Super Mario Bros Wonder: Release date, pre-order and latest news
Everything you need to know about Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy's new 2D adventure
Super Mario Bros Wonder is the newest instalment in the 2D Mario series with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy and Toad all set to explore the mysterious Flower Kingdom.
As the first 2D Mario game for over a decade, expectations are naturally high for what the plumber has in store for us. One of the biggest changes right away is that voice actor Charles Martinet has decided to retire from the role of Mario after 29 years, leaving a new high-pitched name to come in and don the famous red cap.
Likely set to be one of the major Mario swan songs for the Nintendo Switch until its inevitable successor hits the market, players will be encountering the new "Wonder Seeds" that can change up the surroundings, gameplay or characters at any time. Most notably, we've seen Mario and friends transformed into an elephant, so who knows what else Nintendo has in store.
With not long to go until the game launched on Nintendo Switch, here's everything you need to know about Super Mario Bros Wonder, including its release date and how to pre-order the game in time for day one.
When is the Super Mario Bros Wonder release date?
Super Mario Bros Wonder will be released on Friday 20th October 2023.
This is on the same day as Spider-Man 2 and only three days after the launch of Sonic Superstars, so if you’re a fan of video games you might be hard-pressed which one to choose.
In fact, the whole of Autumn is shaping up to be a pretty densely packed release window with Mortal Kombat 1, Detective Pikachu Returns, Wario Ware: Move It and Hogwarts Legacy all coming to the Switch. Be sure to check out the 2023 game releases to plan what you want to play ahead of time!
If there are any delays – which are exceedingly rare for Nintendo games – we will be sure to let you know of any developments, so check back in with us.
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Can I pre-order Super Mario Bros Wonder?
Super Mario Bros Wonder is available for pre-order right now from Amazon and GAME for £49.99. There doesn’t appear to be any sort of pre-order exclusive, such as cosmetics or additional content, so just pick whichever retailer you have preference for.
Super Mario Bros Wonder will also go live via the Nintendo eShop at midnight if you can't wait another second to play.
If you are looking for something more immediate, then it would be most prudent of you to check out the best Nintendo Switch games to play right now, which features big games and collections such as Bioshock: The Collection, Hades and Super Mario Odyssey, which should be more than enough alone to keep you going until October.
Which consoles and platforms can play Super Mario Bros Wonder?
Super Mario Bros Wonder will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive. This means the game will work on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch OLED and Nintendo Switch Lite only. Given that Mario is the most successful console mascot of all time, Nintendo isn’t going to stop keeping him to themselves any time soon.
And who could blame them? Mario Kart 8 alone has sold 53.79 million units on the Switch alone without accounting for the Wii U version. 6.3 million of those were sold between April and December of 2022 - and this is from a game that launched in 2017. With over 125 million Switches sold, holding Mario near and dear is clearly working for Nintendo.
Super Mario Bros Wonder gameplay and story details
Perhaps the most important thing to know about Super Mario Bros Wonder is that Mario has a new power-up that turns him into an elephant, which lets you launch the Goombas beyond the horizon.
If that alone wasn’t enough to convince you, there are also new Wonder Flowers that, upon being touched, bend the world around you in many different ways.
Pipes can come alive, enemies can suddenly flood the screen, and characters can change how they look - all of which can completely change the gameplay. One such transformation was Mario becoming extremely tall and stomping on an impossibly long Goomba.
You’ll be able to play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Toad and even Yoshi. There’s also a four-player local co-op to enjoy, though Nintendo notes that additional accessories may be required for multiplayer mode, potentially requiring further purchases.
It hasn’t stated if this is going to be something unique to the game or something that will just require some extra controllers. If the latter is the case, then see about picking up some of the best Switch accessories.
Is there a Super Mario Bros Wonder trailer?
The first Super Mario Bros Wonder trailer was revealed at a Nintendo Direct in June 2023. So in classic Nintendo fashion, that's only a three-month turnaround from announcement to release.
As you can see, the Wonder Flowers do some pretty whacky stuff that will offer many new gameplay scenarios - either on our own or with some friends. Check out the trailer below:
Following this, a Super Mario Bros Wonder Direct took place in August 2023. This 15-minute deep-dive into the world, enemies, power-ups and online shows everything you need to decide if this is the game for you. It does show a lot, however, so if you do want to go in as spoiler-free as possible it might be best to skip it. Watch below:
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Authors
Cole Luke is a freelance journalist and video producer who contributes to RadioTimes.com's Gaming section. He also has bylines for Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, Network N and more.
