Though the Year of Luigi is long gone, Mario’s younger brother still boasts quite a bit of popularity. Since the early 2000s, he’s gone from a recolor for player 2 to his own person with his own personality, fears, and gameplay elements. Even after his time has passed, new games starring Luigi — and only Luigi — have been making the rounds on Nintendo’s modern consoles. Looking back on the green plumber’s history makes for some interesting finds, which is why this article will take a look at all Luigi games ranked by copies sold.
All information was taken from VGSales. Only games that star a playable Luigi without his brother, Mario, will be included, with the exception of Dr. Luigi due to lack of sales data. Data on Mario is Missing comes from a former employee.
Note: The links in this article include affiliate links to Amazon and eBay. You won’t be charged anything extra for clicking on these links, but you will be supporting HackerNoon if you do choose to purchase something through one of these links.
All Games Starring Luigi Ranked by Copies Sold
- 6. Luigi’s Mansion 3DS
- 5. Mario is Missing
- 4. New Super Luigi U
- 3. Luigi’s Mansion
- 2. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
- 1. Luigi’s Mansion 3
6. Luigi’s Mansion 3DS — ~470,000 Copies Sold
The 3DS port of Luigi's Mansion features quite a few additions and changes, from co-op play to a boss rush mode and alternate control schemes. It was also released very late into the 3DS's lifespan, leaving it in an unfortunate position for sales similarly to the Mario & Luigi and WarioWare titles. Were it not for the release of the Switch over a year ago, this new version of Luigi's Mansion could have replaced the original's position on this list. As it stands, though, it's simply another 3DS remake that fell victim to poor timing.
If you want to check this port out for yourself, it's still available on the 3DS eShop. Just be aware that the shop will close on March 27th, 2023, so you should check it out before it's too late!
Buy now on Amazon or the Nintendo eShop
5. Mario is Missing — ~1 Million Copies Sold
This odd, controversial title has more than a few quirks to it. Despite Luigi not being featured in the title, he's the only playable character available in all versions of the game. What's more, this educational title was released outside of Nintendo systems, being one of the few Nintendo games to officially make it to home computers. Fans of ancient Internet memes might even recognize Luigi's unique design from the DOS version, which isn't seen anywhere else.
This title marked the first time Luigi was able to star on his own, allowing him to take out the Koopalings and Bowser without the help of his older brother. Notably, this is also one of the first titles to give Mario and Luigi actual voices. Charles Martinet is not featured in the game, hardly making it influential on the future of the franchise, but it's still one of the many cases of "firsts" for both Mario and Luigi. This game hasn't received any official re-releases since its inception, but it's interesting to consider what would change if it came out today.
4. New Super Luigi U — ~3.07 Million Copies Sold
New Super Luigi U is a standalone expansion of New Super Mario Bros. U, allowing players to purchase it as DLC or as its own game. Though it plays mostly the same in comparison to its original version, new mechanics like Luigi's altered jump height and the playable character Nabbit are present. Each stage also has a time limit of just 100 seconds, forcing players to speed through the game if they want to survive. It's the closest thing to a Mario game without Mario, but the differences Luigi provides make it truly unique.
Because of New Super Luigi U's odd manner of release, it likely sold much more than this list describes. The game is included in a bundle with the Switch port of New Super Mario Bros. U. For the sake of accuracy, this list is not including bundles that feature Mario as a playable character. If it did, however, this title would easily top the list with over 10 million copies sold. In a way, this is the opposite of what happened with Luigi's Mansion 3DS, going to show how far good timing can take even a re-released title.
3. Luigi’s Mansion — 3.33 Million Copies Sold
The original Luigi's Mansion was the younger brother's first true outing as the main character. Following ghostly encounters in a haunted mansion, Luigi discovers that he must free Mario from the clutches of the evil King Boo. This game was a launch title for the GameCube, making it one of the primary reasons to own the console in the first place. Even though it was one of Nintendo's weaker-selling consoles, the game's early inclusion and unique ghost-vacuuming gameplay made it an incredible draw for any long-time Mario fan, leading to its eventual success.
2. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon — ~6.47 Million Copies Sold
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was a surprise for those that thought the original was a simple one-and-done title. This new game added more mansions while changing its gameplay style from semi-open exploration to linear level-clearing. It also included online multiplayer, letting players collaborate with others to bust some terrifying poltergeists. Though some fans weren't pleased with the removal of portrait ghosts and freeform exploration, Dark Moon refined and improved many of the systems provided by its predecessor. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the next title would try to include the best of both worlds...
Buy now on Amazon or the Nintendo eShop
1. Luigi’s Mansion 3 — ~11.43 Million Copies Sold
Rather than exploring mansions, Luigi's Mansion 3 puts the titular plumber in a massive hotel. Using the help of his goo-based doppelganger introduced in the 3DS release, he must solve puzzles and bash ghosts to the ground to save his friends from King Boo's deadly antics. The number of boss ghosts is similar to that of Luigi's Mansion while many gameplay elements have been lifted straight from Dark Moon. It's the most in-depth experience the series has gotten up to this point, and a perfect example as to how the Year of Luigi never truly ended.
Buy now on Amazon or the Nintendo eShop
Final Thoughts
Luigi has nowhere near the amount of games that Mario boasts, but he still manages to have plenty of unique offerings. One can only wonder if he’ll stick to ghost hunting in his solo adventures or if he’ll branch out like he did in more experimental titles. Whatever the case, it’s unlikely that Luigi will go without another game before long, which is something that couldn’t be said a decade or two ago.
Special mentions should be given to Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Super Mario 3D World, both featuring Luigi-centric content as part of the Year of Luigi. They aren’t included on this list due to having more of Mario overall, but fans of the younger brother should still check them out!