Who knew video games could be worth so much money? Video gaming, like any hobby, can become very expensive, especially if you’re a collector. Some video games of previous generations are now worth hundreds, thousands, and even tens of thousands, depending on rarity and condition. Of course, most old games are considered junk and are likely to fetch little more than a dollar at a local garage sale. Heck, just go down to your local thrift store and sift through the games collecting dust on the shelf. The point is, just because a game is old doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s worth good money. But there is always that one game, the Holy Grail of gaming, that is worth a fortune.
Antiquity, rarity, and condition often coincide to create a video game of immeasurable value, and as such, most of the games on this list are a combination of old and rare. Of course, some of them aren’t very old at all (depending on your idea of what constitutes “old”), but their rarity has greatly increased their perceived value. Others are extremely rare or limited editions of common games. And others are simply factory-sealed versions that fetch a fortune due to their pristine condition. Whatever the case, these games have been deemed valuable by the gaming community, and if history is any indication, people are willing to part with a surprisingly large amount of money just to get their hands on a piece of gaming history.
Updated: July 2, 2021 by Russ Boswell: As the years go by, more and more collectors are hopping onto eBay and other auction sites in an attempt to get their hands on some of the rarest video games ever made. Nowadays more so than ever, old video games are worth money, with some dedicated fans paying unbelievable sums of money for sealed copies of retro titles. In 2021, it's entirely possible to find video games worth more money than a Rolex watch, a new car, or even a house. Prices are simply skyrocketing as supply for these once common titles dwindles with each passing year. Because of this appreciation for retro games and collectors hunting even harder for some of the rarest titles in existence, this list has been updated to provide accurate pricing for 2021, with better clarity about some of the most valuable video games around.
30 E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial ($250)
The infamous E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has quite the storied history. It was rushed to release for the 1982 Christmas season, and as such, it was an utter disaster on every conceivable level. It was such a failure that Atari literally dumped hundreds of unsold copies in a landfill in New Mexico. One of the recently-excavated cartridges now resides in the Smithsonian and another was sold on eBay to a Canadian buyer for $1,537. Not bad for such a poor video game! However, in recent months, the price for these particular oddities has tanked. Players can now snag sealed copies for as low as $250.
29 Primal Rage ($349)
Primal Rage was a popular fighting game that saw players controlling various monsters and beasts. While it was originally released to arcades in August of 1994, it was ported to the Jaguar CD in December 1995 and instantly became one of the console’s most popular titles. Because of this, the game is worth a pretty penny.
The title with the original case can go anywhere from $250 to $300 online. A clash of kickboxing dinosaurs makes this one of the most unique old games worth money.
28 Virtual Bowling ($400)
The Virtual Boy is one of the most infamous items in gaming history. While it was conceived as being the next great leap in gaming technology due to its supposed 3D capabilities, it didn’t have any good games and gave its players headaches.
One of its rarest titles, Virtual Bowling, sold for $1,825 in 2017. In 2021, prices have changed dramatically. A loose copy can be snagged for around $100, while complete-in-box sets will go for $400. It's unclear just how much a sealed copy would fetch.
27 Luigi's Mansion ($500)
Luigi’s Mansion was one of the most popular games on the GameCube, selling over two million units and becoming the fifth highest-selling GameCube title at the end of the console’s (painfully short) run.
As such, it became a “Player’s Choice” title and significantly decreased in quality. A sealed copy can fetch upwards of $500, so players should be sure to go through their old GameCube collection. They may be sitting on a gold mine.
26 The Adventures Of Batman & Robin ($550)
The Adventures of Batman & Robin is a collector’s item for both video game historians AND Batman fans! You can only imagine how much more popular it’s gotten in the heyday of comic book films and TV shows.
A sealed version of the game can fetch as much as $550. And while that seems to be an outlier, it’s not uncommon to see the game selling for $150-300. Clearly, there’s a lot of rich Batman fans out there.
25 Wrecking Crew ($650)
Wrecking Crew is an old and relatively forgotten Mario game that tasked the player with destroying a set number of objects. It never really took off the way other Mario games did, but its rarity (and the inclusion of Mario) has made it a collector’s item for gaming historians.
While players can get a used copy for peanuts online, a rare, sealed black box version of the game can sell for up to $650.
24 Conker's Bad Fur Day ($700)
Conker’s Bad Fur Day is consistently regarded as one of the greatest Nintendo 64 games of all time, and as such, everyone wants to buy it. However, supply and demand have increased its value to astronomical levels.
If players want to get their hands on this classic, they're going to have to fork over some major dough. Sealed copies of the NA release can go for as high as $700 and sealed PAL versions can fetch over $1000.
23 Red Sea Crossing ($700+)
The story of Red Sea Crossing is quite spectacular. The game emerged from GameGavel.com in 2012 after the seller found it at a garage sale. Upon further research, the collective minds of the internet discovered that it was an old Atari game created by an independent programmer and advertised in religious magazines. No one even knew it existed until the garage sale! The auction started at $100, but heated interest quickly drove the price up, and the game sold for a ridiculous $10,400! Nowadays, some copies can be found loose for around $700 (although extremely rarely) and it's unclear how much a complete or sealed copy would cost.
22 Atlantis II ($780+)
Most players have never heard of the Atari 2600 title, Atlantis II, and that’s why it’s so expensive. Atlantis II is one of the rarest Atari video games ever made, with some people believing that less than one thousand copies were produced and distributed.
It’s not often that a copy surfaces online, but when it does, collectors gobble it up. If anyone ever asks "are old video games worth anything," point them to this mysterious release. Loose copies run about $780 and it's crazy to think what a sealed copy might fetch.
21 Dead Space (Ultra Limited Edition) ($950)
Dead Space is a relatively recent game, having only been released for home consoles back in 2008. But it’s not the age that has increased its value, but the rarity. There exists a version called the Ultra Limited Edition that contained a ton of extra content.
The only thing was that EA only produced 1,000 copies, making it one of the rarest commodities of the seventh generation. A sealed copy will cost players around $950 or more.
20 The King Of Fighters 2000 ($983)
The King of Fighters series was a popular fighting franchise in Japan, but it never really took off in North America. The King of Fighters 2000 was a Japanese game released to arcades and the Neo Geo back in 2000, but it didn’t make its way to North America until 2003 when it was packaged with The King of Fighters 2001. The original Japanese release is now quite the collector’s item and is currently selling for over $900 new and sealed.
19 Paper Mario ($1,100)
Paper Mario is another beloved N64 classic that is going for big money online. The game was released in North America in February of 2001 and became a surprising success, garnering critical acclaim and securing a devoted fanbase.
And it apparently still has one, because a brand new edition of the game can sell for over $1,100. Some people would consider the N64 to be the pinnacle of gaming if these insane prices are anything to go by.
18 Harvest Moon ($1,700)
The original Harvest Moon was developed by Amicus and published by Pack-In-Video in Japan, Natsume in North America, and Nintendo in Europe. And despite having been reissued on various consoles, including the Wii and the Wii U, the OG SNES version is worth a fortune. Used, cartridge-only copies of the game currently go for about $300, and sealed versions float somewhere around $1700.
17 EarthBound ($2,800)
Everyone who played Super Smash Bros. back in the day stared in confusion as they unlocked this little kid named Ness. No one knew who he was (but he was still a great fighter, so players used him anyway).
Ness came from a little Japanese game called EarthBound (or Mother 2 in Japan), which was released to little acclaim or fanfare in the North American market. However, it has since become a cult favorite, and factory-sealed versions of the game are worth about $2,800.
16 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Fortune Hunter Edition) ($2,800)
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is another relatively recent title with an insanely expensive limited edition. The special Fortune Hunter edition comes with numerous extra collectibles, including an art book and a replica of the game’s Phurba dagger.
Because of the sheer amount of content and its relative rarity, the Fortune Hunter edition goes for big bucks online, selling from as “low” as $1,500 and as high as $2,800. Some video games are worth a lot of money when packaged in special editions.
15 Super Copa ($3,200)
Super Copa is a very rare soccer game that was released for the SNES, and you can pick up your own copy for about $120 online. However (like most collector’s items), a game in mint condition goes for a lot more. In March 2015, a copy was sold on eBay for an astounding $6,900. Nowadays, the prices have dropped significantly, with sealed copies running around $3,200. In terms of old games worth money, this is one of the rarest, with many not even familiar with the name.
14 Pepsi Invaders ($3,500)
Well yes, there actually was a video game called Pepsi Invaders, and it was a masterpiece. Well, tons of players don’t actually know that. Not many do, because few have played it. In this altered version of Space Invaders, the player must shoot the letters spelling “Pepsi” out of the air. This game was actually developed by Atari and handed out at a 1983 Coca-Cola sales convention. Very few copies are known to exist, but "complete in box" versions run about $3,500.
13 Batman Forever Limited Edition ($4,200)
It’s no wonder Batman fans relate to Bruce Wayne so much – they seem to be just as rich as he is! In 2017, a special Woolworths Limited Edition of Batman Forever was put up on eBay, with the seller claiming that it is the only factory-sealed version known to exist.
It was authenticated by the VGA and given an 80+ Silver rating, signifying “near mint condition.” It was eventually bought for £3,000, or roughly $3,900. Those looking for a SNES copy of the original game can have it for as cheap as $8 loose, but the special Limited Edition PAL release can fetch $4,200 nowadays.
12 Blockbuster World Video Game Championships II ($5,200)
This was an odd little video game published by Acclaim and distributed to various Blockbusters around the country. Back when Blockbuster was still in business, they even had their own exclusive games. They also held game tournaments that used specialized cartridges like this one, featuring NBA Jam and Judge Dredd.
Due to its incredible rarity, this game can sometimes be found online and often sells in the ballpark of $5,200
11 ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut ($6,400)
The Sculptor’s Cut is an updated version of the infamous N64 title ClayFighter 63 1/3 that was sold exclusively through Blockbuster. It added various elements to the base game, including a new intro sequence, a brand new story mode, and four exclusive characters.
It didn’t really matter though, because the base game wasn't well-received and no one cared about an “updated” version. That said, it can fetch some good money online due to its relative rarity and a sealed copy could run upwards of $6,400 or more. This is easily one of the best examples of old video games worth money.