Pre-order bonuses can turn an average game into an incredible collectors edition. The desire to collect a rare pre-order bonus only sky-rockets when the bonuses are tied to a limited-edition run of a game. Bonuses have been as simple as a hat, but some game studios go above and beyond for their most dedicated fans.
Pre-order bonuses for rare limited-edition games can be some of the priciest game merchandise on the market, and often for good reason. The promise of limited content is often enough to drive franchise fans to put their money down for a game early, but these offerings are some of the most expensive we've seen.
10 Kingdom of Amalur: Signature Edition - $275
It seems like a lot of gamers skipped on the Kingdom of Amalur, but that didn’t stop the devs from creating a unique edition of their game. They actually created multiple editions for pre-order, but the most expensive at $275 was the Signature Edition.
This copy came with a rare troll statue, art prints, a map of the game world, the game’s soundtrack, a set of cards and dice, and some extra DLC. There’s a lot there that collectors might be interested in, so it wouldn’t surprise many if it sold well.
9 Middle-Earth: Shadow Of War: Mithril Edition - $300
While fans may have had some issues with the initial release state of Shadow of War, that didn’t stop the studio from trying to boost sales with a special edition. Compared to many other expensive pre-orders, the hardcore fanbase for the Lord Of The Rings franchise likely helped make the Mithril Edition quite the success.
Ordering the unique edition netted players a large collectible statue, the game’s soundtrack, various pieces of artwork, an actual cloth map of the game world, a replica ring of power, and plenty of other minor and in-game goodies.
8 DiRT 3: Collectors Edition - $300
Any gamers who enjoy RC cars will be sure to love the bonus that came along with DiRT 3, as it’s likely that most other gamers didn’t see the point in pre-ordering this edition of the game. The major flaw with this pre-order is the fact that for its steep price, it only comes with a single RC car.
While the car is likely of interest to RC enthusiasts, for many, being able to drive around in the game is all that gamers were after. The RC car is actually the same car that is featured on the box art for the game, but $300 was a lot to ask of many gamers.
7 Resident Evil Revelations: Unveiled Edition (Premium Set) - 42,000 Yen
The Resident Evil series is no stranger to special editions of their games and creative bonuses with pre-orders of those games. Fans looking to pre-order a special edition of the surprisingly fun Revelations title may have been left scratching their heads at the items that were offered.
An order of the Resident Evil Revelations: Unveiled Edition Premium Set would give fans of the series the opportunity to pick up a BSAA watch and card case, along with the game’s soundtrack. Not the most exciting bonuses, but hardcore fans likely wouldn’t want to miss out on the unique items.
6 Assassins Creed Origins: Collectors Edition - $800
The Assassins Creed series has been going strong for years, and with some dedicated fans of their own, they released some neat bonuses for special edition pre-orders. The $800 price tag may seem high initially, but it might make more sense when you learn that there were only just shy of 1000 copies of this for order.
Each order came complete with the game in a metal case, a huge collectible figurine, art prints, a wearable amulet, a map of the game world, an official artbook, the game’s soundtrack, and plenty of in-game bonuses.
5 Dark Souls 3 Prestige Edition - $800
With the amount of die-hard fans of the Dark Souls series, it’s not very surprising that the studio released a relatively ambitious special edition for pre-order. While the $800 cost may have put off many, the sheer amount of merchandise that came with the order made the cost seem well worth it.
Fans who pre-ordered the Prestige Edition received Dark Souls 3 in a metal case, the official soundtrack, an art book, an actual cloth map of the game world, a Lord of Cinder figurine with a collectible case, and more.
4 Resident Evil 6: Premium Edition - $1,300
With the Resident Evil 6 special edition already being hard enough to come by, the steep price made it even more difficult for fans of the series to get their hands on. Something that might confuse many is that this version of the game only came with one bonus, and that was a replica of Leon Kennedy’s in-game jacket.
As far as game bonuses go, that’s not exactly one that is likely to have many gamers signing up for a pre-order. While there’s plenty of Resident Evil super-fans, it’s likely that even many of them would have wanted to skip out on a $1,300 jacket.
3 Grid 2: Mono Edition - $190,000
For gamers who are also car enthusiasts on the side, Grid 2 had the perfect bonus for you. Grid 2’s bonus is well known for a reason, and that reason is that fans could actually get a real-life car with their order of the game.
It is said that the actual racing car is street-legal and that it even came with both a custom-made race suit and a helmet. It’s entirely possible that if anyone ended up purchasing this version of the game, they did so simply to get their hands on a real-life race car.
2 Dying Light: My Apocalypse Edition - 250,000 Euros
While the Dying Light series did a lot to reinvigorate a tired genre, they also managed to create a strange curiosity in a special edition of their game. While the order would set gamers back roughly 250,000 euros, there was certainly more than enough included to fit the ludicrous price.
The order would get fans real-life parkour lessons, a custom-built zombie-proof shelter, multiple signed copies of the game, pairs of high-end headphones, a trip, a pair of night-vision goggles, adult diapers (it's best not to ask too many questions about this part), a life-size figurine of one of the games infected, and your face in the game.
1 Saints Row 4: Super Dangerous Wad-Wad Edition - $1,000,000
It shouldn’t be all that surprising that one of the most ridiculously expensive games of all time comes from the Saints Row series. Somehow it can actually be said that the $1,000,000 price may actually be worth everything that’s included.
One of the most significant inclusions is an actual trip to outer space. Other features include trips, spy training, a hostage rescue experience, a Lamborghini Gallardo, A Toyota Prius, a full-size replica dubstep gun, plastic surgery, a personal shopper, a copy of the game, and plenty of other goodies.