Top 10 Editions Of Rare Mario Games That Collectors Are Snapping Up

The resale value of a Mario edition almost never depends on the quality of the game itself. It obeys three variables: the age of the support (NES dominates everything), the rarity of the specific print run (production variant, limited run), and the state of conservation. A typographical detail on SMB3’s box caused a copy to go from $21,600 to $156,000. The collector’s market is not a game market, it’s an artifact market. Here are the Top 10 most expensive Mario editions in the world.

1/ Super Mario Bros. NES, Hangtab variant (1985, USA) – Record value: $2,000,000

In August 2021, the sale of a copy sealed in Wata 9.8 A+ via the Rally platform established the absolute video game auction record, which still stands today. The Rally company acquired this same example for $140,000 in 2020, reselling it for 14 times more in 16 months. What sets this specific variant apart: the pierced hangtab at the top of the box, characteristic of the very first production run. Only a handful of high quality copies of this edition survive today.

2/ Super Mario 64, N64 (1996, USA), sealed Wata 9.8 A++ – Record value: $1,560,000

In July 2021, this copy sealed in Wata 9.8 A++ becomes the first video game to cross the million dollar threshold in public sale, via Heritage Auctions. The sale exceeded $870,000 from the first auction, before disappearing. Super Mario 64, the first 3D episode of the franchise, was released in 1996 and established itself as one of the most influential games in history. Its value is due to two combined factors: absolute cultural importance and extreme rarity of copies sealed in high grade.

3/ Super Mario Bros. 3 NES, “Left Bros” variant (1990, USA), sealed Wata 9.2 A+ – Record value: $156,000

This inaugural run of Super Mario Bros. 3 features the word “Bros.” positioned on the left on the box, above Mario’s glove, a composition error corrected in subsequent prints. When a sealed example of this variant showed up at Heritage Auctions, bidding went up to $156,000. The standard version called “Right Bros” itself reached $21,600 in Wata grade, which illustrates the abysmal gap that a simple difference in logo can create.

4/ Super Mario Bros. NES, sealed CGC 9.8 (1989) – Value: $57,340

In February 2026, a 1989 NES copy graded CGC 9.8 sold for $57,340, in the same auction window as a Wata 8.0 copy that went for $26,108 on Goldin. These sales demonstrate that even non-Hangtab examples maintain a five-figure floor value as long as the grade is high and the provenance verifiable.

5/ Mario Kart 64, N64 (1997), sealed CGC 9.8 A++ – Value: $36,000

A sealed copy of Mario Kart 64 graded CGC 9.8 A++ achieved $36,000 at a Heritage Auctions sale. The game benefits from a rare advantage: a universal nostalgia that transcends generations and geographies, making demand from collectors particularly stable.

6/ Super Mario Bros. 3 NES, “Right Bros” variant, sealed Wata 9.0 A – Value: $38,400

Heritage Auctions sold a sealed Wata 9.0 A example of the standard variant in July 2020 for $38,400, before the appearance of the “Left Bros” variant relegated this record to second place four months later. Trompe-l’oeil value: it’s not the rarest version, but SMB3 remains structurally one of the most desirable NES games on the market.

7/ Super Mario Bros. 2 NES (1988, USA), high grade sealed – Value: five figures in top condition

High grade sealed copies of Super Mario Bros. 2 regularly reach five figures. The game remains behind compared to the first episode, in particular because its origin (the reskin of Doki Doki Panic) is known to collectors, but demand is solid.

8/ Super Mario World SNES, sealed (1990, USA) – Value: $4,000 and up

Super Mario World was a pack-in game on the SNES, which meant that millions of copies were circulated, but almost all of them were opened. Sealed examples survive at prices of $4,000 and beyond, with the gap in value between new and used among the widest in the retro market. The paradox of the title is that it is immensely popular and therefore immensely played, therefore infinitely rare in sealed form.

9/ Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Wii (2010) – Value: $100 and up, sealed

This 25th Anniversary Edition, released in 2010 for the Wii, included a music CD and a story booklet. Sealed copies now typically trade over $100. Its ceiling is modest compared to NES cartridges, but it is the most accessible entry-level in this ranking, and the only modern edition to have developed a real rating.

10/ Mario Bros. on Atari 2600, new copy – Value: $800 on average

The Mario Bros. port on the Atari 2600 was not the revolutionary success of its NES successor, but new copies averaged $800 on the market. Its value is based on the pure age and the low number of copies preserved in new condition, a heritage logic that is more than nostalgic.

Methodological note: the prices used are those of verified public auctions (Heritage Auctions, Goldin, Rally), on sealed examples graded by Wata or CGC. The grade is decisive: the same game can be worth 20 times more at high grade than at medium grade. This ranking reflects each edition’s value ceiling, not its average Price on eBay.