Yoshi's Island was released for the Super Famicom in Japan on 5 August 1995. It was the first game in the series with Yoshi as the hero, carrying Baby Mario across the island, and it introduced the ground-pound move later used in other Mario games. Development ran from February 1992 to June 1995 under producer Shigeru Miyamoto, with music by Koji Kondo.
It was the first game to use Argonaut's Super FX2 chip, which handles the rotation, scaling and morphing effects Nintendo marketed as “Morphmation.” Hisashi Nogami's hand-drawn, marker-style look was chosen as a contrast to the pre-rendered 3D graphics of Donkey Kong Country, after Nintendo's marketing department had rejected an early demo whose visuals “lacked punch” next to that game.
The English version arrived in North America and Europe in October 1995. In 2002 it was remade for the Game Boy Advance as Super Mario Advance 3, with new levels and Yoshi's voice.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island | SNES | Oct 4, 1995 | Nintendo | 1 |
| NA | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3AU 4 Oct 2002 | Game Boy Advance | Sep 23, 2002 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | スーパーマリオ ヨッシーアイランドSūpā Mario Yosshī AirandoSuper Famicom with Super FX2 chip; date also in Japanese Wikipedia | SNES | Aug 5, 1995 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's IslandEnglish Wikipedia gives 5 October, Japanese Wikipedia 6 October 1995; Australia December 1995 | SNES | October 1995 | Nintendo | 1 |
| JP | スーパーマリオアドバンス3Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 (Nintendo R&D2) | Game Boy Advance | Sep 20, 2002 | Nintendo | 1 |
| EU | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 | Game Boy Advance | Oct 11, 2002 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3GBA version for 3DS Ambassador Program early adopters only; multiplayer disabled | Nintendo 3DS | Dec 16, 2011 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3Virtual Console (GBA version); English Wikipedia gives 24 April 2014, Japanese Wikipedia 15 October 2014 for Japan | Wii U | 2014 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Super NES Classic EditionBuilt-in SNES version | SNES | 2017 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's IslandNintendo Switch Online (SNES); the GBA version followed on 25 May 2023 | Switch | Sep 5, 2019 | Nintendo | 1 |
Also known as: Yoshi's Island WW1ヨッシーアイランド JP2Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 WW2スーパーマリオアドバンス3 JP2Sūpā Mario Yosshī Airando JP2
Box art by region
NA Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island 
EU Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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ContentGBA (Super Mario Advance 3)
The GBA version adds six new levels, including a secret stage in each world that opens after the game is finished.1
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AudioGBA (Super Mario Advance 3)
On the GBA Yoshi gets a voice, provided by Kazumi Totaka, and some sound effects are different.1
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GraphicsGBA (Super Mario Advance 3)
The GBA's lower resolution shows a smaller part of each level, and the rotation and scaling effects no longer need an extra chip.1
Translations
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English Official
Nintendo1995SNES · Japanese versionReleased · complete
The English release came out in North America and Europe in October 1995.1
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
Reception
The SNES game sold over a million copies in Japan by late 1995, 1.77 million there in total, and more than 4 million worldwide. Famitsu gave the Super Famicom version 33/40.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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