Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition – All Games, Ranked (2024)

The ultimate competition is here! The Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition brings together 13 of the most popular NES games to give speedrunners a challenge unlike any other. It takes some of the most iconic gameplay moments in each franchise and challenges players to see who has mastered their classic gaming skills.

This can mean anything from defeating a boss to collecting an item before your opponents do. This can be played either online, or locally with your friends. This is every game that is featured in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, Ranked.

13 Excitebike

Perfect For The Olympics But Lacking Challenges

Excitebike feels like one of those games that perfectly fits into a world championship-type game. It’s a sport after all, and having a challenge that forces you to stay on the bike at all times makes you feel like you truly are at a major Olympic event.

However, there are so many other great challenges and titles that, unfortunately, Excitbike falls a bit short compared to the others.

12 Ice Climber

Climb Higher And Higher

Ice Climber is one of the entries with the fewest challenges available, with only six. Many of them are also simple but do require you to master your precision.

The goal is usually to keep climbing faster than your opponent by smashing the platforms above you. Miss your timing, and you'll hit your head and lose precious seconds. Once again, there just aren't as many challenges dedicated to this title.

11 Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels

Just As Difficult As Remembered

Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels keeps the difficulty that the original game had. This means the controls are a bit stickier and have that slight input delay that made it one of the hardest Mario games of all time.

This also means that you will need to dedicate just a little extra time to adjust to the control scheme. This is a task for the hardcore players but might catch newer players by surprise.

10 Kid Icarus

A Challenge For The Gods

While many players might already be familiar with Legend of Zelda and Super Mario, Kid Icarus might slow unfamiliar players down. However, just shoot your arrows if anything comes your way and learn the routes that get you to your goal quicker.

If you want to prove that you’re a hardcore Nintendo fan, then showing your mastery of one of the lesser-known titles is just the way to go about doing it.

9 Super Mario Bros. 2

Pull And Toss Vegetables

Super Mario Bros. 2 may seem different from other entries in the original lineup. However, those differences make for some unique challenges. During some challenges, you will need to pluck the right vegetable to proceed.

Other times, you will be tasked with defeating the villain, Mouser, before anyone else does. It requires just a bit more thinking than the original Mario Bros challenges, making it the perfect fit for the championship.

8 Super Mario Bros. 3

Become A Wizard Of Gaming

If you’re a fan of The Wizard, then you’ll feel right at home. Super Mario Bros. 3 has some unique challenges that take advantage of the new power-ups introduced in the entry.

So, while many of these tasks might feel similar to the ones from the first game, they have an extra layer of challenge. From finding magic wands to completing the first world completely, the only thing missing is a Power Glove.

7 The Legend of Zelda

Grab Your Sword And Fight Enemies

If you’re a Zelda expert, then you’ll most likely succeed in the Legend of Zelda portion of Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Some of the challenges have you obtaining Link’s sword or collecting Rupees.

However, many of the challenges in The Legend of Zelda are combat-oriented, requiring you to defeat Dodongos, slash Octorocks, or even go through a whole dungeon to defeat the first boss.

6 Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link

Level Up And Save Children

Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link may play differently than the original title, but the challenges are fairly similar. Most of them have you fighting enemies or defeating bosses. However, there are some unique tasks.

One task will have you trying to level up faster than your opponents. Other missions involve you playing through an enemy encounter to rescue a child. These challenges take advantage of Zelda 2’s newer mechanics.

5 Metroid

Be The First To Navigate The Labyrinth

Metroid is known for having a labyrinth map layout and spawning Metroidvanias. In the original game, you must collect items to make other locations accessible. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition turns this process into challenges for the Metroid portion.

You’ll need to learn the map layout to improve your time. In some challenges, avoiding the Metroids will be key to reaching the gate on time and securing your place at the finish line.

4 Donkey Kong

The Spirit Of The Arcade Lives On

One game that feels specifically built for Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, is Donkey Kong. It’s a race to see who can be the first to save Pauline and avoid Donkey Kong’s hazardous barrels.

Other times, the focus will shift towards obtaining items like the purse or the hammer. Regardless, the arcade gameplay offers a unique challenge despite having some of the smaller stages to memorize.

3 Balloon Fight

Can You Master Your Precision?

Balloon Fight might seem simple at first glance, but trying to speed run makes you run into more speed bumps than anticipated. You’ll need to get used to timing not just your position with the balloon but the trajectory of your shots.

This is one of the more challenging games to master and even the slightest mistake can force you to take longer than anticipated to complete the trials.

2 Super Mario Bros.

The Iconic Nintendo Staple

The original Mario Bros is one of the best challenges in Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition. Perhaps it's the nostalgia for Mario Bros. 99 or maybe it's the fact that the game is a classic.

The challenges are also some of the best, whether smashing all the item boxes in time or collecting a certain amount of coins. It’s also one of the friendliest titles for beginners and pros alike.

1 Kirby's Adventure

A Good Variety Of Challenges

After the gourmet race, Kirby just seems built for speedrunning and going fast. Like Mario Bros., this entry has numerous challenges for players to tackle.

You'll be sucking up enemies, spitting them back out, and floating through the sky to be number one. This variety in gameplay also makes it one of the best titles in the game, with many of the challenges requiring you to utilize Kirby correctly.