1988 Arcade Classic, Ranked Among Best Video Games of All Time, Became a Timeless Hit
Some games simply never age.
Super Mario Bros. 3, the Nintendo classic that first launched in 1988, still ranks among the greatest video games ever made, holding a 9.2 out of 10 user rating on IMDb's Top 250 Rated Video Games list, where it sits at No. 53 nearly four decades after its debut.
The Game That Defined the NES Era
Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan on Oct. 23, 1988, Super Mario Bros. 3 did not reach American shelves until Feb. 12, 1990, and the wait only built the hype. The premise was pure Mario: King Koopa kidnaps Princess Toadstool and hands the seven kingdoms of the Mushroom World to his seven kids, leaving the Mario brothers to come to the rescue. The game introduced the raccoon-tailed flying suit that became one of the most iconic power-ups in Nintendo history.
It became a phenomenon. The game sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling NES titles ever, and it even inspired its own animated television series.
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Why 'Super Mario Bros. 3' Still Ranks Decades Later
On IMDb's user-rated Top 250, the 1988 classic sits alongside fellow retro legends like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which holds the same 9.2 rating. Modern blockbusters come and go on the list, but the retro classics that defined a generation of video games keep holding their ground.
For the kids who spent their Saturdays hunting for warp whistles, the ranking is no surprise at all. Some hits really are timeless.
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This story was originally published June 10, 2026 at 12:00 AM.