Super Mario Bros. speedrunner Niftski set a new any% world record on Halloween while dressed as Mario, completing the NES classic in 4:54.299 and moving within two frames of a theoretically perfect run.
The performance lowered Niftski’s previous record of 4:54.332, set in August 2026, by 33 milliseconds. It also pushed the game’s human leaderboard closer than ever to the current benchmark for perfection.
Niftski has spent years pushing Super Mario Bros. toward its limits. In 2021, he became the first player to complete the game in under 4:55, a milestone that was compared to breaking the four-minute mile in speedrunning.
The record chase has since become a battle between Niftski and Brazilian runner LeKukie. LeKukie briefly claimed the world record in June with a 4:54.365 run, cutting the gap to the theoretical limit to six frames before Niftski reclaimed the top spot two months later.
“Only 2 frames (33 milliseconds) stand between this run and absolute perfection / TAS tie,” Niftski wrote after the run.
4:54.299 SMB1 ANY% WORLD RECORD ON HALLOWEEN WHILE LARPING AS MARIO! It doesn't even feel real that I actually achieved this, but here we are. Only 2 frames (33 milliseconds) stand between this run and absolute perfection / TAS tie. 4:54.265 next! pic.twitter.com/S1ZpmEMG4c
That target is based on a tool-assisted speedrun, or TAS, which uses frame-by-frame inputs to determine how quickly the game can theoretically be completed. The relevant benchmark is 4:54.265, created under the same rules used for real-time runs.
There is an even faster TAS time of 4:54.032, but that version uses simultaneous left-and-right inputs that are impossible on a standard NES controller and are banned from human attempts. The 4:54.265 benchmark is therefore treated as the practical theoretical limit for the category.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/niftski-breaks-super-mario-bros-world-record-in-mario-costume-as-perfect-run-comes-within-2-frames-3423721/
