Is the Super Mario 64 ROM Legal and Safe to Download?

When it comes to 3D platforming, few games today can hold a candle to the grandfather of them all, Super Mario 64.

The launch title for Nintendo’s uber-popular cartridge-based system the Nintendo 64, Super Mario 64 represents the first outing of the iconic plumber in a 3D realm.

Not only is the game filled with charm and panache but it also establishes many of the rules of 3D platforming that we take for granted today.

The Best of Nintendo

A vast, open world before open-world games were even a thing, Super Mario 64 distills the best of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo outings into a polygonal dreamscape that only gets better with time.

Whether it is the masterfully crafted worlds or the simple yet challenging objectives the game lays before you, Super Mario 64 provides one of the consistently best experiences on the Nintendo 64 and, indeed, deserves the title of best game on the system if it didn’t have so many worthy challengers in other Nintendo properties for the console.

While Super Mario 64 has been released on a wide array of systems and formats since, with everything from the Wii Virtual Console to the Nintendo DS handheld getting a version, some gamers still like to play their games using emulators and ROMs.

In this article we discuss whether or not you can do this and if it is safe for your computer.

Is Playing Super Mario 64 ROM on PC Safe?

Of course, a lot of this will depend on where you live and where you download your ROM, but overall the rules are quite simple.

And therein lies the rub: You see, Nintendo typically likes for you to own the game prior to downloading a ROM of it.

What does this mean?

How to Download Super Mario 64

Well, owning a copy of the game can be anything from a physical cartridge to perhaps a downloaded version through an official channel. Again, the laws are different depending on what part of the world you live in, but you should have spent money on the product at some point in your history.

This is because people are typically allowed to make backup copies of media so long as those backups are for personal use. Making a backup and distributing it to people for free is often where people get into trouble.

So the basic rule is that you can download a backup ROM of Super Mario 64 if you already own the game.

The next part of the question is whether or not the ROM you download is safe. As for that, you have to depend on where you download your game.

If it is a legitimate website, then you probably don’t have much to worry about in terms of downloading a trojan virus or some other form of malware. For this, you should use trusted ROM sites that people cite in video game forums. Video game forums are often the best places to find the best ROM directories. And that’s really all you need to know about downloading a ROM of Super Mario 64. If you own it already, you’re good to go – just make sure you download it from a vetted website!