In 1996, a Nintendo 64DD version of the game was shown at Shoshinkai 1996. The game popularized Charles Martinet's portrayal as Mario (being the first game of the Super Mario series to feature his voice) and Princess Toadstool's name as Peach in the West, and made them both series standards. Punching and kicking were also introduced but would not appear in any later title. Being the first 3D Mario game, Super Mario 64 has introduced several moves, including triple-jumping, ground-pounding, long-jumping, diving, and somersaulting, which would be used in most subsequent installments of the Super Mario series. Though not the first 3D platforming game, Super Mario 64 codified many of the controls and designs conventions of the genre. Since its release, Super Mario 64 has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest and most important games of all time.

This game was one of two (three in Japan) launch titles for the Nintendo 64, along with Pilotwings 64, which helped drive initial sales of the console. Super Mario 64 is a 3D platformer game released for the Nintendo 64 in 1996 for Japan and North America and in 1997 for Europe and Australia.