List of Super Mario 3D World glitches

This is a list of glitches in Super Mario 3D World. For glitches found exclusively in the port, see List of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury glitches. All names are conjectural unless otherwise specified. Glitches marked with an asterisk (*) are fixed in the Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury release.

Audio

Infinite Baddie Box sound glitch*

If a Baddie Box is destroyed while it is activated, its sound will loop indefinitely.

This glitch is fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Persisting microphone wind glitch

Just before the timer counts down after getting the flagpole, if the player blows on the microphone on the Wii U Gamepad, the sound of the wind won't stop until the score screen comes up.

Freezes

Koopa Shell freeze*

If the Koopa Shell duplication glitch is performed at the end of Koopa Troopa Cave with a second player inside the shell, attempting to throw their shell at the flagpole may freeze the game.

Pipe exit bounce softlock

Spinning after exiting the pipe before a boss cutscene during four-player games can cause the player to become stuck bouncing on another player's head, unable to move and land to begin the cutscene.

Graphics

Camera angle in Super Bell Hill glitch

This glitch can occur in Super Bell Hill near the end of the level. The player must jump to the other side of the fence, then continually walk torwards the wall and fence while moving to avoid falling. Eventually, the camera will pan down, after a few moments it will go back to the player.

Clear Pipe hitbox glitch

Cat Mario standing in midair near a Clear Pipe in Tricky Trapeze Theater

In Tricky Trapeze Theater, if the player wears a Cat Suit and slides down the left edge of the Clear Pipe near the end of the level, they will appear to stand on an invisible platform at the bottom of the pipe. In actuality the collision for the clear pipe is larger than the visual model.

Disappearing face glitch

In a multiplayer game, if one player wearing the Tanooki Suit or Cat Suit (except for Tanooki Peach) performs a Rolling Long Jump and bounces off the head of another character, the player's face will become temporarily invisible.

Float on World Map glitch*

On the World Map, if the leading player jumps and enters a Captain Toad's Adventures course before touching the ground again, the player will remain standing in the air until the course screen wipe.

This glitch is fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Frozen Madpole glitch

In Deepwater Dungeon, if the player freezes one of the two Madpoles with the Wii U Gamepad at the beginning of the level where the water moves up and down, the Madpole automatically disappears and reappears at the top of the water when released.

This glitch remains in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Invisible Bob-omb glitch*

This glitch can be performed in Bob-ombs Below. If the player wears the Invincibility Suit and carries a Bob-omb while it explodes, they will continue hold their arms in the air as if they were still carrying the Bob-omb as long as the player continues to hold . Releasing causes the player to throw nothing and ends the glitch.

This glitch is fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Invisible Cannon Box glitch

To perform this glitch, the player should go to a level with Cannon Boxes, such as Bowser's Bullet Bill Brigade, with a Cat Suit. If the player walks into the wall beneath a cannon box, claws under it, then jumps, the character's head and arms disappear as if he were wearing the Cannon Box, but the box will not be visible, and the player will be invincible. When the player grabs another power-up, a Cannon Box will show but it will not move with them. The glitch will end when the player grabs the Goal Pole.

Invisible water glitch*

Luigi swimming in an invisible pool of water in Super Bell Hill

In Super Bell Hill in the area after the Checkpoint Flag and near the pool of water with the coins, the player can access an invisible pool of water outside the stage by Long-Jumping off the edge near the corner of the stage.

This glitch is fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Persisting starlight glitch

In some dark-themed levels, if the player uses a fireball to capture a Green Star, the star's light may still be visible in its original location for a few seconds.

Physics

NOTE: These glitches result from how Mario and/or other characters interact with the world.

Captain Toad level preview glitch

If the player completes a Captain Toad's Adventures course, exits the game, and opens it back up, the player can walk through the preview of Captain Toad's level.

Cat dive momentum glitch

While wearing the Cat Suit, if the player dives, cancels it before hitting the ground, claws immediately before hitting the ground, then jumps again, the player will retain the momentum from the dive and gain speed.

Float with Koopa Shell glitch

Mario with a Green Shell stuck in a hole in Koopa Troopa Cave

To perform this glitch in Koopa Troopa Cave near the beginning of the level, the player must break only one of the Brick Blocks, revealing a gap that leads to the secret area beneath. Then, if the player picks up a Koopa Shell and falls into the hole, they will be stuck inside the hole temporarily. The player can exit the glitch by attempting to shift around.

Mario with a Green Shell stuck on a cloud in Koopa Troopa Cave

Later in the same level, if the player grabs a Koopa Shell and jumps into a cloud, landing the edge of the shell on the cloud, the player will get stuck and appear to be floating. This glitch can be canceled if the player releases the shell or spins.

In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury the cloud pushes the player off, causing them to automatically escape the cloud after a few seconds.

Ice speed glitch

If the player repeatedly taps the crouch button on ice or other slippery surfaces, their speed will increase dramatically, and the momentum can be continued by jumping forward or repeating the glitch. Combining this with a Tanooki Suit or Propeller Box allows the player to fly very far. In some cases, performing this glitch while running into a corner in specific ways can allow the player to gain a large amount of momentum while stationary, which can cause the player to fly out of bounds when released, similar to the Backwards Long Jump glitch in Super Mario 64.

Inside the floor glitch

Cat Luigi inside the floor in Trick Trap Tower

To perform this glitch in Trick Trap Tower, the player must advance to the end of the level before the Goal Pole with a Cat Suit. If the player jumps off the corner of the stage and returns with a Cat Dive, the player will clip inside the floor. The glitch ends if the player jumps.

A similar glitch can be performed in Captain Toad Plays Peek-a-Boo. To perform it, the player should stand underneath a Donut Block and in the threshold between the floor and a particular Touchstone block. When it is activated, the player will clip inside the block.

Meowser cutscene skip

This is a major glitch, which allows the player to skip the Meowser cutscene and skip straight to the autoscroller section of the battle.

In order to perform this glitch, the player must be playing as Peach in the level The Great Tower of Bowser Land with a Cat Suit with a Tanooki Suit in storage. The player must advance to the ramp before the sliding platform that leads to Meowser. The player must align in between the 4 tiles in the 4th column, starting after the ramp. Then, they should throw the Tanooki Suit out and leave it there. Then, the player should proceed to slide in the opposite direction of the Super Leaf, go back, jump above it, and perform the Cat Dive Cancel exploit to gain speed. Then, the player should slide down the ramp, jump at the very end, cat dive back into the ramp, jump, float, grab the Tanooki Suit in mid-air, and float to the left of the blue platform around the platform that leads to Meowser. The player must let go of the float button right before landing on the very edge of the blue platform, and then, they should jump in order to maintain momentum.

As the player is floating to the east of the bridge after performing the jump, the player must try to align with a black bar at the side of the tower. This is not necessarily required, but is a good visual cue. If the player gets close enough, the cloud platforms will start appearing in the distance. The player must head into the direction of the clouds, as it will make Peach land onto the autoscroller section, skipping a small chunk of the level as well as the cutscene.

This glitch, however, can result in the loss of a life if done incorrectly. Doing the last section incorrectly will result in the game thinking the player is still on the platform leading to the bridge, but outside the boundaries of where the game expects the player to be. This results in a major camera shift, which often results in Peach losing a life. A good visual cue is the camera angle; if the camera moves too much and obstructs the player's view, then the player has done the trick incorrectly and will lose a life. If the camera moves only slightly and still allows the player to see Princess Peach, then the trick has been done correctly. Doing this glitch prevents any music from playing during the climb through the tower.

In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury there is a new death boundary, requiring a slightly different approach to reach the tower.

Midair jump glitch

Mario air-jumping in the level "A Beam in the Dark"

In the level A Beam in the Dark, if the player enters the left or center doors, they will come out of the upper left or right doors with no platforms underneath. However, if the player jumps while pressing any direction on the joystick while leaving the door, they will be able to jump in the air as if there was a platform.

Offscreen flying glitch

To perform this glitch, the player needs to go to Snowball Park, grab a Propeller Box, run (while performing the Super Speed Exploit by crouching repeatedly on the ice) to the end of the ice path with the Para-Biddybuds, and jump off it and fly towards where the goal. The player will go off the screen, but not die.

Plessie wall clip

Midway through the level Plessie's Plunging Falls, it is possible to clip straight through the short wooden fences in the river, by ramming into the wall straight on at full speed. Moving perpendicular with the wall is essential to clip through.

Secret room glitch*

To perform this glitch, the player must go to Towering Sunshine Seaside with the Cat Suit and go to the wall near the Goomba Tower with the third Green Star. By jumping on the Goomba Tower for a boost, the player should climb to the top of the building. The building has no roof and the player can fall into it, however they are unable to leave it. The camera will occasionally go into the building. Also, if the player manages to get to the other side of the "invisible roof", there will be an invisible path. This also can be done in the Sunshine Seaside, but the camera will not follow the player.

In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, there is an invisible ceiling on the building, making the room inaccessible.

Snowball slide glitch

The glitch in action

If Small Blue Toad Long Jumps into a Snowball, he sits down and slides right while holding the Snowball. He will be unable to jump and will continue gaining momentum while moving. This glitch can be canceled by letting go of the Snowball.

Snowball split glitch

In World 3-1, if the player attempts to place two snowballs right next to each other, they will be pushed apart.

Super Bell inside Brick Blocks glitch

A Super Bell stuck inside a stack of Brick Blocks in Mount Beanpole

This glitch can be performed in Mount Beanpole. If the player wears a Cat Suit and attacks a Cat Goomba underneath a vertical stack of Brick Blocks, the Super Bell can partially clip inside the stack.

Visual artifacts glitch*

Luigi going out of bounds

To perform this glitch, the player needs to be wearing a Cat Suit with a Tanooki Suit in storage. Then, they must go to the top of the mountain in Mount Beanpole or Spiky Mount Beanpole. Then they should take the Tanooki Suit from storage and do the Cat Momentum glitch into the Tanooki Leaf and towards the beginning of the stage, before immediately jumping. If the player continues to hold down on the control stick, they'll fly out of bounds. The player can only exit this glitch by waiting until the time runs out or by restarting the game. If the player goes too far, the background will start duplicating frames of objects on the screen, resulting a screen artifact.

If the player presses and then goes back in the game, the duplicated screens will disappear causing a black screen. The player can still create duplication frames by moving the character.

This glitch is fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

World Map out of bounds glitch*

Rosalina standing atop the Clear Pipe.

If done correctly, one can get on top of the World Bowser entrance pipe by jumping onto the nearby pole first, and then fall to the worlds down below. Additionally, if the player quits the game while he/she is falling out of bounds, the progress will not be saved, and when restarting the game, the music of the world the player was in when the glitch was activated plays for a short time.

This glitch appears to be fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Scripting

NOTE: These glitches abuse interactions that cause objects or displayed information to perform unintended behaviors.

Koopa Shell duplication glitch*

To perform this glitch, the player must remove a Koopa Troopa from its shell, then rub the shell with the Wii U GamePad as the Koopa attempts to re-enter the shell. If done correctly, the shell will appear duplicated, with the Koopa wearing a shell and the isolated shell still visible. However, if the Koopa is attacked again, the extra shell disappears and the game returns to normal.

This glitch appears to be fixed in Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

Transforming items glitch

Sometimes, if two power-ups are placed directly next to each other, then ground-pounded together, one item transforms into a new one (e.g., if the player puts a Super Bell on a Super Leaf, they will get a Super Mushroom). If players are using a Lucky Bell and overlap a Fire Flower on a Tanooki Leaf, they will get a Fire Flower as the power-up and also will receive an extra Fire Flower. This glitch can be done with all power-ups. The results depends on the combination of the power-ups. However, if the player gets any item to overlap an Invincibility Leaf, the item in the inventory will clone itself.

Unactivated enemies glitch

An unactivated Fire Bro in the level Spiky Spike Bridge

Sometimes, when a player takes a shortcut, certain enemies will not attack. This is because the game relies on the player to step on a certain trigger to activate the enemies, so when the trigger is skipped, the enemies will not attack. They can still cause damage when touched, and can still be defeated.