Which Mario game first featured the ability to ride Yoshi?

The first Mario game to feature the ability to ride Yoshi was Super Mario World. Released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990, it introduced Yoshi as a dinosaur companion whom Mario could mount and use to explore Dinosaur Land.

Yoshi was more than a vehicle. He could eat many enemies, swallow certain objects, and spit Koopa shells at hazards. Shell colors also gave him special abilities: blue shells allowed flight, yellow shells created dust clouds, and red shells enabled him to spit fireballs. These mechanics made Yoshi a major part of the game’s exploration and level design.

Players sometimes confuse Super Mario World with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. The latter, released in 1995, stars Yoshi and takes place earlier in the series’ story, but it was not the first Mario title to let the player ride Yoshi. Super Mario 64 also features Yoshi, but only as a special character encountered after collecting all 120 Power Stars.