Upon release, critical reception was positive, with praise for its user interface and course editing tools.

Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS[b] was released in December 2016, without the ability to upload levels to the online portal.

It received more mixed reviews compared to the Wii U version.Super Mario Maker 2 was released for the Nintendo Switch in June 2019.

[1] The remaining online services for both the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game, such as playing levels uploaded before the portal site was discontinued, were shut down on April 8, 2024.

For example, enemies can be stacked, hazards can emerge from question blocks and warp pipes, shells can be worn as protective helmets, and cannons can emit chosen objects.

Each of these costumes can be unlocked by playing through the 100 Mario Challenge, by clearing special Event Courses, or by scanning a corresponding Amiibo figurine.

Alternatively, players can play the 10 Mario Challenge, with a selection of pre-made courses and only 10 lives.

[11] Before developing Super Mario Maker, Nintendo had previously explored the concept of a video game editor in the 1990s.

[14] The game's soundtrack was composed and arranged by Koji Kondo,[15][16] Naoto Kubo, and Asuka Hayazaki.

Prior to release, Nintendo allowed customers to play Mario Maker at Best Buy stores across North America on June 17 and 20, 2015.

[20] It was demonstrated with a new name, Super Mario Maker, on June 14, 2015, during the final round of the Nintendo World Championships event preceding E3 2015.

[23] Several notable video game designers showcased courses they had created, such as Michel Ancel, Koji Igarashi, Tim Rogers, and Derek Yu.

[37] The first major update, released on November 4, 2015, adds mid-course checkpoints, conditional power-ups, and Event Courses.

[38] Clearing certain Event Courses unlocks additional Mystery Mushroom costumes, such as Super Mario-kun and GameCenter CX presenter Shinya Arino.

[39][40] The game's second major update was released on December 22, 2015, which adds a speedrun leaderboard, and launched the Super Mario Maker Bookmark website, which allows players to browse uploaded courses and bookmark them to play, allowing for easier sharing of courses.

He praised the course editor and its user interface, writing that "[n]o matter which style you choose, creating levels is an intimidating task but the well designed interface makes learning easy and intuitive" and that it "gives us a fun, flexible toolbox to build and play Mario courses like never before".

[66] GameSpot's Justin Haywald praised the course editor, stating that "the mix-and-match nature [of gameplay elements] allows for exciting and anachronistic additions to familiar scenarios".

He ultimately concluded that "the game won't necessarily turn you into the next Shigeru Miyamoto, but you can almost feel a little bit of that magic rubbing off every time you upload a new creation".

[79] I expected that the users who wanted to play more of the hard courses would be attracted to Super Mario Maker.

[95] Sales in the United States reached 1 million in mid-January 2016, making it the sixth Wii U game to do so in the country.