--- 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. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e3e0ef24-71b5-49a4-ac72-a941418c99cc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e3e0ef24-71b5-49a4-ac72-a941418c99cc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=e3e0ef24-71b5-49a4-ac72-a941418c99cc&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. 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. ## 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/). \[H/T [Death and Taxes](http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/267808/beats-super-mario-bros-under-5-minutes/)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/"},"headline":"Gaming Hero Beats Super Mario Bros in Less Than 5 Minutes","datePublished":"2015-10-21T14:53:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:48:00.359Z","description":"Run Mario Run!","url":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Video Games","Gaming","Super mario bros."],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/","name":"Gaming Hero Beats Super Mario Bros in Less Than 5 Minutes"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Tech Time: Why Super Mario Bros. is One of the Best Video Games Ever Made","description":"TIME Tech Editor talks about the genius of Super Mario Bros. as the NES game turns 30.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/b86vuoEJ/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-09-10T14:07:36.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/b86vuoEJ.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4081112/super-mario-bros-world-record/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```