The gameplay is largely retained from that of its predecessor, in which players create their own custom courses using assets from various games across the Super Mario franchise and share them online.

Like its predecessor, the game was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised its user interface, course editing tools, and music, although issues with the online multiplayer mode were criticised.

It also introduces local and online multiplayer modes including co-op course creation, where up to two players can locally create stages together at the same time; as well as allowing up to four online players to complete user-made courses, cooperatively or competitively.

The story follows Mario, Toadette, and several other Toads helping to rebuild Princess Peach's Castle, which had accidentally been reset by Undodog, a non-playable character.

Most of the original development team reprised their roles for this sequel, including producer Hiroyuki Kimura, director Yosuke Oshino, and planner/game designer Shigefumi Hino.

[13][14][15] Another Nintendo Direct was broadcast on May 15, 2019, which provided more information about new and returning features, gameplay modes, and pre-orders.

[16] In Europe, a capacitive stylus was included as part of the limited edition bundle of the game for customers who pre-ordered.

[37] The 2023 CESA Games White Papers revealed that Super Mario Maker 2 had sold 8.42 million units, as of December 31, 2022.