Super Mario Bros. Glitchless World Record Broken by Niftski on NES

Super Mario Bros.

Glitchless World Record Broken by Niftski on NES Super Mario Bros., the classic platformer developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), remains a focal point in the global speedrunning community nearly four decades after its original release in 1985.

This iconic title continues to draw elite competitors aiming to achieve the fastest possible completion times, particularly under strict rule sets such as the 'glitchless' category, which prohibits the use of game exploits. This week, celebrated speedrunner Niftski has once again etched his name into gaming history, establishing a new world record in the glitchless category for Super Mario Bros.

with an impressive time of 5:02.685.

This achievement bests Niftski’s own previous record of 5:02.785—a record he had held continuously since 2022.

The run was verified and highlighted by outlets such as GamesRadar, underscoring Niftski’s prominence within the competitive Super Mario Bros.

speedrunning scene. The glitchless category in Super Mario Bros.

stands as one of the most demanding and respected, requiring players to complete the game without leveraging any unintended shortcuts or glitches.

Niftski’s commitment to refining his craft has led him to pursue near-machine-perfect precision, closing the gap between human and tool-assisted performances. Tool-Assisted Speedruns (TAS), which use scripting and software tools to achieve theoretically perfect play, have long provided speedrunners with benchmarks for what is possible.

Remarkably, Niftski’s latest 5:02.685 time is just 12 frames shy of the TAS glitchless record, setting a new standard for what human players can accomplish on original NES hardware. Speaking about his achievement, Niftski stated that he is motivated to improve even further: he believes that a time in the low 5:02.6xx range is within reach, referencing a few frames that can still be saved with more optimized movement—particularly through mastering a challenging acceleration trick in the game's final level.

Niftski indicated that achieving a 5:02.5xx would likely mark the end of his pursuit of this category, acknowledging the immense dedication and skill required to shave mere fractions of a second from such a finely-tuned performance. Super Mario Bros.

remains a central pillar in both Nintendo’s legacy and the speedrunning world, with players and audiences alike captivated by the continuous push for perfection.

Niftski’s new glitchless world record highlights the enduring influence of the NES classic and the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines top-tier speedrunning.

Nintendo Mario NES Nintendo Entertainment System Super Mario Xbox Series X|S Super Mario Bros Mario Bros Niftski Super Mario Bros. GamesRadar Tool-Assisted Speedrun