What it is
The 1981 arcade original that introduced both Donkey Kong and Mario (then called Jumpman), who has to climb to rescue a captured girlfriend.
Releases & editions
| Platform | Year | Edition | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arcade | 1981 | Standard | — |
| NES | 1983 | NES port | — |
| Game Boy | 1994 | Game Boy compilation | included in Donkey Kong (Game Boy) |
| Switch | 2018 | Standard | Digital · Arcade Archives |
Where it sits for newcomers
For fans
The single-screen arcade game that started everything — vital history, but not how you'd want to spend your first hours with the series.
See the full where-to-start guide →