Super Mario Bros. Hidden Minus World Stage Discovered After 40 Years

A hidden stage has been discovered in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels for the first time in nearly four decades, reviving one of gaming’s most legendary glitches the Minus World. Originally known for allowing players to access a mysterious “-1” level by triggering a glitch that forces the game into an unintended state, Minus World stages were never meant to be played, featuring endless loops with no finish line.

While the original Minus World held no rewards beyond the thrill of discovery, fans have always sought it out for its sheer curiosity. Now, for the first time in almost 40 years, a new Minus World stage has been uncovered in The Lost Levels, also known as Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan. The breakthrough came from Kosmic, a well-known speedrunner, who successfully entered a hidden “-4” level, prompting fans to joke that this is the “true Lost Level” the game’s title promised.

Super Mario Bros. first launched on the Famicom in 1985 and has since been remastered and re-released across numerous Nintendo platforms. Today, players can still experience the classic platformer by purchasing it from the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShops or by accessing it for free through the NES – Nintendo Switch Online service.

Released in 1986, The Lost Levels was designed as a more challenging follow-up to the original, featuring the same number of stages, 20 bonus levels, new mechanics like wind physics, and Luigi’s unique higher jump at the cost of reduced braking control. It remains one of the most influential platformers in history, and this new discovery proves that even after 40 years, the Mushroom Kingdom still has secrets left to uncover.