Nintendo is one of the biggest video game companies in the entire world, and it has been responsible for some of the best and most beloved franchises, from Super Mario Bros all the way up to Pokemon. This is also one of the longest-running companies in the industry, so they’ve been developing and distributing quality titles for a long time.

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Because of Nintendo’s enormous legacy, some of its most iconic franchises have released a surprisingly huge number of games. But a burning question remains: which one holds the record of the most games released in its lifetime? This is an approximate list, and it features some expected and unexpected contenders.

8 Metroid

Total Number Of Games: 16

Some Nintendo franchises are so influential and popular that most fans mistake them for having a higher number of releases than they actually do. And Metroid is one of the most egregious examples. 16 games in total is actually quite impressive, but for a franchise that began in 1986, it pales in comparison to other IPs that were released around the same time.

While, luckily for the players, this means that there’s a solid Metroid game on almost every single Nintendo platform, some of the most critically acclaimed are remakes of previous titles. That said, this franchise completely skipped the Nintendo 64 generation, and this reduced its total of games quite a bit. However, with the recent success of Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered, alongside the upcoming release of Metroid Prime 4, this number will certainly increase in the future.

7 Fire Emblem

Total Number Of Games: 23

The tactical role-playing Fire Emblem franchise was exclusive to Japan for over 12 years until it finally reached the Western market in 2002, with the release of Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade for the GBA. And if that wasn’t enough, it became a true mainstream series with the incredible success of Fire Emblem: Awakening in 2012.

This means that, when audiences all over the world could finally try out this series, there were already 7 other existing games. This number kept growing each year, and it skyrocketed after the newfound popularity brought by Awakening, with countless main series entries alongside remakes and spin-offs. Fire Emblem is now one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises, and it likely won't stop releasing new titles anytime soon.

6 Donkey Kong

Total Number Of Games: 38

While Mario and Donkey Kong originated from the same game, the iconic plumber has had a more prosperous trajectory. But this doesn’t mean that DK and his family of fellow apes didn’t find their own success, with them branching out into their own series of beloved video games of many different genres.

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Admittedly, some of the entries in the Donkey Kong franchise are shared with the Mario franchise. But this character is also responsible for a good number of unique games that are separate from Mario, like the revolutionary Donkey Kong Country series or the great 3D platformer that is Donkey Kong 64. DK left his own mark on the industry, and most fans hope he’ll keep having more isolated adventures in the upcoming years.

5 Kirby

Total Number Of Games: 44

Kirby is a perfect character to make a lot of video games about. Not only is he adorable and, therefore, very marketable, but his main gimmick of absorbing enemy abilities is filled with the potential for many different and creative concepts. On top of that, this franchise has been handled mostly by HAL Laboratory, meaning that Nintendo didn’t have to get that much involved in the development of these games.

This perfect formula resulted in the Kirby franchise having over 44 games. There are obviously many solid main titles on both home consoles and handhelds, but this cute pink ball has also starred in a lot of different spin-offs that experimented with unique graphics and creative mechanics. The Kirby franchise also has some great remakes that feature so much additional content that they feel like entirely different experiences.

4 The Legend of Zelda

Total Number Of Games: 45

Surprisingly enough, and despite being one of two of Nintendo’s flagship franchises, The Legend of Zelda doesn’t have as many games as one may think. This is due to the fact that most of these are huge and complex titles that take a lot of time and resources to develop.

The number of entries in this legendary franchise has increased significantly in recent years, as Nintendo has switched to more of a yearly model. While mainline Legend of Zelda games – like Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom - still take quite some time to release, Nintendo has filled in the gaps with countless remakes, remasters, and spin-offs. And most of them are just as good as the mainline titles, so it worked quite well for them.

3 Game & Watch

Total Number Of Games: 62

This one should be taken with a grain of salt because the Game & Watch series is completely different from any other Nintendo property on this list. These were born as simple electronic handhelds with individual games that were released as toys. But they were quite revolutionary, and Nintendo kept releasing new and different versions for several years. Some of them are even based on other major franchises, like Mario, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda.

However, Game & Watch can be considered its own franchise, based on its representation in the Super Smash Bros. series and the fact that the company has developed special edition systems as recently as 2021. When all of that is taken into account, it amounts to 62 different Game & Watch releases, which is one of the biggest numbers of any Nintendo IP.

2 Pokemon

Total Number Of Games: 122

There’s no doubt that Pokemon has been one of the biggest multimedia franchises in the world ever since the release of Pokemon Red and Blue in 1996. So it’s no surprise that this incredible success led to Game Freak, Creatures Inc., The Pokemon Company, and Nintendo to greenlight countless different titles that span from many different genres, resulting in more than 120 in total.

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Game Freak has been doing a great job with the mainline series games that were basically system sellers on Nintendo handhelds and found new life on the Nintendo Switch. But this franchise exploded in popularity so much that it spawned a huge number of excellent spin-offs, like Mystery Dungeon, Ranger, or Pokemon Go. And that’s not even taking into account all the obscure titles exclusive to Asia that were never released overseas. Pokemon is a global phenomenon that has no signs of stopping, so this number will likely keep getting bigger and bigger.

1 Mario

Total Number Of Games: Over 300

It should be no surprise that Nintendo’s #1 flagship franchise and the most influential video game character of all time has the highest number of video game releases of the entire company. It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact number of games in the Mario franchise, but it’s definitely more than 300, especially because there are a lot of branching elements in the Mario series.

There are mainline platformers (in both 2D and 3D), successful sports spin-offs like Mario Kart or Mario Tennis, and beloved RPGs like the Paper Mario or Mario & Luigi series. If that wasn’t enough, the Mario franchise also encompasses other popular series that star characters who originated from it, like Yoshi, Wario Ware, and Donkey Kong. Mario is one of gaming’s biggest icons, so it's only appropriate that he's been responsible for so many quality games throughout the years. And he'll most likely keep starring in great titles for many more years to come.

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