Gaming’s most prominent overarching narrative of 2026 is the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. That’s fair, considering the original games spawned one of the world’s biggest media empires. It’s worth remembering, though, that in 1996, Nintendo had a lot going on beyond Pokémon.
1996 proved to be a pivotal year for the Japanese developer. The Nintendo 64 was the shiny new platform, but Nintendo also continued the Game Boy line with the Game Boy Pocket. Its pre-existing home console, the Super Nintendo, even had some influential gems late in its lifespan. It’s the biggest year in Nintendo history, and it shaped the future of gaming as a whole.
Pokémon Red and Blue hit the United States in 1998, but the original Red and Green games debuted in their native Japan in 1996. They weren’t first-party Nintendo titles, as they were released in partnership with Game Freak and Creatures. Nonetheless, it’s hard to put anything from 1996 above Pokémon in terms of how valuable it would be to the company going forward.
While the games were an instant hit in the US, Pokémon‘s success was actually more of a slow burn in Japan. The games arrived at a time when the Game Boy was on its last legs, but Red and Green gradually grew in popularity thanks in part to rumors of the 151st Pokémon Mew, the anime, and the card game.
These factors helped flesh out the universe surrounding the Game Boy titles and bring more attention to the original games. Pokémon was successful on multiple fronts right from the start, and that helped it become the juggernaut it is today.
Nintendo Partied Like It Was 1989 With the Game Boy Pocket
Pokémon revived the Game Boy line in 1996, and the timing was fortuitous. At release, gamers had to play Red and Green on the original Game Boy, which was built on technology that wasn’t exactly advanced even when it came out in 1989. Later that year, Nintendo released the Game Boy Pocket, a smaller, updated handheld that was more battery-efficient and had a smaller screen.
It may seem like the Pocket was released to capitalize on Pokémon‘s success, but a different Game Boy game was actually catalyst. Mario’s Picross, released in 1995 and co-developed by Ape Inc., wasn’t a hit in the US but was very successful in Japan, to the point that it prompted Nintendo to delay work on the next handheld generation and squeeze more life out of the original Game Boy.
The Super Nintendo Remained Quietly Influential as It Neared Its End
The Game Boy wasn’t the only aging platform that was still serving Nintendo in 1996. The Super Nintendo debuted in Japan in 1991, and by the mid ’90s, Nintendo had shifted its primary focus to the future. But that didn’t mean the SNES was done shaping Nintendo’s future for years to come.
The system’s biggest game of the year was Super Mario RPG, which was the final Mario game for the SNES but the first RPG starring the overall-wearing plumber. Square developed the game and pulled inspiration from its beloved Final Fantasy series.
While Super Mario RPG never received a direct sequel, Nintendo did later pursue all sorts of different Mario-starring RPGs. From the Paper Mario series to the Mario & Luigi games, many classic Nintendo titles wouldn’t have existed without Super Mario RPG.
Another major title worth mentioning is Harvest Moon. At the time of its release, sales weren’t huge, but it did kick off a long-running series of games in the franchise. Plus, it was pioneering in the fields of farm simulators and cozy games, both of which have dominated the landscape with titles like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and the more recent hit Pokémon Pokopia.
The Nintendo 64 Played a Huge Role in Gaming History
The Game Boy and SNES were ultimately afterthoughts in 1996 as Nintendo threw its weight behind a new platform: the Nintendo 64. The console has a mixed legacy. In the US, it was a quick hit, but in Japan, the N64 didn’t perform as well. Globally, the console was drastically outsold by its main competitor, Sony’s PlayStation, with lifetime sales of about 32 million units vs 102 million, respectively.
The N64, though, was an innovative piece of hardware. That was especially true of the controller, which was the first one to feature a thumbstick, which made navigating 3D environments feel more intuitive. The controller had a communication port via which players could use accessories like rumble packs, memory cards, and even an accessory for interfacing with Game Boy games, a feature most notably used with Pokémon Stadium.
It was a lack of change in one key area, though, that helped Sony take the lead for that console generation. While the PS1 used optical discs for its games, N64 games were released on cartridges. This made games faster-loading and more durable, but it led to higher production costs and lower storage capacity, making the PS1 a far more frictionless platform for third-party developers to adopt.
Super Mario 64 Was a Stellar N64 Launch Title
For the N64, the most important titles were Nintendo’s own first-party games. They got off to a hot start with Super Mario 64, a launch title for the system. Migrating the beloved Mario games from 2D to 3D was a big ask, as it was essentially taking a tried-and-true, finely tuned model and applying it to essentially an entirely new medium.
It worked out fantastically on Super Mario 64. Though it was one of the first 3D platformers, it already had a lot of intuitive polish. Movement was smooth and tight, while Nintendo’s work on the camera system paid off, as it was relatively easy for players to see the 3D environments.
Super Mario 64 served as the blueprint for the 3D Mario games that followed, which built on a strong foundation and have been among the most beloved games ever. It gave gamers their first real taste of the potential of the 3D era.
Nintendo’s Mario Kart 64 Was the Ultimate ’90s Racing Game
The other most important N64 game was Mario Kart 64, released in Japan in 1996 before hitting North America in early 1997. This one wasn’t as big of a conceptual ask as Super Mario 64, as it ended up having a lot in common with the original Mario Kart game that came before it on the SNES. Like Mario 64, though, it found ways to stand out in ways the original didn’t.
The SNES game used a combination of 2D and primitive 3D graphics that could sometimes look rough around the edges. The N64 sequel, meanwhile, had fully 3D environments, which made for more cohesive visuals. Pair that with a handful of memorable courses and an equally standout soundtrack, and Mario Kart 64 was as fun as racing games got in 1996.
One Nintendo Icon Got His Start, and Another Was Born
One other important introduction that came to the Nintendo universe via Super Mario 64 was the use of voice acting. Specifically, it was the first home console Mario game to feature Charles Martinet voicing the titular character. For decades, he was the voice of not just Mario, but also Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi in dozens and dozens of Nintendo titles.
In 2022, Nintendo released Mario Strikers: Battle League and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, both for the Switch. These were the final two Nintendo games to feature Martinet’s voice acting. For his replacement, Nintendo went with Kevin Afghani, a young voice actor who at that point was in his mid-20s and a relative unknown.
Coincidentally, he was born on November 9, 1996, just weeks after Martinet made his big debut on Super Mario 64, which was released in North America on September 29. Afghani’s first turn as Mario came in 2023 with the Switch title Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
There was some natural hesitance to accept a Martinet replacement after his voice work was drilled into gamers’ brains for decades. To Afghani’s credit, though, he does a faithful Mario voice. Based on the early returns, Nintendo should have plenty of confidence leaning on him to voice their signature character for decades to come.