An NES Mario Classic became the most expensive game ever sold

Sealed copy of 1985 Super Mario Bros It broke the world record for the most expensive video game ever sold at auction, fetching over $3 million. This particular copy of Super Mario Bros It caught the attention of collectors for several reasons, especially its highly-graded Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certification, which essentially makes it the best known example among its variants.

Super Mario Bros Originally released for the NES in 1985. It is widely considered one of the pioneering games of the platformer genre and, as the first entry. Super killed The series holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. As of this writing, only three known copies of the gloss-sealed edition exist Super Mario Bros Classified by services such as PSA.

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Why a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. is worth $3 million

On June 12, 2026, Heritage Auctions set a new world record with a PSA 9.6 A++ copy of the most expensive video game sold at auction. Super Mario Bros Sold for $3 million. The auction house describes it as “the most important video game ever offered” and there are many reasons why. This particular copy is currently the highest-grade known example of the game. The only other graded copies of the gloss-sealed variant are the Wata 9.4 A++ copy and the VGA 80 copy. A gloss sticker seal confirms that this cartridge is from the second production run. As a result, it is also one of the oldest known copies Super Mario Bros In near perfect condition.

Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.

Scratch and pick

Identify the cover art while scratching off as small a foil as possible.

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Before the June auction, the most expensive copy Super Mario Bros A 9.6 sold by Heritage Auctions was a mid-production copy that fetched $750,000. However, according to Public.com, one of the previous record holders for the most expensive video game ever sold was a sealed copy. Super Mario 64That brought in over $1.5 million. Paying seven-figure sums for iconic video games is a relatively recent trend. Heritage Auctions said the first video game to sell for a six-figure sum did so in 2019, when another copy of the second product Super Mario Bros Sold for about $100,000.

Official promotional art of the game from Nintendo's web site - Super Mario Bros

The Most Expensive Super Mario Bros. Games Sold at Heritage Auctions

game title	auction price
Super Mario Bros. – PSA 9.6 A++ Sealed [Gloss Sticker, Second Production]	$3,000,000
Super Mario Bros. – Wata 9.6 A printed [Hangtab, 3 Code, Mid-Production]	$750,000
Super Mario Bros. – Wata 9.6 A+ Printed [Oval SOQ R, Last Production]	$36,250
Super Mario Bros. – Wata 9.6 A+ Printed [Oval SOQ R, Last Production]	$36,000
Super Mario Bros. – Wata 9.6 A+ Printed [Oval SOQ TM, “USA and Canada” Text, Later Production]	$35,000
Super Mario Bros. – Wata 9.6 A printed [Oval SOQ TM, Later Production]	$22,800

Make your perfect top ten manifest one at a time.

Although paying insanely high prices for rare video games is a relatively new trend, a clear pattern has emerged in many of these record-breaking sales. Most of the games sold for six- and seven-figure sums are classic Nintendo titles. For example, one of the biggest deals in recent years is included The Legend of Zelda which sold for about $870,000. Another notable sale saw a rare copy Super Mario World Receive $144,000. Also co-owned by Nintendo Pokemon franchise, which is known for its appeal among collectors. Pokemon Collecting, especially Pokemon trading card game Sell items, regularly in eye-catching quantities.

It remains to be seen whether the current record for the most expensive video game will be broken soon. However, collectors will likely be willing to pay more for a sealed first-production copy Super Mario BrosPresumably one still exists. The record-setting sales make people wonder whether today's AAA video games will be highly sought after collector's items 40 or 50 years from now.