Super Mario Bros.

スーパーマリオブラザーズ (Sūpā Mario Burazāzu)NES, Arcade, Famicom Disk System, SNES +71985

  1. JP1985
  2. NA1985
  3. EU1986
  4. RUDendy

Super Mario Bros. kept the same name in every region (スーパーマリオブラザーズ in Japan); the harder arcade variant is called Vs. Super Mario Bros. The easiest legal way to play it today is the NES version in the Nintendo Switch Online library, where it has been since 19 September 2018; the Vs. arcade version is also sold on Switch as an Arcade Archives release.

Super Mario Bros. is a platformer that Nintendo released for the Famicom in Japan on 13 September 1985. The North American NES version followed around October 1985, although the exact date is still debated. Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka designed the game, Miyamoto directed and produced it, and Koji Kondo wrote the six-track score and every sound effect. The whole game fit into 32 KiB of program code and 8 KiB of graphics.

Europe got the cartridge on 15 May 1987, with several bug fixes and tweaked enemies. The arcade Vs. Super Mario Bros., built for the Nintendo VS. System, is a separate and much harder variant that never came out in Japan.

Since then the game has returned on the Famicom Disk System, in the 16-bit remake Super Mario All-Stars, as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe on Game Boy Color, in the Famicom Mini line on Game Boy Advance and on the Virtual Console of three Nintendo systems. In 2023 its ground theme became the first video game music added to the US National Recording Registry.12

Names and releases

RegionTitle on the boxPlatformDatePublisherSrc
NA Super Mario Bros.Exact date is debated; most sources say October 1985, others November 1985 to early 1986 NES October 1985 Nintendo 1
NA Super Mario Bros. DeluxeAlso Europe the same day; Japan in 2000 via Nintendo Power service only Game Boy Color May 10, 1999 Nintendo 1
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズSūpā Mario BurazāzuFamicom NES Sep 13, 1985 Nintendo 1
EU Vs. Super Mario Bros.Nintendo VS. System; debuted at ATEI in London; North America February 1986; not released in Japan Arcade January 1986 Nintendo 1
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズFamicom Disk System Famicom Disk System Feb 21, 1986 Nintendo 1
EU Super Mario Bros.PAL version with gameplay fixes; Australia July 1987 NES May 15, 1987 Nintendo 1
WW Super Mario All-StarsRemade graphics and sound, adds saving SNES 1993 Nintendo 1
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズFamicom Mini series; re-released 13 Sep 2005 for the 20th anniversary Game Boy Advance Feb 14, 2004 Nintendo 2
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズVirtual Console; NA 25 Dec 2006, PAL 5 Jan 2007 Wii Dec 2, 2006 Nintendo 1
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズVirtual Console; NA 16 Feb 2012, EU 1 Mar 2012 (Ambassador Program early in Sept 2011) Nintendo 3DS Jan 5, 2012 Nintendo 1
JP スーパーマリオブラザーズVirtual Console; EU 12 Sep 2013, NA 19 Sep 2013 Wii U Jun 5, 2013 Nintendo 1
WW Vs. Super Mario Bros.Arcade Archives release of the VS. System arcade version Switch Dec 22, 2017 Hamster 1
WW Super Mario Bros.Nintendo Switch Online NES library Switch Sep 19, 2018 Nintendo 3

Also known as: スーパーマリオブラザーズ JP2Sūpā Mario Burazāzu JP1スーパーマリオ JP2スーマリ JP2マリオ1 JP2Vs. Super Mario Bros. WW1Марио RU4

Box art by region

  • Super Mario Bros. box art, North America release
    NA Super Mario Bros.
  • Super Mario Bros. box art, Europe release
    EU Super Mario Bros.

Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.

Version differences

  • DifficultyArcade (Vs.)

    Vs. Super Mario Bros. is tougher than the home game: platforms are narrower, enemies are more dangerous, there are fewer hidden power-ups, and an extra life takes 200 coins instead of 100.1

  • Bug fixNES (EU)

    The PAL release, which arrived about 18 months later, closes a gap above the underwater exit pipe where big Mario could get stuck and fixes a springboard memory bug.5

  • GameplayNES (EU)

    The European version gives several enemies (Goombas, Piranha Plants, Bullet Bills and others) larger hitboxes, simplifies how Cheep Cheeps move and repositions the Paratroopas in World 8-2.5

All differences (6)

Where to play legally today

  • Nintendo Switch Online Subscription

    Super Mario Bros.

    NES version

    Checked: 2026-10-133nintendo.com

Reception

The original NES release sold 40.24 million copies, 29 million of them in North America, and all versions combined passed 58 million. In Japan it sold 6.81 million and held the national record for a single title until Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020.1

In lists

Sources

  1. 1en.wikipedia.org
  2. 2ja.wikipedia.org
  3. 3gameinformer.com
  4. 4habr.com
  5. 5tcrf.net
  6. 6ja.wikipedia.org
  7. 7ja.wikipedia.org

Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13

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