NES Mario Classic becomes the most expensive game ever sold.

Sealed copy from 1985 Super Mario Bros. It broke the world record as the most expensive video game ever sold at auction, selling for a whopping $3 million. This particular copy is Super Mario Bros. It has attracted the attention of collectors for several reasons. The particularly high-level Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certification is essentially the most well-known of the variants.

Super Mario Bros. The game was originally released for the NES in 1985. Widely recognized as one of the pioneering games of the platform game genre, super mario The series holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. As of this writing, there are only three known copies of the glossy sealed version. Super Mario Bros. Graded 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 for the most expensive video game sold at auction with a copy of PSA 9.6 A++. Super Mario Bros. It is sold for 30,000 won. The auction house described the game as “one of the most important video games ever offered,” and there are several reasons why. This particular copy is the highest grade example of the game currently known. The only other graded copies of the gloss-sealed variants are the Wata 9.4 A++ copy and the VGA 80 copy. The glossy sticker seal confirms that it is from the second production run of the cartridge. As a result, the book is also one of the oldest known manuscripts. Super Mario Bros. It's in almost perfect condition.

scratch and pick

Identify the cover art by scraping off as little of the foil as possible.

scratch and pick

Identify the cover art by scraping off as little of the foil as possible.

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Most expensive copy before auction in June Super Mario Bros. A 9.6A mid-production copy sold by Heritage Auctions raised $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 64This brought in just over $1.5 million in revenue. Paying hundreds of thousands of dollars for iconic video games is a relatively recent trend. Heritage Auctions said it did so in 2019, making it the first video game to sell for a six-figure sum. Super Mario Bros. It sold for about $100,000.

Official promotional art for the game on the Nintendo website - Super Mario Bros.

Most expensive Super Mario Bros. game 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 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

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Paying breathtakingly high prices for rare video games is a relatively new trend, but a clear pattern has emerged among 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 was The Legend of Zelda It sold for about $870,000. Another notable sale saw a rare copy. super mario world Bring $144,000. Nintendo also pokemon The franchise is well known for its appeal among collectors. pokemon especially collectibles Pokemon Trading Card Game Items are regularly sold for eye-catching sums.

It remains to be seen whether the current record for the most expensive video game will be broken any time soon. However, collectors are likely willing to pay more for a sealed first production copy. Super Mario Bros.Assuming one still exists. Record-breaking sales have people wondering which of today's AAA video games will be wildly popular collector's items 40 or 50 years from now.