The original Super Mario Bros., one of the most celebrated and adored video games in history, was first released 34 years ago today, on 13th September 1985.
It was on this day that the game launched for Nintendo's Famicom console in Japan, a system which would soon go on to release as the NES or 'Nintendo Entertainment System' across North America, Europe, and more with a copy of Mario never far behind. You likely don't need us to tell you, but it went on to be the best-selling game for the console, selling an estimated 40.24 million copies worldwide.
You also likely don't need us to tell you that the Super Mario Bros. series, and Mario himself, of course, have gone on to be one of the most recognisable brands in gaming, and indeed the world. The original game has been re-released a number of times for more modern systems alongside Mario's latest adventures; if you don't have an NES at home, you can play the game for yourself on Wii, Wii U, or 3DS via their digital stores, Nintendo Switch with an Online subscription, and of course, the NES Classic Edition console.
Leading up to the series's 30th anniversary a few years back, we shared a deeper dive into the game's cultural impact, design, and more. Feel free to revisit that here if you're interested. There's plenty more where that came from for other Mario games, too.
We're sure plenty of you have very fond memories of playing this one in your younger years. If you do, or if you have any other thoughts about it that you'd like to share, head on down to our comments section below.
34 years! Wow...
Comments 51
Man the past was so fun..
I'm 34 too! I've always liked being the same age as this classic. 😁
I think it's more disturbing that even games that I still perceive as new, like Super Mario Galaxy for example are over 10 years old.
@PBandSmelly Yea Mario will never miss a year to post his games.
@ShinyUmbreon Hey now, there's still good games today!
@Kalmaro True that true that forever..
@sketchturner I'm almost there. I was born 3 months after Mario 1!
I was born so long after this sksksksksk
@sketchturner Lol I am 34 as well!😁 I was born a month before!
my eyes linked together the year number and the comment number and I thought it was 3412 years since it launched
Wow! Me and the NES are really getting on up there in years. My Bros./Duck Hunt pack in still works to this day and gets regular play still to boot.
@Kalmaro Odyssey was a charm to play! I would like to see another game as unique as Super Mario 64 with a sense of gravitas to everything you do (see: Banjo-Kazooie), take Odyssey's "keep you in the level" approach, and refine what made SM64 so fun!
What a game! Didn't think anything could top Space Invaders on the Atari 2600, but it managed it.
Thought I was so clever to have broken it (by jumping off the top of the screen) only to find the programmers were one step ahead of me with the secret shortcuts.
It's those little touches that have kept me a Nintendo fan all these years.
My first game, and probably my favourite as a result. I didn’t own any others for a while. It’s very different now.
This, duck hunt, and elevator action had me hooked since day one. I don’t feel old one bit just like super mario bros thanks god I’m aging well. 🙂
The NES in general was before my time, I grew up with the SNES and Genesis as my entry to consoles. Everything NES seems ancient to me as a result, it always has.
I’ll be 35 this year. Lots of fond memories playing this. Still love those graphics and those sounds. Good game to go back to every once in a while.
Hey! I didn’t wanna be assaulted like this today! 😋
I'm almost one year older than this video game icon, although Super Mario Bros. 3 was my first foray into the Mario Universe.
As a 10 year old I thought I was controlling a live action character. To my young eyes, that was how good the technological leap seemed to be when I upgraded to NES from my ZX Spectrum 😁. It just amazes me how playable Super Mario Bros still plays to this day. Full credit to the developers for their ingenuity in producing such a remarkable game that will forever and a day stand the test of time.
@DockEllisD 7 mins flat
I have fond memories playing this classic. I played this on the switch the other day and while it was fun, it has aged badly.
Time flies. Wow
Woohoo, it’s older than me.
Only by a little over a month. Boo.
Ah yes, the same day as my birthday.
Happy Friday the 13th guys and happy anniversary for the Super Mario Bros. game. Will be playing both on Switch today.
Well, in Japan at least. The official US release date is still at large.
Happy Birthday Super Mario Brothers!
The first time I experience the game was in 1985 or 1986 on one of those Nintendo "Play Choice" cabinets in the local bowling alley's game room. 25 cents bought you around 3 minutes or so to play your choice of SMB, The Goonies, Pro Wrestling, or one of the other selections in the machine.
Inevitably I'd play SMB and hated it when that 3-minute timer interrupted my game!
It wasn't long after, I had saved up enough allowance money to buy my own NES, which included SMB and 2 controllers. It was all I needed for awhile!
What an era-defining game it was at the time!
Imma go play it later today.
Happy birthday Mario. (still younger than me!)
Still remember when I bought a copy before I actually bought the Deluxe system (the one with R.O.B. and the Zapper) at Zayre. (A popular, local department store chain.) Was working at Burger King at the time as a teenager---15 at the time---so I saved up my money and got the game first as I was eager. I must have read that manual from front to back so many times. xD
Today is also the 50th anniversary of Scooby-Doo.
Era when GFX means nothing 😁
@Expa0 exactly this! 'New'(?!) Super Mario Bros is 13 years old now. I perceive it still as a recent reboot of the mario series. in 2006 however, I perceived games that were released in 1993 as old and retro.
"Feeling old yet?"
Nope, because I'm 29 and this game is older than me
I turned 34 just one week ago, so... yes.
Ah, my first ever video game. What a perfect way to begin!
Believe it or not, I was introduced to the game (alongside SMB2 and 3) via Super Mario All-Stars! I didn't exist until the early 90s, and my dad had the SNES as his only console at the time. So I'm more nostalgic toward the All-Stars versions than the NES originals. I remember seeing the NES version of SMB1 for the first time years ago and thinking how it looked and sounded different compared to what I saw on SMAS.
Oh yeah, and SMB1 is surely one of the most important games ever made. Happy 34th anniversary, Super Mario Bros.!
I have great memories playing SMB for hours on end with friends. Whoever played as Mario had the power to pause the game in the middle of a jump and kill your Luigi playing friend. Good times! It's hard to believe that so much time has passed.
Interesting that we know the exact date that Super Mario Bros. released for the Famicom, but we're can't be sure when the NES itself launched in North America. Big difference between the regions.
I feel old, but proud that my love of gaming has endured.
I'm 37 and have seen Mario grow on and on. I must say, it's crazy how good the gameplay was then and still is now! Bought Super Mario Bros 3 on the 3DS eShop (had it already on GBA but never finished it) so will have a go on it again. 🎮🍄
Being born in 1985, I have to say its been a great thing that I’ve revisited throughout my entire life.
It was my first NES game along with Duck Hunt. Less than a week later, I got California Games, and about 3 months later, SMB 3. Those 4 games are still awesome by today's standards.
@RyanCraddock, for peoples' birthdays it makes sense, but it doesn't make any sense to mention every single year a game gets older by 1 year. Please stick to true milestones like 10/20/30/50 years.
I hope Nintendo is planning something good for Mario's 35th Birthday next year.
Am 34 and remember it back then. Ooooh my back!
"... if you don't have an NES at home, you can play the game for yourself on Wii, Wii U, or 3DS via their digital stores..." What's a "Wii U"? Never heard of it. I did hear about this one tablet add-on for Wii.
@Teksetter 1986, as the cabinets came out in 1986 after the NES went nationwide (it was only sold in New York in 1985, the test market, no one else outside New Yorkers had access to NES games).
@Sgt-Jack-V the NES's release is also debatable, because only New York had access to it in 1985, because it was test marketed there between October and December, the rest of the country wouldn't see the NES until 1986 when it went nationwide. I first played it in 1987 after a friend got it for Christmas in 1986.
@gamefreak77
Thank you for confirming! I was only going by memory alone, and 30+ years ago is pretty hazy at this point.
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