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Super Mario Odyssey is the best all-around game to play after Super Mario Sunshine on Nintendo Switch 2: Nintendo places its sandbox-style 3D Mario design in a lineage that includes Sunshine, and it has a free Switch 2 update. If you want the original game instead, Super Mario 3D All-Stars includes it, but Nintendo ended direct sales in 2021 and says a software update is required to play the collection on Switch 2. Among newer alternatives, Donkey Kong Bananza is the clearest Switch 2-native choice for exploration and environmental interaction, while Bowser’s Fury is the strongest free-roaming Mario side adventure.
| Name | Best for | Key distinction | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Odyssey | Closest overall match | Sandbox-style 3D Mario exploration; free Switch 2 update | Nov 2026 |
| Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury | Free-roaming Mario adventure | Free-roaming play is in the Bowser’s Fury part of the bundle | Nov 2026 |
| Donkey Kong Bananza | Switch 2-native exploration | Interactive, destructible environments—not FLUDD-style cleaning | Nov 2026 |
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World | Accessible 3D-adventure alternative | Distinct Switch 2 Edition with additional content | Nov 2026 |
| Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 | More 3D Mario with a different structure | Two games offered together; Switch 2 update documented | Nov 2026 |
| Luigi’s Mansion 3 | Tool-based environmental interaction | Vacuum-and-puzzle adventure in a haunted hotel | Nov 2026 |
| de Blob | Changing an environment through color | Thematic similarity, not a direct platforming substitute | Nov 2026 |
Can I play Super Mario Sunshine on Switch 2?
Yes, if you can access Super Mario 3D All-Stars, the collection that includes the original Sunshine. Nintendo’s Switch 2 compatibility guidance says a software update is required to play the collection on the system, so do not assume it is an unqualified plug-and-play option.
The catch is availability. Nintendo ended direct digital and physical sales of Super Mario 3D All-Stars on March 31, 2021. People who bought the digital version can still redownload it, but that cutoff means a newcomer should not expect to find it as a normal current eShop purchase. A physical copy may be available through a third-party seller, but an individual listing’s stock, condition, legitimacy, and return terms are not established by Nintendo’s compatibility or product information.
If you are considering a used cartridge, verify that the listing is for Super Mario 3D All-Stars, ask about the cartridge and packaging condition, and check the seller’s return policy. Nintendo’s official product and compatibility information establishes what the collection contains and the update requirement; it does not establish what any particular merchant has in stock. If acquiring the original is impractical, the alternatives below match different parts of the experience rather than reproducing the whole game.
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What game feels most like Sunshine?
Super Mario Odyssey is the closest general substitute because it is another sandbox-style 3D Mario adventure built around exploring varied places and making discoveries. Nintendo explicitly connects this design lineage with Sunshine; that makes it a stronger overall recommendation than a game that merely shares a colorful look or a tropical mood.
1. Super Mario Odyssey — closest overall
Choose Odyssey if what you remember most is being let loose in a 3D Mario setting and deciding what to investigate. Its appeal here is the sandbox-style exploration, not a claim that it recreates Sunshine’s island, story, or water-spraying mechanics. Do not buy it expecting FLUDD or the same clean-up loop: the match is in the broad 3D Mario approach.
Nintendo documents a free update for playing Odyssey on Switch 2. That gives the recommendation a clear system note, but it should not be mistaken for a separate Switch 2 edition. The useful distinction is that it is a Switch game with a documented update, whereas some other picks below are framed as Switch 2 releases or editions.
Choose it when: You want the strongest overall blend of Mario movement, exploration, and open-ended discovery. Look elsewhere when: The water tool and its cleaning mechanic are the specific part of Sunshine you want to repeat.
Is Bowser’s Fury like Sunshine?
It is a good match if you want Mario in a freer-roaming adventure, but that description applies specifically to Bowser’s Fury, not to every part of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury. Nintendo describes the new adventure in the package as a return of free-roaming Super Mario gameplay.
2. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury — closest free-roaming Mario side adventure
The package pairs Super Mario 3D World with Bowser’s Fury. Keep those names separate when deciding whether it fits: the reason this is on the list is Bowser’s Fury’s free-roaming structure, not a claim that the entire bundle plays like Sunshine. Its relevance is especially clear for someone who wants a Mario-led adventure with room to roam but does not require the exact island setting or FLUDD mechanic.
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That distinction matters at purchase time. If you are looking for a single direct successor to the whole Sunshine experience, this bundle is not that. If you are looking for a free-roaming Mario component, it belongs near the top of the list. Read the full product title and package description so you know you are getting both experiences rather than treating the bundle as a standalone Bowser’s Fury release.
Choose it when: Free-roaming Mario gameplay is your priority. Choose another pick when: You want the closest overall sandbox-style match, or you want a Switch 2-native game rather than this distinct bundled experience.
Which Switch 2 game offers the closest kind of exploration?
Donkey Kong Bananza is the clearest Switch 2-native choice for exploring and actively changing the environment. It offers a related sense of agency, but it trades Sunshine’s cleaning premise for destruction and environmental interaction.
3. Donkey Kong Bananza — best native Switch 2 pick
Pick Donkey Kong Bananza when the appeal you want to carry forward is interacting with the world around you rather than playing as Mario specifically. Its destructible environments create a different kind of relationship with a game space from Sunshine’s cleaning and water-spraying premise. The comparison is about exploration and active environmental interaction, not identical mechanics.
It is the most straightforward option on this list if your main requirement is a game made for Switch 2. That does not make it the closest Sunshine replacement in every respect: Odyssey remains the overall pick for sandbox-style 3D Mario, and Bowser’s Fury is the more direct choice for free-roaming Mario. The right recommendation depends on whether you value a new Switch 2 game or the particular design features that made Sunshine memorable.
Choose it when: You want Switch 2-native exploration and hands-on environmental interaction. Do not choose it on the assumption: That destruction is a substitute for FLUDD-style cleaning.
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Which alternative is best if I want a different 3D adventure?
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World is the accessible 3D-adventure pick, while Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the option for more Mario movement and variety in a different kind of stage structure. Neither should be mistaken for a set of open vacation areas like Sunshine.
4. Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World — approachable 3D adventure
The full edition name matters: this recommendation is Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World, not simply a generic reference to the original game. Nintendo distinguishes the Switch 2 Edition and its additional content, so check the exact product edition when comparing listings or deciding what to buy.
Its place in this guide is as a broader 3D-adventure alternative rather than a Mario-like sandbox. It gives readers who are open to a different character and series a route into 3D exploration without claiming that the game shares Sunshine’s specific setting, tool, or play loop. Edition accuracy is the main practical point: if you want the Switch 2 Edition and its associated content, make sure the listing says so.
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Nintendo offers Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 together and documents a Switch 2 update. This is a strong choice for readers who want more 3D Mario, familiar series movement, and variety across two games, but the design comparison has a boundary: the pair is a different stage-based detour, not a return to Sunshine’s open vacation areas.
Choose the pair because you want a substantial change of format while staying with 3D Mario. Do not select it solely on the assumption that every 3D Mario game repeats Sunshine’s structure. As with Odyssey, Nintendo’s stated Switch 2 update is useful compatibility information, not evidence that these games reproduce the older game’s mechanics.
Are any non-Mario games worth considering?
Yes, if you are matching a particular mechanic or feeling rather than searching for a full replacement. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the tool-and-environment detour; de Blob is the visual-restoration detour. Both are narrower matches than the Mario recommendations.
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Luigi’s Mansion 3 — for a tool-and-environment itch
Luigi’s Mansion 3 uses vacuum-based interaction in a haunted-hotel adventure with puzzles. That tool-and-environment relationship can appeal to someone who liked having a piece of equipment shape how they approach a space, but the haunted setting and puzzle focus make it a different kind of game from a 3D platforming replacement for Sunshine.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallIt is best treated as a targeted alternative: consider it if interacting with environments through a tool is the element you miss. If what you want is open-ended Mario exploration, prioritize Odyssey or Bowser’s Fury instead.
de Blob — for the satisfaction of restoring color
de Blob offers a thematic echo of changing an environment by restoring color to a gray city. That is a meaningful connection for a reader who remembers the satisfaction of transforming a place, but it is not a gameplay-identical substitute for Sunshine. Check the edition and seller carefully if you are considering a physical copy; the available information does not establish a specific seller’s stock.
How should I choose between these games?
Start with the element of Sunshine you most want to revisit. These recommendations match different axes—roaming, Mario movement, environmental interaction, cleanup, or the format of a 3D adventure—so there is no single best match for every memory of the game.
- You want sandbox-style Mario exploration: Start with Super Mario Odyssey.
- You want free-roaming Mario gameplay: Focus on the Bowser’s Fury part of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.
- You want a game made for Switch 2 and a world to interact with: Consider Donkey Kong Bananza, with the understanding that destruction is not cleaning.
- You want another 3D adventure outside the Mario series: Consider the specifically named Switch 2 Edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
- You want more 3D Mario but accept a different stage structure: Choose Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2.
- You want to use a tool to interact with an environment: Look at Luigi’s Mansion 3, knowing its focus is puzzles and a haunted hotel.
- You want to see an environment’s color restored: Consider de Blob as a thematic detour, not a platforming match.
- You specifically want the original: Check whether you can obtain Super Mario 3D All-Stars and account for Nintendo’s required Switch 2 update.
These are editorial recommendations based on the documented game descriptions and compatibility details, not a claim that every game has been played or compared under identical conditions. No review score, performance benchmark, price, or current merchant inventory is established here.
What should I check before buying a copy?
Confirm the game and edition, then check whether your purchase is a Switch 2 release, a Switch game with a documented update, or a discontinued collection with an update requirement. Product naming is particularly important for the two paired or edition-specific recommendations.
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- Super Mario 3D All-Stars: This includes Sunshine, but Nintendo ended direct digital and physical sales on March 31, 2021. Existing digital purchasers retain redownload access, and the collection requires a software update to play on Switch 2.
- Super Mario Odyssey: Nintendo documents a free Switch 2 update. This is not the same product distinction as a separately named Switch 2 Edition.
- Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2: Confirm that the listing is for the pair Nintendo offers together; Nintendo documents a Switch 2 update.
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury: This is a package containing both named experiences. The free-roaming recommendation concerns Bowser’s Fury.
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World: Check the full Switch 2 Edition title and included additional content rather than assuming all editions are the same.
- Donkey Kong Bananza: This is the native Switch 2 recommendation in this group.
- Physical copies of older or discontinued games: A product’s past sale status does not prove a particular cartridge is available, authentic, complete, or in any stated condition. Confirm those details with the seller and review the return terms.
Nintendo’s official game and compatibility information is the appropriate source for product identity and update requirements. It cannot confirm the stock or condition of a third-party listing. No prices are included because a current, substantiated price is not established here.
How these recommendations were selected
The ranking prioritizes the documented connection to Sunshine and then separates alternatives by the specific experience they offer. Odyssey ranks first because Nintendo explicitly places its sandbox-style 3D Mario design in a lineage that includes Sunshine. Bowser’s Fury follows for its explicitly described free-roaming Mario gameplay, while Donkey Kong Bananza leads the Switch 2-native options for exploration and interaction with destructible environments.
The remaining choices fill narrower needs: a specifically named Switch 2 edition of Kirby, more 3D Mario in a different stage structure through the paired Galaxy games, tool-based puzzle interaction in Luigi’s Mansion 3, and environmental color restoration in de Blob. The guide distinguishes a related theme or mechanic from an equivalent game loop, and it includes the original Sunshine collection as an availability-conscious exception rather than pretending a substitute is necessary for every reader.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone who already bought Super Mario 3D All-Stars redownload it?
Yes. Nintendo’s availability information says existing digital purchasers retain redownload access, even though direct sales of the collection ended on March 31, 2021. The Switch 2 software-update requirement still applies.
Does the free Super Mario Odyssey update make it a Switch 2 Edition?
Nintendo documents a free Switch 2 update for Super Mario Odyssey; that wording describes an update, not a separately named Switch 2 Edition. Check the exact product title if edition naming matters to your purchase.
Is Bowser’s Fury sold as a separate game in this recommendation?
The recommendation here is Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, the package containing both experiences. Nintendo’s free-roaming description refers to the new Bowser’s Fury adventure within that package.
Does Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 have a Switch 2 update?
Nintendo documents a Switch 2 update for the paired release. That compatibility note does not mean the games share Sunshine’s open vacation-area structure.
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