Another arcade classic, this time its Mario 2.

The Family Computer (Famicom) was released in 1983. Since only good software titles could ensure a durable success of the system, Hiroshi Yamauchi, the president, turned to Shigeru Miyamoto to develop a new game for the Nintendo console. Super Mario Bros. was published in Japan on September 13, 1985, and marked a milestone in video game history.

Mario and Luigi now live in the Mushroom Kingdom where they must rescue Princess Toadstool from the evil clutches of the Koopa Bowser. The player controls Mario through laterally-scrolling levels the size of several screens, jumping over abysses and defeating enemies in order to reach the end of the level. By hitting certain blocks, power-ups are released. The Super Mushroom allows Mario to become Super Mario, who is able to destroy certain blocks, but will shrink back into regular Mario if he is hit by an enemy. Normally, Mario can defeat his enemies by jumping on top of them, but by collecting the Fire Flower, Mario can throw fireballs, which can be used for the same purpose. The 1-up Mushroom is hidden in diverse locations around the game. If mario collects this Mushroom he will be granted another life. The Starman makes him temporarily invulnerable. The game can either be played alone or alternating with another, the second player playing as Luigi.

Super Mario Bros. is substantially more extensive than Miyamoto's earlier games, and was, upon its publication, the longest and most complex video game of them all. Like Donkey Kong, the game follows the "hero saves kidnapped girl" story, but the levels have expanded to enormous proportions. Miyamoto created an extensive game world with branched paths and underground caves, while in most past games, the individual levels were limited to the size of the screen. Although there is also a point counter, a high score was an object of little interest to most gamers, as getting extra points does nothing to benefit the gamer.

The game mechanics from Mario Bros. were extended by new elements. Miyamoto apparently took inspirations from many books and stories. The idea of mushrooms that make Mario larger and stronger is identical to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the warps and hidden exits used to move forward many levels ahead are reminiscent of Star Trek: The Original Series. Graphically, Super Mario Bros. pushed the boundaries of technology at its time. The concept of scrolling levels wasn't new, but no previous game used the technology so effectively, or had such even transitions.