Nintendo Released Super Mario All-Stars 33 Years Ago Today
Often regarded as the top video game manufacturer in history, Nintendo has released several of the most beloved video games ever made. On this day 33 years ago, the company released Super Mario All-Stars, a title that remastered one of the greatest video games ever made, Super Mario Bros. 3. The 1993 release remastered that iconic title in significant ways and upgraded other legendary Super Mario titles.
What Was 'Super Mario All-Stars,' the Incredible Nintendo Game Released 33 Years Ago Today?
On July 14, 1993, Super Mario All-Stars was released for the first time in Japan. The title was released for the Super Nintendo in North America just under a month later, on August 11, 1993, and in several other regions in the months that followed. Ostensibly a compilation game, the title brought together four previous Super Mario games:
- Super Mario Bros.
- Super Mario Bros. 2
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
- Super Mario Bros. 3
There are many reasons why Super Mario All-Stars was a big deal. The first is the fact that it gave North American gamers their first chance to play Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Originally released in Japan only as Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was a much more difficult game than the other titles in the franchise.
As a Video Chums article noted, Super Mario All-Stars also gave fans their first opportunity to do something groundbreaking while playing Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. For the first time, those games were released with a save feature. As anyone who grew up playing marathon sessions of those games to try to beat them would know, that was a massive deal. After all, an entire generation of gamers knew the pain of investing hours trying to win only to run out of lives or have their parents force them to turn the system off before they could finish.
The final thing that made Super Mario All-Stars special is that it upgraded the graphics of all the games included on the cartridge. At a time when remastering games was virtually unheard of, getting to play versions of games fans loved that looked better was a groundbreaking experience for many. For example, fans could play a slicker-looking version of Super Mario Bros. 3, a game that is still so beloved that GamesRadar labeled it "one of the greatest games ever made" in 2013. In 1993, it was mind-blowing to play a more impressive-looking version of Super Mario Bros. 3 that included the ability to save progress.
The following video features a graphics comparison between the original Super Mario Bros. 3 and the remastered Super Mario All-Stars version:
Next: 1990 Classic Named the 'Best Nintendo Game' of All Time
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.
2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 7:00 AM.