 in the library we cover.

Was the SNES good at family games?

It is a solid rather than a defining part of the library.

How do I check a game is suitable?

Age ratings cover content but not difficulty or frustration, which is what actually ruins a family session. Five minutes of unedited play footage tells you more than any rating.

Competitive or co-operative?

With mixed ages, co-operative usually wins. The competitive ones that work are the ones where being in last place is still entertaining.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the Super Nintendo, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

Family Games on Other Consoles

More From the SNES

Or browse the whole Super Nintendo library.