An unopened copy of "Super Mario Bros." just shattered records, fetching a staggering $3 million at Heritage Auctions, officially making it the most expensive video game ever sold.
According to Heritage Auctions, this particular "Super Mario Bros." cartridge boasts a pristine PSA 9.6 A++ rating. It absolutely blew past the previous record of $2 million set in 2021, and it's nearly double the price an unopened "Super Mario 64" went for that same year. This Nintendo classic isn't just the game that kicked off Mario's platforming adventures; it's also considered one of the most iconic pieces in the video game collecting world.
What makes this copy even more special? It's the earliest confirmed unopened second-production run, featuring a distinctive glossy sticker from its early 1986 release. Heritage revealed that this cartridge was only discovered a few months ago, tucked away inside a brand-new, factory-sealed NES Control Deck bundle. That means it's gone virtually untouched for nearly 40 years – a truly mind-blowing state of preservation!
Evan Masingill, Consignment Director for Video Games at Heritage, perfectly summed it up: "It's only fitting that the most important video game in the world would achieve the highest price in collecting history." The auction house itself has dubbed this PSA 9.6 A++ "Super Mario Bros." the "Holy Grail of video game collecting."
Beyond just the cartridge, the lucky buyer also snagged the original NES Control Deck console it was bundled with. But let's be real, the real drivers behind that astronomical price tag are the cartridge's extreme rarity, its unbelievable condition, and the sheer historical significance of it hitting the public auction block for the very first time.
via： IGN