Best games
The best Nintendo R&D4 games
The 5 best games from Nintendo R&D4, ranked from 4,546 critic and player ratings.
The best Nintendo R&D4 game is Super Mario Bros. 3, with a critic score of 89/100. Updated September 2026.
- Ranked releases span 1985 to 1988.
- Average critic score across the 5 ranked games: 79/100.
- 4,546 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 5 games are listed on this page, carrying 4,546 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 5
01
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3, the third entry in the Super Mario Bros. series and Super Mario franchise, sees Mario or Luigi navigate a nonlinear world map containing platforming levels and optional minigames and challenges. The game features more diverse movement options and new items alongside more complex level designs and boss battles.
89
/100
02
Super Mario Bros.
A side scrolling 2D platformer and first entry in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. follows Italian plumber Mario as he treks across many levels of platforming challenges featuring hostile enemies to rescue Princess Peach from the evil king Bowser.
84
/100
03
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is the first title in the Zelda series, it has marked the history of video games particularly for it's game mechanics and universe. The player controls Link and must make his way through the forests, graveyards, plains and deserts of the Otherworld to find the secret entrances to the eight dungeons and try to restore the broken Triforce. Among the game's mechanics, it was the first time we saw a continuous world that could be freely explored, power-ups that permanently enhanced the main character's abilities and a battery save feature that allowed players to keep their progress instead of having to start over. The gameplay balanced action sequences with discovery, secrets and exploration.
81
/100
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3, the third entry in the Super Mario Bros. series and Super Mario franchise, sees Mario or Luigi navigate a nonlinear world map containing platforming levels and optional minigames and challenges. The game features more diverse movement options and new items alongside more complex level designs and boss battles.
89
/100
02
Super Mario Bros.
A side scrolling 2D platformer and first entry in the Super Mario franchise, Super Mario Bros. follows Italian plumber Mario as he treks across many levels of platforming challenges featuring hostile enemies to rescue Princess Peach from the evil king Bowser.
84
/100
03
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is the first title in the Zelda series, it has marked the history of video games particularly for it's game mechanics and universe. The player controls Link and must make his way through the forests, graveyards, plains and deserts of the Otherworld to find the secret entrances to the eight dungeons and try to restore the broken Triforce. Among the game's mechanics, it was the first time we saw a continuous world that could be freely explored, power-ups that permanently enhanced the main character's abilities and a battery save feature that allowed players to keep their progress instead of having to start over. The gameplay balanced action sequences with discovery, secrets and exploration.
81
/100
04
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, 2D platformer and sequel to Super Mario Bros. (1985), features 4 selectable characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad) as they navigate the dream world of Subcon to defeat the evil toad king Wart. Super Mario Bros. 2 features different ways interacting with enemies and the world, including an object carrying mechanic and more intricate level designs.
77
/100
05
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the second major installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the direct sequel to the first game. Like its predecessor, it features dungeons that must be located in the overworld and searched for an item that will prove useful. However, the game presents many very important gameplay changes compared to the previous one, affecting especially the movements and the combat. Moving around the world map involves encounters with enemies that take place on a side-scrolling playfield rather than the top-down perspective for which the series became known.
66
/100
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, 2D platformer and sequel to Super Mario Bros. (1985), features 4 selectable characters (Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad) as they navigate the dream world of Subcon to defeat the evil toad king Wart. Super Mario Bros. 2 features different ways interacting with enemies and the world, including an object carrying mechanic and more intricate level designs.
77
/100
05
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the second major installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the direct sequel to the first game. Like its predecessor, it features dungeons that must be located in the overworld and searched for an item that will prove useful. However, the game presents many very important gameplay changes compared to the previous one, affecting especially the movements and the combat. Moving around the world map involves encounters with enemies that take place on a side-scrolling playfield rather than the top-down perspective for which the series became known.
66
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Nintendo R&D4 game?
Super Mario Bros. 3 currently tops the ranking with a score of 89/100 across 1,686 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.