$8,000 Prize for Reviving Super Mario 64 Speedrunning, But Only One Player Holds the Record

You’re now subscribed!

Your newsletter sign-up was successful.

Looking to add more newsletters?

Get ready for your weekly dose of everything you need to know about the games you adore, upcoming titles we think you’ll love, and stories from the vibrant communities that support them.

Join our special GTA 6 newsletter for the latest news, insider insights, and rumor breakdowns from the experts in the field.

From the minds behind Edge comes a weekly newsletter focused on the gaming industry, featuring analysis from seasoned writers, advice from professionals, and a glimpse into what’s on the horizon.

Tech enthusiasts, unite! Sign up for our free tech newsletter to receive a weekly roundup of the hottest new gadgets, the latest tech reviews, and much more.

Don’t miss our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we keep you updated on Nintendo’s upcoming console, share the latest news, and recommend must-play games.

Subscribe for a weekly roundup of essential movie and TV news delivered straight to your inbox. From first-look trailers to interviews and reviews, we’ve got you covered.

Get exclusive previews, competitions, and details about special events every month!

Super Mario 64 speedrunning was declared “dead” on November 17, 2024, when a runner known as Suigi set the world record across all five major categories of the game. This monumental achievement has led to the belief that no world record scene ever truly dies, yet no one has managed to surpass Suigi’s records since then. In response, Suigi is now offering a multi-thousand-dollar bounty to reignite interest in the scene.

Speedruns for Super Mario 64 are categorized mainly by the number of stars collected before facing the final boss. Suigi has dominated all five major categories—120 Star, 70 Star, 16 Star, 1 Star, and 0 Star—since 2024. While some new times have emerged, they’ve all been set by Suigi himself. Other competitors have come close, but none have claimed the top spot on any of the leaderboards.

“The community is bored and needs a shakeup,” Suigi stated in a recent YouTube video. “We need an exciting record to finally break the five of five curse. I know it’s a curse. These records aren’t unbeatable; there’s just a mental barrier that needs to be broken.”

To encourage challengers, Suigi has put up $1,000 as a bounty for anyone who can beat one of his five world records. He’s also reaching out for donations from fellow runners and community members to increase the total to a maximum of $10,000. With the bounty already sitting at $7,944, it’s likely to reach that five-digit milestone soon.

Regardless of how high the bounty climbs, it will be awarded to the first player who breaks any of the five records on authentic N64 hardware—excluding Suigi himself, of course. He has already set a new world record in the 70 Star category but has graciously excluded himself from claiming the cash prize. “THE $7000 DOLLAR 70 STAR WORLD RECORD…” he lamented in an all-caps post. “IF ONLY I WAS ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM MY OWN BOUNTY.”

You can probably guess what tops our list of the best N64 games.