--- 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 In the Loop: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition In the Loop is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution. In the Loop makes sense of the ideas and technologies transforming how organizations operate, compete and communicate, with essential reporting, analysis, scoops and exclusive conversations. 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It publishes Tuesdays and Fridays and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes TIME's In the Loop? Harry Booth, a tech reporter at TIME, writes In the Loop. #### Is In the Loop free? Yes. In the Loop is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-loop-2026q3/newsletters?i=b5368659-63c0-495e-b200-c2605b645b81&cr=time-nl-loop-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 [00:00] Tech [00:02] Time. [00:05] September 13th is a very special day in video game [00:07] history. It's the 30th birthday of Super Mario Brothers, [00:10] widely considered one of the best video games ever [00:12] made. But what's so special Special about a 30 year [00:15] old game about an Italian plumber? Let's find out. [00:20] [ FOREIGN ] We'll take it back [00:25] to the year 1985 when the game first came out. The [00:28] video game industry is in total shambles. Revenue has [00:31] fallen by billions of dollars in just a few years. Analysts [00:34] everywhere are writing off video games Just a fad like [00:37] Tomagachis or whatever the hell Pogs were. But [00:40] suddenly here's the Nintendo entertainment system [00:43] and it's overall wearing superhero Mario. He's [00:45] stomping on [ UNKNOWN ] he's flipping fireballs, he's [00:48] saving his princess who's always in another castle [00:50] somehow. The game is an instant hit because it's less [00:52] about hitting a high score. And it's more about [00:54] adventuring in this new world than unlocking new [00:56] stages. It'll almost single handedly saved the video [00:59] game industry, setting a sales record that'll last until [01:01] just a couple of years ago. For a lot of gamers around [01:04] my age, Super Mario Bros. got us hooked on gaming, [01:07] and the real thing that makes Super Mario Bros. so [01:08] good, is that I can go home right now, plug in an NES [01:11] And have just as much fun as I ever did. And sure, the [01:14] graphics won't be as good as Halo Five or whatever, [01:16] but it's about fun. And that's what video games should [01:18] be about. Oh, and by the way, Nintendo, I know you're [01:21] working on smart phone games, and me and [01:23] thousands of other people would love if you brought [01:25] Super Mario Brothers to the iPhones and to androids. [01:27] Cool. 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