List of Super Mario Bros. 3 glitches

This is a list of glitches pertaining to the game Super Mario Bros. 3. For glitches pertaining to the remake, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, see here.

The player must be Raccoon Mario or Tanooki Mario to perform this glitch. In a level with quicksand, Mario must run and fill the P-meter. Afterward, he must touch the quicksand and jump right after. Flying up, Mario will appear to be walking while flying up and back down. This works in NES and SNES versions.

An easier way to do this is to use a P-Wing.

When stomping on chains of enemies to get increased points and 1-Ups, if the fifth or later enemy is a Boomerang Bro, it will register as a 1-Up instead of the next point value (i.e. 100-200-400-800-1-Up instead of 100-200-400-800-1000). This can be achieved in World 1-3 and 2-4. This glitch was fixed in Super Mario All-Stars.

This works on NES and on Super Mario All-Stars. The player must go to World 3-6. When there's a red Koopa Troopa walking near a Brick Block (with another brick block above the first), he or she must throw its shell at the block. It will release a Super Leaf to collect. Jump and the block won't break.

This works on NES and Super Mario All-Stars. Mario must have a P-Wing in one of the Boom Boom battles where Boom Boom can fly. When he's about to do so, Mario must be exactly above him. Boom Boom will fly through the ceiling. However, since he's technically not beaten, the ? Ball will not appear. The player must wait until the time runs out.

In the Fortress level of Dark Land, the player must go through several doors in order to battle Boom Boom. There are some Question Blocks which contain items near a door. If Mario hits one of these blocks and enters a door quickly, before the item appears, the next time he goes to that area the block will be permanently used. It will stay there until losing a life or completing the level. This has been known to work in the NES and SNES versions, though it hasn't been tested in GBA.

If Mario is standing on a falling Donut Lift and another Donut Lift is under him, he will simply pass through it. This glitch was fixed in the Super Mario All-Stars update.

The player must have Mario wag his tail a fraction of a second after collecting a 1-Up Mushroom to hear an extended 1-Up sound effect. The exact moment to wag Mario's tail at 1/12 of a second after the 1-Up icon appears. The two sound effects will conflict, causing the game to play extra notes at the beginning of the 1-Up theme. This glitch only works in the NES version.

It is possible to remove Bowser's ability to spit fire. It works in the NES version and the Super Mario All-Stars version, but not in the Super Mario Advance 4 remake.

The player must use a magic P-Wing before entering Bowser's Castle. After climbing the diagonal corridor protected by Roto-Discs, before descending, the player should collect the hidden 1-up mushroom. Then, the player should crouch and fly between the spent block and the ceiling, then stand up. The player will glide through the wall (This isn't necessary for the trick to work, but makes it easier to continue without losing the P-Wing powerup). There are actually two separate Bowser rooms and this trick requires that the player makes your way to a specific one. The easier path to Bowser goes through a room with lava and Donut Lifts, but the trick cannot be performed if the player enters the door at the end of that path. The other path to Bowser goes through a room with lava and solid platforms. This is the one where the player should enter the door to Bowser's chamber. However, reaching the correct door / chamber without losing the magic P-Wing can be difficult. Normally, reaching this room requires the player to pass a Thwomp that is made more-difficult because the magic P-Wing slows the player's descent...causing the player to lose the powerup and the trick cannot be performed. There is a way to reach this room without encountering the Thwomp. Simply take the easier path to the room with donut lifts over lava. Do not enter the door to Bowser's chamber. Instead, crouch and fly between the statue and the ceiling and the player will be forced through the wall. This will lead to the other Bowser chamber. The player should not squeeze through the ceiling a second time, because the player will be stuck in the side of the screen until the time runs out.

After entering Bowser's chamber, the player should fly straight up, then over the wall to the left. The player will land in Bowser's alternate room and fight him there. He will make belching motions, but will be unable to produce fire. Bowser also can't hurt the player when crouched, so the player can easily defeat Bowser by simply staying crouched in the middle until Bowser's final jump, then simply move out of the way and let Bowser fall through the floor.

This works in the NES and Super Mario All-Stars versions, but not Super Mario Advance 4.

The player has to go to Bowser's Castle. After passing the Donut Lifts, the player will have to take the upper route. The player will follow the route until Mario or Luigi reaches the door at the end. Instead of entering it, the player must fly to the Bowser statue just before it and ducks. The player ducks on top of the Bowser statue, and after doing so the player has to fly through the wall. This will make the player end up in the room that would have been reached if the player had taken the lower route found after the Donut lifts.

Another type of glitch similar to this is also possible. By ducking and jumping at the top right corner of any wall in any level, then releasing the down area on the, the player will go through the wall. For some levels, such as the World 1 Fortress, it acts as a shortcut; for others, it simply leads to an empty area.

The player must make sure an N-Spade is put on a position occupied by a Fortress on a map, and then play the N-Spade game, and the fortress will be defeated without it actually being done. However, the lock will not open, or alternately the bridge that defeating Boom-Boom would build on the map will not be built. As a result, if the fortress that the N-Spade occupied the position of was the second fortress in World 4 or the first or third fortress in World 6, it will be impossible to get to certain areas on the map and the only way to get out of the world will be to use a Warp Whistle.

This glitch is found in World 3-6. To do this glitch, the player must hit the first red Koopa Troopa in the level, then must grab the Koopa shell and once the screen scrolls to the Donut Lift on top, throw the shell right and have it hit the coin block below. As long as the player doesn't step on the Donut Lift below, once the screen scrolls over the coin block at the right time, the bush on the right will turn into a green Brick Block. The green Brick Block will behave like a normal bush.

This glitch was fixed in Super Mario All-Stars.

As Tanooki Mario, if the player presses right as Mario goes down a pipe, he will turn grey, but not into a statue. However, after the player leaves the pipe, Mario will return to normal.

As Tanooki Mario, if the player grabs a Hammer Suit and turns into Statue Mario right before, Hammer Mario will have a monochromatic color scheme, as if he was made of stone. However, he cannot go back up the pipe that leads him out of the room, leaving him trapped. This was fixed in Super Mario Advance 4.

This glitch can be found in World 6-10, and can be achieved in all versions of the game. The player follows the route until they reach a pipe with the Hammer Suit in it. If Mario enters the secret room and breaks the ? with the Hammer Suit, he will go up to the top of the hill, and he will still slide even with the Hammer Suit on.

If the player flies directly under a block containing a P-switch, it is possible to get "under" the block and activate the P-switch from below. This can also be done with question blocks with Power-Ups in them. This still works in the SNES remake.

In World 1-1, there are some Paratroopas. Mario needs to jump on one of them when they are at the highest point of the bounce. Mario will go offscreen and will not come back. He is actually in the bonus area although the screen didn't scroll there. If he hits the block that has the 1-up mushroom, the block is visible on the bottom side of the screen while it's being hit.

By grabbing an Ice Block at the exact moment a Buster Beetle grabs the same one, both Mario and the beetle will be holding an Ice Block. This works in NES and in Super Mario All-Stars.

This was shown in a Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Super Play video. To do this, Mario must stand on two donut lifts and one of them won't fall.

This glitch has not been tested outside the Super Mario All-Stars version. However, it should be impossible in Super Mario Advance 4 and most likely would require getting a game over on purpose in the original due to the lack of a save feature. In All-Stars, the player must start a new game, get the 2 warp whistles, save and quit, then return to this save-game. The castle will remain destroyed, and the Hammer Bro. still gone, but all other completed levels, toad houses, and spade panels, will re-open. The player can then re-play level 1-3 to get a 3rd warp whistle, and replay any other levels required to get any other extras he or she wishes. The player must then save and quit, return to the game, and repeat these steps as many times as he or she wishes, or until the player's inventory is full.

This glitch works in the Tower in World 5. First, the player must start the level with a P-Wing. The player must fly to the area full of bricks. (There should be two Micro-Goombas there too). The player must then fly to the pipe, then go above it, and keep going right until they get over the pipe into an area behind it. There is also a brick with a 1-Up Mushroom back here. Over to the left, the player should see a wall of bricks. Mario must then fly over to them and whip them with his tail to make a spot to stand on. The player must then make Mario fly upwards off the screen for a while, he or she will start seeing "invisible" blocks being broken at the very bottom of the screen.

In World 3-9, the player should duck on top of the level's white platform. By doing so for five seconds, Mario drops into the background. The player must then head into the nearby Warp Pipe; Mario comes out invisible on the other side. Mario cannot be seen, but he may also not be harmed by enemies while like this. Additionally, running into an enemy allows the player to see a blue silhouette of Mario.

At the end of the second Muncher level in World 7, Mario must fly up to the top of the thin pipe at the end. By landing, Mario will progressively lose all his power-ups for an unexplained reason until he eventually dies. This glitch is fixed in the remakes.

This glitch is easiest on World 4-1. At the two blocks where the red Koopa walks, the player has to make the brick block and Question Block on the other side be partially showing. Then, the player must kick the red Koopa's Shell into the two blocks. It will bounce off the Brick Block. It works in all versions, and happens because the game isn't designed to show only half of the Brick Block breaking sprite.

This glitch works only in the Japanese version. To do this glitch, the player must go to Water Land with at least one Warp Whistle in the inventory. Then, the player must get a Hammer (one of the world's Hammer Bros. owns one) and use it to break a rock blocking the way to the Boat and board it. While in the boat, use a Warp Whistle. Mario will be in the Warp Zone. The player can move to left and Mario will leave the place and move him as if in a boat. If the player goes far right, the screen will move and reveal a black background and the world numbers will move too and the game will turn glitchy. Mario can move left again. It will be impossible to reach land again.

The game can't stand with two or more items in the screen, so, if there's an item in the screen and another appear, the first item will disappear. This glitch works in the NES version and in Super Mario All-Stars.

With Tanooki Mario or Tanooki Luigi, the player must enter a Koopaling battle, then fly up to off-screen and turn into Statue Mario or Statue Luigi. The "poof" smoke will be in the ground, however, Mario will not be there.

This glitch is only possible in the NES version. This is a glitch from level 3-9. In it, the player plays with the Ice Blocks on the right side of the Pipe as follows: Mario ducks, getting rid of the bottom 3 ice blocks on the right side of the pipe, but keeping the ice block on the far top. Then he must duck and jump and he will suddenly go down the side of the Pipe. Fire Mario can still shoot fireballs, but Mario won't be able to get out of the pipe. The player can just scroll left and right, but Mario won't appear. Moreover, the player won't return to the map screen until 5 minutes after time runs out. This glitch is also possible in levels 5-2 and 7-5.

For this glitch to work, the player must go to any level, but preferably World 3-9, as Super Mario. About halfway through the stage, the player must come across Note Blocks between two Ice Blocks, and hit the middle Note Block from the top to get the Fire Flower out. Remove the Ice Blocks on the right and allow the Bob-omb to walk into the Ice Blocks on the left. The Bob-omb will turn around into the Flower, and if Super Mario touches the Flower and Bob-omb at the same time, he will quickly cycle through: a discolored Frog Mario, Super Mario, and end up as Small Mario.

This glitch is possible in the Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4 versions of the game. To perform this glitch, the player must hit the button to transform from Tanooki Mario to Statue Mario right as Mario collects a third panel that matches the other two from the Roulette Box. If done correctly, the ending will play out normal at first, but a single sprite will appear on the screen and the game will freeze. If the glitch is performed in the Game Boy Advance version, to see the effect the player must watch the replay if it is possible.

To perform this glitch, the player must go to World 1-3 and crouch on the silver block. Then the player must run behind the blackness and the player will appear at the hidden room with the warp whistle but Mario or Luigi will be "running in place." The glitch will end when the Toad reaches the "Far away land" part in his speech. This glitch works in the NES version in and the Super Mario All-Stars version.

The player must first use the through the wall glitch in the area the Tanooki Suit is found in World 4-5. After reaching the other side of the wall, the player must then jump on top of the bonus area quickly. He or she then has to leap forward off the top of the wall. They will find a secret area, consisting of a pipe and a level ending. The Super Mario All-Stars version of the room is slightly different.

This can possibly be a leftover of the Japanese version's World 5-1 exit.

This glitch is only possible in the Japanese version of the game. It is recommended that the P-Wing be used for this. At the end of level 5-1, after entering the warp pipe at the end of the stage, the player must fly up to the top of the of blocks behind the pipe, and run across. The secret area that appears at the beginning of the stage will be below the player, and the sound the chest makes when it appears in that area will play. The player must then land back at the bottom of the stage, and head to the end of the stage. The Nipper Plant and Panels will appear glitched. When the stage is completed, a chest will appear on one side of the stage. It is possible to make the chest land on the side the player will leave the stage and collect its contents, but the "COURSE CLEAR! YOU GOT A CARD" text will appear glitched.

It is impossible to do this glitch in the U.S. version, as the goal was moved to the same area as the level.

It is unknown how to activate this glitch. However, in the NES and All-Stars versions of the game, it is possible to throw a Gargantua Koopa Troopa Shell (and possibly an ordinary one) inside a solid wall.

This works in the NES and Super Mario All-Stars versions. Whether it works in Super Mario Advance 4 is a meaningless question because a Fire Flower changes Small Mario to Fire Mario normally in Super Mario Advance 4.

This glitch is in level 5-7. The player starts 5-7, and Mario must be Super Mario. Mario must jump into a block to make a Fire Flower without getting it right away. Instead, Mario collects the first coin to the right of the flower and it starts to flash. Then, a Micro-Goomba hits Mario so that he can downgrade to small, and he grabs the flower, and he becomes Fire Mario immediately.

This glitch can be performed in levels 3-8 (as Raccoon Mario) and 6-10. Mario needs to start the level with Star (without being Small Mario or wearing a Frog Suit). The player must then quickly break a Brick Block with a Beanstalk and climb on it. Mario will still somersault even when he loses his Star. This glitch works in all versions of the game, and ends once the player lands after falling off the vine.

Firstly, the player must get a Tanooki Suit and use it. Then, go to a level which contains a door. Mario/Luigi must turn into Statue Mario right above the door and press up on while in front of it (while Mario still Statue Mario). He enters the door normally, but a small fog will appear above the door and Mario will fall from it.

This can be done in NES and SNES versions. Mario must go to World 3-9. He must be small. When there's many Brick Blocks above him, one contains a Super Mushroom. Mario must release it and let in move to another block. He must hit the block the mushroom is on, and a nearby Para-Goomba will automatically fall off-screen, as if Mario defeated it.

This works in NES and in Super Mario All-Stars, in World 4-3. The player must play normally until he sees a short row of Brick Blocks, with a Buzzy Beetle on top and an upside-down Spiny on the bottom. Mario must go under the Buzzy Beetle, but be careful not to let the Spiny fall down. If he hits the block with the Buzzy Beetle, the spiny will fall off-screen as if defeated.

This works only on the NES version, and the cause is unknown. The player must lose a life on the airship of Sky Land. Occasionally, when the airship flies away, it will go to the northwest side of the sky map. When this happens, it is impossible to access the airship.

In the second fortress of World 5, the player can jump on top of the pipe and up the solid blocks above, becoming wedged between that area and the right side of the screen. The player can then jump to the top of the ceiling and "crush" Mario, losing a life. In SNES, he no longer loses a life.

In the beginning of World 5-2, If Mario has a Tanooki suit, he must transform to a statue on the slope, then he slides down the slope to the far left of the screen, and loses a life. This glitch wasn't fixed in Super Mario All-Stars.

It is unknown how to do this, but in World 1-2, the player must hit the block containing the P-Switch. By jumping again, the player can actually go through the block the switch is on top of and hit the switch.

This glitch only works in NES version. In World 5-3, with a Super Leaf or Tanooki Suit, the player must hit a Spiny and hold its shell. While doing so, Mario has to get into a Kuribo's Shoe. The shoe will become transparent and Mario's clothes will become black. By kicking the shell, the shoe reverts back to normal.

To do this glitch, the player must land in a Kuribo Shoe while in statue form. Mario will be grey, and everything will play normally, except Mario will be invincible. However, Mario can't enter pipes, so he needs to get another power-up to enter them. This works on both the NES and SNES games.

When Mario's foot catches off a pipe or wall, he can jump again to do a wall jump.

Mario or Luigi must be under the effects of a P-Wing and go in the water. If he takes damage, his P-Meter will remain full as long as he stays in the water.

This can only be done in the NES version. By jumping down a Venus Fire Trap-inhabited pipe in World 5-7, the player can use the white block to head behind the scenery. The player must then use the warp pipe to get back to the normal level before this wears off. If done correctly, Mario cannot be touched by anything (power-ups included).

Miscellaneous
Other programming anomalies that are not glitches are listed here.

If there are two Hammer Bros on the Map and they move into the same space, the game will allow them to move again until they are not on the same space which can lead to them getting stuck with each other and not stopping.


 * When, Mario/Luigi Pass/Fail
 * And, # of Hammer Bros in overworld = more than 1
 * Then, Move Hammer Bros to adjacent space
 * If, Space is 0 (Empty), then Stop
 * If, Space is 1 (Fortress, Toad House, Airship, Uncleared Tile, Hammer Bros), then Move again
 * Cannot Move to Cleared Tiles and Mario/Luigi-occupied space

It is possible for a Raccoon Leaf to overlap a pipe. When this happens, and Mario goes through the pipe, Mario will still get the Power-Up. However, since Mario cannot be seen, the smoke is seen without Mario.