Which Paper Mario game is described as the fifth installment in the series?

Paper Mario: Color Splash is described as the fifth installment in the Paper Mario series.

Nintendo released Color Splash for Wii U on October 7, 2016. It followed Paper Mario: Sticker Star, which had appeared on Nintendo 3DS in 2012, and preceded Paper Mario: The Origami King on Nintendo Switch in 2020. The game’s paper-craft world is built around Prism Island, where Mario works with Huey, a talking paint can, to recover the island’s stolen Big Paint Stars.

Color Splash uses a card-based battle system and a paint hammer. Players collect, paint, and use cards for attacks, while the hammer restores color to blank areas and solves environmental puzzles. The Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen was integrated into card selection and other actions.

It is sometimes confused with Sticker Star because both emphasize collectible attacks and a more action-adventure-oriented structure than the original Paper Mario and The Thousand-Year Door. The Origami King is later in the series, not the fifth entry; it is the sixth main installment.