43 Years Ago, Nintendo Released 'Mario Bros': The Most Important Arcade Game of All Time

On July 14, 1983, Nintendo released a popular arcade game that would change the trajectory of the gaming industry forever. Developed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Mario Bros. was Nintendo's most important game ever.

While the character of Super Mario had previously appeared in the Donkey Kong arcade game, Mario Bros. is widely credited as the first game in the Super Mario franchise-which has subsequently become one of the most iconic and recognizable franchises in video game history.

The original game follows twin brothers Mario and Luigi as they attempt to rid the sewers of New York City of green turtle-like monsters (later known as Koopas) and giant crabs that crawl through the pipes. It's much simpler than any of the Super Mario games that followed (due to the arcade machines' limited capabilities), but it has all the foundations of the franchise that fans would later fall in love with.

Mario Bros. was an enormous arcade success, and it was among the first games to make the transition to home consoles in 1985 when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in North America. The console was released in conjunction with Super Mario Bros, a brand-new side-scroller that developed the now-iconic character even further.

From there, Super Mario quickly became Nintendo's most popular and lucrative franchise. The company was churning out Mario games practically every year, from the classic NES Super Mario sequels to updated 3D platformers like Super Mario 64 and, much later, Super Mario Galaxy.

The entire Super Mario franchise, sequels and spin-offs included, is now the best-selling video game franchise in history, with an estimated 900 million copies sold across every installment. The main saga of Super Mario games is the largest contributor to this staggering record, with the Mario Kart and Mario Party games coming in at second and third, respectively. (via Statista)

None of this enormous success would have been possible without Miyomoto and Yokoi's original game, which set the foundations for the franchise and introduced audiences across the world to a classic character who would later become a recognizable symbol for the gaming industry at large.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 6:39 AM.