Video Games
How to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Run and jump through Flower Kingdom courses, collect Wonder Seeds, and open the route toward Bowser. Wonder Flowers can transform a course’s movement and scenery.
What you need
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, compatible Switch system and a controller per local player
Set up the game
- Start a save, choose a character and select a course from the map. For shared-screen cooperative play, join up to four local players.
- Review Control Guide from the + menu for the actual selected controller layout. Begin with a low-difficulty course and read the first action prompts.
If you play on PC for long stretches, a comfortable mouse or headset makes a real difference. Razer's accessory range is one place to compare options; check platform compatibility first. (Affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How links work.)
Playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Move, dash and jump to navigate platforms. Jump on vulnerable enemies or use an available power-up, but avoid hazards that cannot be safely touched.
- Collect a Wonder Flower to trigger that course’s special effect. Adapt to its changed rules and seek its Wonder Seed rather than assuming ordinary movement still applies.
- Reach the course goal to clear it and earn its completion reward. Gather enough Wonder Seeds to open the map’s gated routes; replay courses for missed collectibles or alternate exits.
- Equip one badge for a course to alter movement or provide assistance. Learn its action in a safe section before relying on it over a pit.
- Progress through required courses and confront the campaign’s bosses. Completing the main campaign is distinct from finding every collectible; optional challenges remain afterward.
Change the approach, not only the timing
A long gap repeatedly defeats your normal jump. First check whether the intended route uses a platform or course mechanism. If appropriate, try a badge with useful airborne control and practice its button action on safe ground. A floating ability may help position a landing, but it does not make every unreachable distance safe.
Choose a useful kind of help
For a first course, damage-resistant characters can reduce enemy pressure while you learn jumps. If you want to explore Elephant, Bubble or Drill abilities, use a character that supports those transformations. In shared-screen play, agree to wait at tricky sections: leaving a learner behind changes the challenge from platform timing to keeping up with the group. The newer edition’s Assist Mode is not assumed here.
Beginner decisions
- Release or reduce the dash when landing on a small platform. Holding full speed everywhere turns a safe landing into an accidental overshoot.
- Try a different badge after repeated failures at the same obstacle. Ask whether the problem is height, falling speed or visibility instead of repeating the identical approach.
Common rule mix-ups
- Assuming every enemy can be defeated with a normal jump.
- Treating Yoshi or Nabbit as immune to falling and every course failure. Their damage protection does not remove all hazards.
Questions about this game
Are Yoshi and Nabbit easier choices?
They avoid enemy damage, but do not use ordinary power-up transformations in the same way as the standard characters. Pits still require care.
Can friends revive me?
In multiplayer, another player can touch your ghost before its revival window expires. Online player shadows and standees can also help.
Sources and edition notes
Super Mario Bros. Wonder, original Nintendo Switch campaign (2023). Excludes Switch 2 Edition/Bellabel Park additions and its separate Assist Mode.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
- Nintendo: original Switch game overview
- Nintendo Support: controls, characters and badges; edition distinctions
- Nintendo: local cooperative and online help tips