Record-breaking auction sale for a copy of Super Mario Bros.

• A copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for several million dollars.
• A record-breaking amount that surpasses Super Mario 64.
• The greatest game of all time?
• Everything about the release and success of Super Mario Bros.

An exceptional copy of Super Mario Bros., the iconic game that launched Mario's adventures on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), has just set a new world record at auction.

Sold for the impressive sum of 3 million U.S. dollars by Heritage Auctions, this sealed cartridge officially becomes the most expensive video game ever sold.

The announcement was made on Friday by Heritage Auctions, which confirmed that the copy in question had received a 9.6 A++ grade from Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), one of the most recognized certification organizations in the collectibles industry. This exceptional condition played a major role in attracting collectors' interest and driving the bidding sky-high.

Super Mario 64 Surpassed

This sale thus surpasses the previous record of 2 million U.S. dollars, set in 2021 for another collectible video game. It also nearly doubles the amount paid that same year for a sealed copy of Super Mario 64, which at the time held one of the market's most notable records.

According to Heritage Auctions, this is the oldest authenticated sealed copy from the second production run of Super Mario Bros. This edition is distinguished in particular by a very specific glossy sticker used when it was released in early 1986. In other words, this nearly 40-year-old copy resurfaced almost by chance, while remaining remarkably well-preserved.

The greatest game of all time?

Evan Masingill, director of video game consignments at Heritage Auctions, also commented on the sale.

According to him, Super Mario Bros. remains the most important video game of all time, which partly explains the exceptional interest generated by this rare copy.

“It makes perfect sense that the world's most important video game would have generated the most impressive result in the history of this hobby. Its remarkable history—it was discovered just a few months ago inside a brand-new package containing an NES console and a Control Deck, meaning it hadn't been touched in nearly 40 years—makes this result even more impressive,” said Evan Masingill.

In addition to acquiring this exceptional collector's item, the buyer walked away with an extra gift: a first-generation Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console still sealed in its original packaging.

This console was part of the original bundle that came with the copy of Super Mario Bros. sold at auction. Although its value is nowhere near that of the game itself, it's a great addition for any passionate collector.

At the Top of the Industry Since 1985

Released in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Mario Bros. is widely considered one of the most influential video games in history.

At a time when the industry was struggling to recover from the 1983 video game crash, the title designed by Shigeru Miyamoto helped restore consumer confidence and revive the North American market.

The game's success also propelled Nintendo to the top of the interactive entertainment industry. With over 58 million copies sold worldwide, Super Mario Bros. ranks among the best-selling games of all time.

Taking into account the game's sales, the NES consoles sold thanks to its popularity, and the numerous spin-offs of the Mario franchise, its financial impact today amounts to several billion dollars.

More than 40 years after its release, its legacy remains unmatched.