A Rare Version Of Super Mario Bros. 3 Sold For Nearly $160k

Not sure it'll make an episode of Bargain Hunt, to be honest.

Super Mario Bros. 3
Source: Heritage Auctions

If you think that games have been getting too expensive these days, perhaps this news might not be for you. A rare copy of the classic game Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES has sold at auction for a whopping $156,000, breaking records as the most expensive video game ever.

 

So Why Is This Version So Valuable?

A decent amount of the value comes from the usual reason, as it’s a near mint condition copy of the game that’s sealed, but the real reason is because it’s from an early production run. This version of Super Mario Bros. 3 sees the Bros. part of the title aligned to the left instead of the right, which is a big deal for the collector’s community.

According to the Heritage Auctions listing for the game, this find is quite the event: “Copies of this game with ‘Bros.’ formatted to the left on the front of the box (on top of Mario’s glove) are very rarely found in sealed condition, and many collectors have been on the lookout for years, but often come up dry.”

For reference on how important left vs right is when it comes to Super Mario Bros. 3 collections, a right version of the game went through Heritage Auctions this September and only sold for $21,600. The previous record holder for most expensive game was also a Mario title, as a mint-condition sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. sold for $114,000.

READ MORE: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury Comes To Nintendo Switch Next Year

Some of the coverage you find on Cultured Vultures contains affiliate links, which provide us with small commissions based on purchases made from visiting our site. We cover gaming news, movie reviews, wrestling and much more.