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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteA sealed, boxed copy of Super Mario 64 graded Wata 9.8 A++ sold for $1.56 million at Heritage Auctions on July 11, 2021. The sale set a video-game auction record at the time, but it was an exceptional graded collectible—not a price guide for ordinary copies or loose cartridges.
What sold for $1.56 million?
Heritage Auctions listed the lot as “Super Mario 64 – Wata 9.8 A++ Sealed, N64 Nintendo 1996 USA.” It was a sealed boxed game, not just a loose cartridge. Heritage reported the realized price as $1,560,000 and called it the first game sold at auction for more than $1 million. Heritage’s sale announcement gives the lot description and result.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Super Mario 64 Game for N64 (Renewed) | $74.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Super Mario 64 (Renewed) | $82.77 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) (Complete - Very Good) | $64.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Mario Kart 64 (Renewed) | $79.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Super Mario 64 DS (Renewed) | $42.92 | Buy on Amazon |
Heritage Video Games Specialist Valarie McLeckie said: “This is the only graded copy in a 9.8 A++ which is effectively the highest feasible grade one could hope to receive from Wata.” That is Heritage’s characterization of the grade and known graded copy, rather than an independently established population count.
How did it break the previous record?
The Mario sale came two days after a sealed NES copy of The Legend of Zelda, graded Wata 9.0 A, sold for $870,000 at Heritage. The $1.56 million Mario result surpassed it by $690,000. McLeckie said: “After the record-breaking sale of the first game in the Zelda series on Friday, the possibility of surpassing $1 million on a single video game seemed like a goal that would need to wait for another auction.” Heritage’s announcement reported both results.
#1 Best Overall
Heritage’s July 13 recap said the first standalone video-games auction generated $8,471,183 in total sales and drew more than 2,000 bidders. It also reported a sealed Super Mario World sale at $360,000. Those figures describe that particular auction event, not the wider market. Heritage’s auction recap has the event totals and results.
Does that mean a Super Mario 64 copy is worth $1.56 million?
No. The price applied to one sealed copy with an exceptionally high Wata grade. In the same auction, another Super Mario 64 copy graded Wata 9.6 A++ sold for $13,200, according to Guinness World Records. That comparison shows how much the specific lot and its grade can matter; it is not a complete price guide for other grades, editions, or conditions.
Rank #2
Ars Technica’s contemporaneous report said the record-setting copy showed no indication of being a special or rare print. The available reporting therefore does not support explaining its price as a rare-print premium. Ars Technica’s July 2021 report discusses the copy and sale.
A standard playable copy and a sealed, graded collector’s lot are different things. To assess another copy, buyers would need to compare its condition, whether its packaging remains sealed, its release or production variant where documented, and whether a quoted number is a completed sale or merely an asking price. The figures here do not establish current values across those categories.
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Is the $1.56 million sale still the record?
It was the record-setting result reported in July 2021. The contemporaneous sources cited here do not establish whether it remains the all-time video-game auction record in 2026, so it should not be described as the current record without newer evidence.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- This renewed game will not come with the original case or manual; cartridge only. It has been cleaned, tested, and is in nice condition.
Rank #4
- Authentic Mario Kart 64
- Does not come with original box or manuals. Cartridge only
- Cartridge and label are in nice condition
- Fully tested and guaranteed
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
