• Anyone visiting Comic Con Africa 2023 will be able to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
• Comic Con Africa 2023 takes place between 22nd and 25th September.
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder releases on the Nintendo Switch on 20th October.

The ability to play games early was once a massive reason to attend conventions but this incentive has died down in recent years, not even counting cancelled events due to the pandemic. Thankfully this is being reversed somewhat by Nintendo and Comic Con Africa 2023, with the announcement that Super Mario Bros. Wonder will be playable on the show floor.

Comic Con Africa 2023 takes place at the Johannesburg Expo Centre between 22nd and 25th September. Super Mario Bros. Wonder only launches on 20th October meaning that attendees get to experience the game almost a month before the general public.

The Nintendo Stand (B521) will be located in Hall 5 of the venue. You can find a handy map of the Johannesburg Expo Centre on the Comic Con Africa website here.

If Super Mario Bros. Wonder doesn’t do it for you, or you play it and want to experience some other Nintendo titles on the day, you will be covered with other options.

“Visitors to the stand will be able to challenge each other on the Everybody 1-2-Switch! stage, explore a mysterious planet inhabited by tiny plant-like creatures in Pikmin 4 or dive into Hyrule and try Link’s abilities in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom… If you are looking for some INK-tastic action, visit the RGB Stand on Saturday to catch 16 of the coolest schools as they go head-to-head in 4v4 Splatoon 3 school league finals,” a press release from Nintendo’s South African distributor reads.

“Expect the unexpected in Mario’s latest 2D side-scrolling adventure and jump into the exclusive opportunity to be one of the first to play Super Mario Bros Wonder exclusively on the Nintendo stand before its official launch on 20th October. Visitors can experience how classic Mario gameplay is turned on its head with the addition of Wonder Flowers in this anticipated game.”

Another draw of conventions is the shopping experience with sales usually a key feature of any show. Again Nintendo has you covered with “exclusive show deals” that will be held at the Nintendo Stand.

First time attending Comic Con Africa? See our coverage of the event in previous years here, as well as announcements for this year’s edition.