An NES Mario classic just became the most expensive game ever sold

A sealed copy of the 1985s Super Mario Bros. has broken the world record for the most expensive video game ever sold at auction, fetching a staggering $3 million. This particular copy of Super Mario Bros. caught the attention of collectors for several reasons, most notably its highly rated Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certification, essentially making it the best known example among its variants.

Super Mario Bros. was originally released for the NES in 1985. It is widely regarded as one of the seminal games in the platforming genre and as the first feature of Super Mario series, holds a special place in many fans' hearts. At the time of this writing, only three known copies of the gloss-sealed version of the Super Mario Bros. have been rated by services such as PSA.

Family

The 10 most expensive game consoles ever, adjusted for inflation

These are some of the most expensive consoles launched to date, compounded by inflation.

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

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

Scratch & Peek

Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the wrapper while scraping off as little foil as possible.

EasyMediumHardPermadeath

Ahead of the June auction, the most expensive copy of the Super Mario Bros. Sold by Heritage Auctions was a 9.6 A copy in the middle that fetched $750,000. But according to Public.com, one of the previous record holders for the most expensive video game ever sold was a sealed copy of Super Mario 64which brought in just over 1.5 million dollars. Paying seven-figure sums for iconic video games is a relatively new trend. Heritage Auctions says the first video game to sell for a six-figure sum did so in 2019, when another second-production copy of Super Mario Bros. sells for around $100,000.

The game's official promotional art from Nintendo's website - 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 USD
Super Mario Bros. — Wata 9.6 A Sealed [Hangtab, 3 Code, Mid-Production]	$750,000
Super Mario Bros. — Wata 9.6 A+ sealed [Oval SOQ R, Last Production]	$36,250
Super Mario Bros. — Wata 9.6 A+ sealed [Oval SOQ R, Last Production]	$36,000
Super Mario Bros. — Wata 9.6 A+ sealed [Oval SOQ TM, “USA and Canada” Text, Later Production]	$35,000
Super Mario Bros. — Wata 9.6 A Sealed [Oval SOQ TM, Later Production]	$22,800

Build your perfect top ten one reveal at a time.

While paying breathtakingly high prices for rare video games is a relatively new trend, a clear pattern has emerged among many of these record-breaking sales. Most of the games that have sold for six and seven figures are classic Nintendo titles. For example, one of the biggest deals in recent years involved a copy of The Legend of Zelda which sold for about $870,000. Another notable sale saw a rare copy of Super Mario World get $144,000.Nintendo is also part owner of Pokémon franchise, which is well known for its appeal among collectors. Pokémon special collector's item Pokemon Trading Card Game items, are regularly sold for eye-popping amounts.

It remains to be seen if the current record for the most expensive video game will be broken anytime soon. However, collectors would likely be willing to pay even more for a sealed first production copy of the Super Mario Bros.assuming one still exists. The record sales also have people wondering if any of today's AAA video games will be highly sought after collectibles in 40 or 50 years.