Super Mario Bros. Players Are Closing In on a Perfect Playthrough
Super Mario Bros. speedrunners are approaching an unprecedented milestone. According to speedrunner Kosmic, who previously held the world record for fastest completion, competitive players are now within 0.1 seconds of achieving the first-ever perfect playthrough of the NES classic.
The current world record was recently set by LeKukie, a Brazilian speedrunner, in June. LeKukie’s achievement is particularly remarkable given his previous constraints—he had long competed at a disadvantage due to limited access to quality equipment. The speedrunning community recognized his potential and collectively contributed resources to provide him with proper gear. This shift in circumstances proved transformative; with better equipment, LeKukie immediately became a top competitor and secured the world record.
The push toward a perfect run demonstrates both the technical mastery and dedication within the Super Mario Bros. speedrunning community. A flawless completion would represent the culmination of years of optimization, route discoveries, and frame-perfect execution by countless players working to shave milliseconds off their times.