Polygon’s retrospective this week put it plainly: 24 years later, Super Mario Sunshine still holds up, and it is still trapped on Nintendo hardware. FLUDD, Isle Delfino, and the whole vacation-in-paradise premise never got a proper PC release, and the only legitimate way to play it in 2026 is through the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pass on a Switch or Switch 2. If you’re on Windows, macOS, or Linux and want the same loop of goofy movement tech, hidden Shine equivalents, and short bite-sized levels, these Super Mario Sunshine alternatives on desktop get closer than any Mario clone has a right to.
What makes a real Sunshine alternative
Skip the “3D platformer” tag on Steam and it fills up with soulslikes and side-scrollers. What we actually want:
- A moveset that rewards mastery, not just running and jumping
- Small hub worlds full of collectibles instead of long linear stages
- Movement that feels good at 240Hz on a keyboard or controller
- Sub-15 hour campaigns you can finish over a weekend
- Runs on modest hardware (Sunshine’s PC alternatives are indie-scale)
Quick comparison
| Game | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Hat in Time | Closest Sunshine analog | No | $29.99 | Full four-world campaign, co-op |
| Yooka-Laylee | Banjo-Kazooie DNA | No | $39.99 | Rare veterans built it |
| Psychonauts 2 | Story-driven collectathon | No | $59.99 | AAA polish, Xbox Game Studios |
| Pseudoregalia | Movement tech obsession | No | $5.99 | 3 hour speedrun-friendly indie |
| Cavern of Dreams | N64-era faithful throwback | No | $14.99 | Banjo-style hub design |
| Corn Kidz 64 | Retro low-poly loop | No | $9.99 | 5 hours of pure moveset play |
| Super Kiwi 64 | Cheap weekend project | No | $4.99 | 90-minute total playtime |
The 7 best Super Mario Sunshine alternatives on desktop
A Hat in Time, best overall Sunshine alternative
A Hat in Time is what you get when a team of Rare and Nintendo super-fans build the collectathon Sunshine sequel that never shipped. Four hub worlds, each with 8-15 Time Pieces (the game’s Shine Sprite equivalent), a hat-based movement toolkit that adds a hookshot, a sprint, and a dive, and a wildly expressive protagonist. The Nyakuza Metro DLC adds a full fifth chapter with a heist plot.
Where it falls short: The camera fights you in tight indoor spaces, and the difficulty spikes hard in the optional Death Wish challenge mode.
Pricing:
- Base game: $29.99. Regularly drops to $9.99 on Steam sales.
- Nyakuza Metro DLC: $9.99. Seal the Deal DLC: $4.99.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (native).
Where to buy: A Hat in Time on Steam | GOG
Bottom line: The default answer for anyone who wants Sunshine 2 and cannot buy Nintendo hardware.
Yooka-Laylee, best for Banjo-Kazooie fans
Yooka-Laylee was built by ex-Rare developers who worked on Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64, and it plays like Sunshine’s older cousin, the collectathon Mario missed. Five large hub worlds, Pagies (the Star equivalent) hidden across each, and an expanding world size mechanic where you can pay to grow each hub twice.
Where it falls short: The worlds are bigger than they need to be, and a few of the minigames drag. The mine cart sections in particular are widely disliked.
Pricing:
- Base game: $39.99. Frequently under $10 on sale.
- Yooka-Replaylee remaster: $29.99 launch price, adds double the collectibles and a fresh moveset.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Where to buy: Yooka-Laylee on Steam | GOG
Bottom line: Pick the Yooka-Replaylee remaster if it’s out on your platform. The original is fine but the remaster fixes almost every 2017 complaint.
Psychonauts 2, best for a story-driven collectathon
Psychonauts 2 is the biggest-budget entry on this list, a Double Fine (now Xbox Game Studios) sequel that ships a full Sunshine-length campaign of exploring people’s minds. Each mental world is a self-contained sandbox with figments, PSI cards, and memory vaults to collect. The writing carries it.
Where it falls short: It is more linear than Sunshine. The hub connects mental levels but you can’t backtrack to grab collectibles the same way you can in Isle Delfino.
Pricing:
- Base game: $59.99. On sale under $20 during Steam summer and winter events.
- Included in Xbox Game Pass for PC.
Platforms: Windows.
Where to buy: Psychonauts 2 on Steam | Xbox Store
Bottom line: Pick this if the story matters more than the moveset. It’s the closest AAA project to a Sunshine successor.
Pseudoregalia, best for movement obsessives
Pseudoregalia is the indie that convinced a lot of people 3D platformers were coming back. A three-hour metroidvania-shaped moveset trainer with a wall slide, a wall kick, a slide-cancel, and a sunset-mode routing challenge that speedrunners still push. It costs less than a coffee.
Where it falls short: It’s short and it looks deliberately rough. You’ll finish the main content in an afternoon. There are no collectibles beyond upgrades and secret rooms.
Pricing:
- Base game: $5.99. Rarely goes on sale because it’s already the price of a sale.
Platforms: Windows, macOS (via Whisky/CrossOver), Linux (Proton).
Where to buy: Pseudoregalia on Steam | itch.io
Bottom line: Skip if you need volume, buy immediately if you want the tightest movement on this list.
Cavern of Dreams, best faithful N64-era throwback
Cavern of Dreams is a Banjo-Kazooie love letter that recreates the 1998 hub-and-world structure faithfully. You play a small dragon exploring a cavern that opens into worlds tied to eggs you collect. The pacing is unhurried and the camera is deliberately N64-jittery.
Where it falls short: The controls have some old-school stickiness that will irritate anyone who came for modern responsiveness.
Pricing:
- Base game: $14.99. Regularly drops to $9.99.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.
Where to buy: Cavern of Dreams on Steam | itch.io
Bottom line: Best of the retro-feel throwbacks. Not the tightest control on this list but the most nostalgic in a good way.
Corn Kidz 64, best for a five-hour movement loop
Corn Kidz 64 looks like a lost N64 game and plays like one, in a good way. You control a young goat with a headbutt, a double jump, and a wall grab, and the level design is built around chaining moves through vertical space. About five hours to finish, dense with secrets.
Where it falls short: The plot barely exists. If you need a hook beyond “goat goes brrr”, this won’t hold you.
Pricing:
- Base game: $9.99. Sale price often $6.99.
Platforms: Windows.
Where to buy: Corn Kidz 64 on Steam | itch.io
Bottom line: For $10 you get one of the best pure movement platformers of the last five years. Buy it.
Super Kiwi 64, best cheap sampler
Super Kiwi 64 is a 90-minute solo-developer platformer that costs less than a bus ticket. Small worlds, tight moveset, one full playthrough per lunch break. It sits in the “did the developer sell this to fund the next one” tier of indie pricing.
Where it falls short: Very short. It reads more like a proof of concept than a full game. Almost no replay.
Pricing:
- Base game: $4.99. Often bundled with other Siactro platformers under $10.
Platforms: Windows, Linux.
Where to buy: Super Kiwi 64 on Steam | itch.io
Bottom line: Buy if you want the cheapest possible taste of the N64-era feel. Not a Sunshine replacement, but a great palate cleanser between the bigger games on this list.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the closest thing to Sunshine 2: buy A Hat in Time. It is not a debate.
- If you played Banjo-Kazooie before Mario 64: pick Yooka-Replaylee if it’s out on your platform, or the original Yooka-Laylee if not.
- If you want a story that pulls you through: Psychonauts 2. The mental worlds carry it.
- If you value movement precision above collectibles: Pseudoregalia. Three hours, five dollars, one of the tightest control schemes on desktop.
- If you miss the N64 era literally: Cavern of Dreams or Corn Kidz 64. Pick Cavern for hub-world nostalgia, Corn Kidz for pure moveset.
- If you have $5 and 90 minutes: Super Kiwi 64.
- If you already own a Switch: Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack has Sunshine playable. That remains the actual answer, and this article is written with the assumption you don’t want to spend $50 a year plus a console just to run it.
FAQ
Is there a Super Mario Sunshine PC port?
No. Nintendo has never released Super Mario Sunshine on PC. Emulation exists through the Dolphin project but requires a legally sourced ROM and does not qualify as an official Sunshine port. The only sanctioned way to play it in 2026 is through Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack on a Switch or Switch 2.
What game is most like Super Mario Sunshine on PC?
A Hat in Time is the closest match. It ships with hub worlds, a mission-based structure similar to Sunshine’s Shine hunts, a distinct movement toolkit, and even a co-op mode for a second player.
Are there free Super Mario Sunshine alternatives?
No modern 3D platformer of this class ships free. Pseudoregalia at $5.99 and Super Kiwi 64 at $4.99 are the cheapest paid options and both are under the price of most mobile games.
Do these games run on Steam Deck?
Yes. A Hat in Time, Pseudoregalia, Cavern of Dreams, and Corn Kidz 64 are all Steam Deck Verified or Playable. Psychonauts 2 runs well on Deck through Proton but is officially unrated. Yooka-Laylee is Verified.
Which of these has co-op?
A Hat in Time is the only one on this list with real co-op. You can drop in and out as a second player with the second character sharing your controls. None of the others have local or online multiplayer.
