Super Mario Strikers

Overview

Super Mario Strikers (released in Europe and Australia as Mario Smash Football), is a 2005 sports video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game was released in Europe on November 18, 2005, North America on December 5, 2005, Japan on January 19, 2006, and Australia on April 6, 2006. The game's developers had worked on NHL Hitz Pro before development of Strikers, which served as an influence for the fast-paced and physical nature of the game. This was also the last Mario game to be released on the GameCube in Japan and North America.

Strikers is a sports game incorporating characters and themes from the Mario franchise. The game features the basic aspects and objectives of a football game, although no referees are present and characters can legitimately shove others out of possession of the ball. As in other games such as Mario Power Tennis, the player can use Mario-themed items such as bananas and red shells to hinder the opposition and gain the advantage. Each team's captain can use "Super Strikes" that, if timed accurately, will result in two points scored for the striker's team. Each team comprises a goal keeper, a main Mario character (captain), and three of the same secondary Mario characters known as "sidekicks".

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. In general, reviewers lauded Strikers' accessibility and multiplayer gameplay, but criticised the lack of gameplay modes and single-player offerings. A sequel, Mario Strikers Charged, was released for the Wii in 2007 and a third game, Mario Strikers: Battle League, for the Nintendo Switch in 2022. The original game received its first official re-release on the Nintendo Switch 2 via the Nintendo Classics service on July 3, 2025.

Official trailer

Trailer. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

Super Mario Strikers - GameCube Gameplay HD, igcompany. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Sport

Developer

Next Level Games

Publisher

Nintendo

Series

Mario Strikers

Platforms

Nintendo GameCube

Age rating

ESRB E

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

Yes

Online multiplayer

No

Co op

Yes

Age ratings

CERO

A

ESRB

E

PEGI

3

Release dates

Editions

Check out the store

Space and patches

Update patchNo patch

DLC

No DLC. GameCube games had no downloadable content.

Playable today

Playable offline todayYes

No online features. The disc runs on a GameCube or a Wii with GameCube ports, and the game is on Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Switch 2.

Online

Plays offlineYes

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	GameCube	76	100
GameRankings	GameCube	76.26	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
GamePro	5	5
GameSpy	4.5	5
GameTrailers	8.7	10
GameZone	8.2	10
Eurogamer	8	10
IGN	7.6	10
Nintendo Power	7.5	10
GameSpot	7.2	10
Electronic Gaming Monthly	7	10
Nintendo Life	7	10
Game Informer	6.75	10

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Developer	Next Level Games
Publisher	Nintendo
Director	Mike Inglehart
Producers	Justin Dowdeswell, Ken Yeeloy, Kensuke Tanabe
Designer	Brandon Gill
Programmer	David Catlin
Artist	Cassidy Scott
Composers	Graig Robertson, Kyle Nordman

Notes for collectors

• The first Mario Strikers game, made by Next Level Games.
• Sold in Europe and Australia as Mario Smash Football, where it came out first, in November 2005.
• Followed by Mario Strikers Charged on Wii and Mario Strikers: Battle League on Switch.
• Added to the Nintendo Switch Online GameCube library on Switch 2 on 3 July 2025.

Credits

Publisher

Nintendo

Developer

Next Level Games

Director

Mike Inglehart

Released

2005-12-05

Age rating

ESRB E

Region

US

Time to beat

about 5.7 hours