Polygon’s review of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book pointed out that the new Nintendo entry plays more like classic Super Mario Bros. than a Yoshi spin-off has in years, and the renewed appetite for jump-and-run platformers sent us looking at what Android has on offer. Mario himself only lives in one game on the Play Store, so the search broadens to anything that captures the same precise jumps, hidden secrets, and tight side-scrolling levels. We tested seven across a Pixel 8a and a Galaxy S23 to rank touch-control comfort, level design quality, and how the genre travels off the Switch. These are the best Mario-style platformer games for Android in 2026.
What to look for in a platformer on Android
The genre is brutal on touch screens, so the good apps work harder than their console parents on three things.
- Touch versus controller. Auto-runners (Super Mario Run, Sonic Dash) work with one-thumb taps. Classic-style platformers (Oddmar, Sonic Classic) need either a virtual stick or a Bluetooth controller for the precision Mario fans expect.
- Length and structure. Mobile-first platformers ship 30 to 60 short levels, and console ports bring full-length campaigns. Pick the one that matches how long you sit down.
- Pricing model. The premium ports tend to land their tone better than free-to-play platformers, which often stuff in energy timers and revive currencies that fight the genre’s pacing.
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Style | Pricing | Offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Run | Official Nintendo Mario on Android | Auto-runner, World Tour | One-time unlock | Yes |
| Sonic the Hedgehog Classic | The original 1991 side-scroller | Classic platformer | Free with ads | Yes |
| Sonic Dash | Sonic-flavoured endless runner | Endless runner | Free with optional packs | Limited |
| Oddmar | Indie Mario-style premium platformer | Classic platformer | One-time purchase | Yes |
| Alto’s Adventure | One-tap snowboard platformer | Endless runner | Free with optional packs | Yes |
| Geometry Dash | Rhythm-based jump platformer | Auto-runner, rhythm | Free demo, paid full | Yes |
| Sonic CD Classic | 1993 Mega-CD Sonic with time travel | Classic platformer | Free with ads | Yes |
The 7 best Mario-style platformer games for Android in 2026
1. Super Mario Run, the official Nintendo entry
Super Mario Run is the only place Mario himself lives on Android. Nintendo built it for one-handed play: Mario runs automatically, taps make him jump, and the timing on power-ups and hidden coins is exactly the precision the series is known for. World Tour mode ships 24 levels across six worlds, Toad Rally adds asynchronous head-to-head challenges, and Kingdom Builder lets you decorate a mushroom-kingdom homebase with unlocks earned by playing.
The level design plays with the Super Mario Bros. vocabulary cleanly: pipes, blocks, Boos, Bowser fights, all reframed for tap timing rather than directional control.
Where it falls short: Most of the game lives behind a single in-app purchase that unlocks Worlds 2 through 6. The auto-run means players who want classic Mario directional control should look elsewhere on this list.
Pricing:
- Free: first level and limited modes.
- Paid: one-time unlock for the full game.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Bottom line: The pick if you want Mario himself and the tightest jump-timing on the list.
2. Sonic the Hedgehog Classic, the 1991 original ported clean
Sonic the Hedgehog Classic is the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive game preserved with widescreen and a fresh control layer for touch screens. The Christian Whitehead engine that powers this port is the same one Sega used for Sonic Mania, so the physics feel like the original even with virtual d-pad input. All six zones from the 1991 release are included, the special stages still rotate that gradient sky, and Sega added time-attack and Hidden Levels as bonus content.
If you’ve never played 2D Sonic, this is also the cleanest way in: short stages, a clear loop, a touch layout that you can ignore if you plug in a Bluetooth controller.
Where it falls short: The ad-supported free version interrupts between levels. The touch d-pad takes a few stages to dial in.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
- Paid: ad-removal upgrade.
Platforms: Android, iOS.
Bottom line: The pick if you want the Sega answer to Super Mario Bros. with the original physics intact.
3. Sonic Dash, the endless-runner mascot platformer
Sonic Dash strips Sonic to a Temple Run formula: three-lane endless runner, swipe to dodge, tap to jump, with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a roster of unlockable runners. SEGA Hardlight tuned the curve so the early runs feel forgiving and the upper league forces real reactions. Daily missions, weekly events, and seasonal characters keep the rotation fresh.
The best argument for it on this list is the audience: it’s the most-installed Sonic game on Android by a wide margin, and the casual loop suits a one-minute commute pause.
Where it falls short: The genre is endless runner, not classic platformer, so the depth of level design is on rails. The premium currency ramps in the unlock tree.
Pricing:
- Free with optional ring and gem packs.
- Paid: occasional starter bundles.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Amazon Fire.
Bottom line: The pick if you want Sonic on autopilot and a one-thumb session at a bus stop.
4. Oddmar, the indie Mario-style standout
Oddmar is the closest any indie has come to a console-quality 2D platformer on a phone. Mobge built a Viking platformer with painterly art, a 24-level campaign across eight chapters, and physics-based puzzles in the spirit of the early New Super Mario Bros. games. The mushroom power-up is replaced with a shield that turns Oddmar into a stomping projectile, and the secret coins reward exploration the way Mario fans expect.
The premium model gates the back half of the game behind a one-time purchase, which is the trade-off for no ads, no energy, and no in-app upsells anywhere.
Where it falls short: The on-screen control overlay can sit awkwardly with smaller phones until you remap it. The campaign ends in roughly six hours.
Pricing:
- Free: first three chapters.
- Paid: one-time unlock for full campaign.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Switch, PC.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a console-class 2D platformer that respects the Mario tradition.
5. Alto’s Adventure, the one-tap snowboard platformer
Alto’s Adventure trims the platformer to one tap: Alto snowboards down endless procedural mountainsides, jumps with a press, and chains backflips on extended holds. Snowman built it as a meditative one-thumb game, with pastel colour palettes, a Dawn-to-Dusk lighting cycle, and a soundtrack that rewards headphones. It’s an endless runner in mechanics, but the level-of-day variety and goal-driven progression read more like a platformer than the Temple Run line.
The free-to-play model is generous, with no energy timer and a single optional in-app purchase for coin doubling.
Where it falls short: The one-tap input means depth comes from goal-chasing rather than level design. There’s no proper campaign.
Pricing:
- Free with optional coin doubler.
- Paid: occasional cosmetic packs.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Mac, Apple Arcade, Windows.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a serene one-tap platformer that respects offline play.
6. Geometry Dash, the rhythm-platformer cult classic
Geometry Dash is what happens when a platformer fuses with a rhythm game. RobTop Games built each level as a fixed-camera auto-run, with jumps tied to the soundtrack’s beat. Levels are short, deaths are instant, and the satisfaction comes from memorising and finally clearing a track that defeated you twenty times. The base game ships 21 official levels, and the community has uploaded millions of custom levels through the in-app browser.
The free version is the demo with a generous subset; the paid full version unlocks the rest of the levels and the editor.
Where it falls short: Difficulty curves sharply after the early levels. The rhythm-locked input means it does not feel like classic Mario, just adjacent to it.
Pricing:
- Free demo version with limited levels.
- Paid: one-time purchase for the full game.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux.
Bottom line: The pick if you want a platformer that rewards memory and rhythm rather than improvisation.
7. Sonic CD Classic, the 1993 Mega-CD time-travel deep cut
Sonic CD Classic is the platformer Sonic fans rank above the original. The Christian Whitehead port brings the same widescreen treatment and physics fidelity as Sonic 1, plus the original game’s time-travel mechanic intact: Sonic touches a signpost reading “Past” or “Future”, builds speed, and the next checkpoint loads a redrawn version of the same zone. Reaching the good ending requires hunting robotic-generator machines in the past version of each act.
The soundtrack alone is worth the install. The original Japanese OST ships alongside the US release, and both have been remastered.
Where it falls short: The level layouts can be punishing for newcomers compared to Sonic 1. The time-travel rules take a few zones to internalise.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
- Paid: ad-removal upgrade.
Platforms: Android, iOS, Switch, PC.
Bottom line: The pick if you’ve already played Sonic 1 on phone and want the cult-favourite follow-up.
How to pick the right one
- If you want Mario himself: pick Super Mario Run.
- If you want the original Sega answer to Mario: pick Sonic the Hedgehog Classic.
- If you want one-thumb endless play: pick Sonic Dash or Alto’s Adventure.
- If you want the indie standard for console-quality 2D platforming: pick Oddmar.
- If you want platforming locked to rhythm: pick Geometry Dash.
- If you’ve already played the obvious Sonic and want the deep cut: pick Sonic CD Classic.
FAQ
Is there a Mario game on Android? Super Mario Run is the only official Nintendo Mario title on Android. Nintendo treats it as a one-time purchase with the first world playable for free.
What is the best free platformer on Android? Sonic the Hedgehog Classic and Sonic CD Classic are the most generous free options if you can live with ads between levels. Alto’s Adventure is the best premium-quality free pick with no ads.
Can you play these platformers offline? Super Mario Run, Sonic the Hedgehog Classic, Sonic CD Classic, Oddmar, Alto’s Adventure, and Geometry Dash all run offline. Sonic Dash needs a connection for its live events.
What platformer plays best with a controller? Oddmar and the Sonic Classic ports both support standard Bluetooth gamepads cleanly, which we recommend for the kind of precision Mario players are used to.
Is Oddmar like Mario? Oddmar lifts the Super Mario template into a Viking world, with a shield power-up replacing the fire flower and physics-driven puzzles. It is the closest indie equivalent on the platform.
