Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer game in the Super Mario series. As Mario, the player embarks on an extraterrestrial mission to rescue Princess Peach and save the universe from his arch-nemesis Bowser, after which the player can play the game as Luigi for a more challenging experience. The levels consist of galaxies filled with minor planets, asteroids, and worlds, with different variations of gravity, the central element of gameplay. The player character is controlled using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and completes missions, fights bosses, and reaches certain areas to collect Power Stars. Certain levels also use the motion-based Wii Remote functions.

Nintendo EAD Tokyo began developing Super Mario Galaxy after the release of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat in late 2004, when Shigeru Miyamoto suggested that Nintendo commission a large-scale Mario game. The concept of spherical platforms originated from Super Mario 128, a tech demo for the GameCube shown at Nintendo Space World in 2000. Nintendo aimed to make the game appeal to players of all ages, and the team had more freedom in designing it compared to other Super Mario games because of the outer space setting. The game was directed by Yoshiaki Koizumi and the soundtrack was composed by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo, using a symphony orchestra for the first time in the series.

Super Mario Galaxy was released on Wii in Japan on November 1, 2007, with other major territories getting releases for later that month. The game received universal acclaim from critics who lauded its graphics, gravity mechanics, level design, soundtrack, setting, and story. The game is the ninth best-selling Wii game worldwide with sales of 12.80 million. The game received a sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, in 2010, which also saw similar accolades to its predecessor.

Galaxy is often hailed as one of the best games in the series and one of the greatest video games of all time. It was the highest-rated game of all time on review-aggregating site GameRankings at the time of the site's closure in 2019. It won several awards from top gaming publications, including multiple "Game of the Year" titles, and became the first Nintendo title to win the BAFTA Award for Best Game. In addition, the game has seen numerous re-releases, notably on the Nvidia Shield TV in China on March 22, 2018, and the time-limited Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection for Nintendo Switch. Both Galaxy games were enhanced and re-released as a collection for Nintendo Switch in October 2025, and are able to also be purchased separately on the console's eShop. Elements of the Galaxy games will also appear in a feature film, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, serving as the sequel to 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie, scheduled for April 1, 2026.