--- title: Super Mario Bros. World Record Under Five Minutes description: Run Mario Run! canonical: https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-21T14:53:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:00.359Z og:title: Super Mario Bros. World Record Under Five Minutes og:description: Run Mario Run! og:url: https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Super Mario Bros. World Record Under Five Minutes twitter:description: Run Mario Run! twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Gaming Hero Beats Super Mario Bros in Less Than 5 Minutes > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=c5f6c8c9-73d5-4e16-b824-2f81eee6aa23&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Tech Time: Why Super Mario Bros. is One of the Best Video Games Ever Made [Watch (HLS stream): Tech Time: Why Super Mario Bros. is One of the Best Video Games Ever Made](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/b86vuoEJ.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2015-09-10. TIME Tech Editor talks about the genius of Super Mario Bros. as the NES game turns 30._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 21, 2015 2:53 PM UTC by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 21, 2015 2:53 PM UTC Princess Peach didn’t have to suffer the indignities of King Koopa’s kidnapping for very long when YouTuber [Darbian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgjAt1VZBVo) was running the Nintendo Entertainment System controllers. Darbian beat _Super Mario Bros._ in just 4:57:627 on Sunday (yes, warp zones were involved), beating out the previous world record of 4:57:69\. The impressive feat was performed on an actual old school NES console. To blaze through the levels at a rapid clip involved some very deft and incredibly economical gaming skills allowing for few extraneous moves. The best part about these world record runs is that while they can still be played in a living room or mancave, they are posted to the web in their entirety, so wannabe gamers can watch every tense moment from the edge of their seats. Thanks to Twitch, [you can even watch Darbian’s heart rate](http://www.twitch.tv/darbian/v/21376369) as it spikes in response to the onscreen speedrun action. While other gamers will undoubtedly try to shave a few seconds (or even just milliseconds) off this world record time, it probably [won’t be a teenager](http://time.com/3303348/teens-react-to-nes/). \[H/T [Death and Taxes](http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/267808/beats-super-mario-bros-under-5-minutes/)\] ## Transcript Tech Time. September 13th is a very special day in video game history. It's the 30th birthday of Super Mario Brothers, widely considered one of the best video games ever made. But what's so special Special about a 30 year old game about an Italian plumber? Let's find out. [ FOREIGN ] We'll take it back to the year 1985 when the game first came out. The video game industry is in total shambles. Revenue has fallen by billions of dollars in just a few years. Analysts everywhere are writing off video games Just a fad like Tomagachis or whatever the hell Pogs were. But suddenly here's the Nintendo entertainment system and it's overall wearing superhero Mario. He's stomping on [ UNKNOWN ] he's flipping fireballs, he's saving his princess who's always in another castle somehow. The game is an instant hit because it's less about hitting a high score. And it's more about adventuring in this new world than unlocking new stages. It'll almost single handedly saved the video game industry, setting a sales record that'll last until just a couple of years ago. For a lot of gamers around my age, Super Mario Bros. got us hooked on gaming, and the real thing that makes Super Mario Bros. so good, is that I can go home right now, plug in an NES And have just as much fun as I ever did. And sure, the graphics won't be as good as Halo Five or whatever, but it's about fun. And that's what video games should be about. Oh, and by the way, Nintendo, I know you're working on smart phone games, and me and thousands of other people would love if you brought Super Mario Brothers to the iPhones and to androids. Cool. 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