Video game rarity is not different from other merchandise. It all comes down to age, materials, backstory, amount, and whether it was ever banned from store shelves.
On this list, we are covering the rarest games and accessories. To show how rare they are, we will also list the price they can sell for online or through a past auction. It’s far better than other rare merchandise that just sits on a shelf forever. You can actually play a rare game that few people get to experience.
As some more seasoned gamers can guess, a lot of these rare games are for consoles like Atari or NES. So if you want some nostalgia, then you have also come to the right place. If you’ve actually played any of these games, then you can now brag that you’ve played on of the rarest games in the world. If you still own the game, then maybe think again between keeping it and selling it for a pretty penny.
Besides just video games, the accessories can get ridiculous. On this list, we have rare gamer chairs, joysticks, and scanners.
So if you ever want to start a gamer museum, take a look at these items.
30 Video Game: Eli’s Ladder, $1,300
This game has the title as the rarest educational game out there. Like many games on this list, it was much simpler than typical games you would play today. The story was to get Eli to the moon by climbing a ladder.
Each step would be reached by answering a math question, thus the educational value in this game.
The game was for the Atari 2600. It came with motivational stickers for kids, a certificate, and a worksheet/wallchart. If anything, this is a reminder that math could be fun.
29 Video Game: Karate, $3,000
For the Atari 2600, this game was is not only one of the rarest but also considered one of the worst Atari games of all time. The game was even designed by a black belt, Joseph Amelio.
It was released twice by different publishers: Froggo and Ultravision. Despite the games being the exact same, it’s the 1982 Ultravision version that is considered far more valuable. The game is known to have miserable graphics and gameplay with no actual skills involved.
28 Accessory: Legless Princess Peach Amiibo, $25,000
This price is rather surprising since this figure should normally sell for just thirteen dollars. However, news spread across the gaming world when this Peach Amiibo sold for $25,000 at an eBay auction.
Being legless has made this Amiibo a major rare accessory, since is it a factory defect and there are only a handful of these in the entire world.
So keep an eye out for any manufacturing errors when Amiibo shopping! You could get one out of only ten of its kind in the world.
27 Video Game: Gauntlet, $4,000
In this rare game, you get to control Sir Robert Whittenbottom as he attempts to win a gauntlet in a fantasy hack and slash game. Part of what makes this Atari game special was that it was only purchased through mail order and was never traditionally packaged. The game only came with a foam case.
Part of what makes this game special is that it’s considered to be one of if not the first dungeon crawl arcade games.
26 Video Game: King Of Fighters 2000, $5,000
With only one hundred known copies in the world and being the last game made by SNK before it struggled financially. King of Fighters 2000 is known to sell for a lot.
As the name suggests, it’s a competitive fighting game with characters like Commander Heidern and evil NESTS cartel.
The most rare and expensive version we are talking about is for the Neo Geo, though there are many ports for this game. There is even one for the PS4, but that’s not considered rare.
25 Accessory: Steel Battalion Controller Set, $200
This two hundred dollar accessory is only useful for two games: Steel Battalion and its 2004 sequel, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact. The game was for the original Xbox and this controller set took effort up to 120 percent. The game was bundled with this controller of 40 different buttons and pedals.
It’s a mammoth of a controller that would definitely daunt casual players. For the hardcore fans though, this took the video game’s immersion to the next level.
24 Video Game: Atlantis II, $11,500
Atlantis II for the Atari 2600 was a prize for winners of the “Defend Atlantis” competition. The competition used the original Atlantis game which was known to be faster pace and easier.
“Defend Atlantis” had four finalists and a winner who also received ten thousand dollars in prize money.
The sequel is rumored to be much more difficult than its original. For example, the enemy ships are worth far fewer points. The game’s basic plot was to protect Atlantis from Gorgon spaceships.
23 Video Game: European Kizuna Encounter, $9,500
The important aspect of this is the “European” version. This game is common in terms of Japan’s release. However in Europe, only give copies are rumored to have been sold. Today the SNK game has many ports such as on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 4. Before that though, it was only to be found in arcades.
22 Accessory: Emperor 200 Chair, $44,750
This is the ultimate gamer chair. It comes with three monitor displays, seat controls, THX surround sound, three 24 inch LED touchscreens, a filtration system for the air, and even a light system to rejuvenate Vitamin D (so you don’t have to go outside ever again). The built-in health features are a futuristic marvel.
Why didn’t this star in a sci-fi show?
There are cheaper, stripped down versions (though they are still in the thousand-dollar price range).
21 Video Game: Red Sea Crossing, $12,000
For the Atari 2600, this game brought the Bible into the gaming world. As the title may have hinted, it features Moses crossing the Red Sea. Only a few lucky people got to experience it though, as its rumored there are only one hundred copies of this game in the world. To make it even rarer, only two have been reported in the wild.
Basically, it’s so rare, that some people considered it a hoax. It was never reported in game magazines, and only written about in religious publications.
20 Video Game: Nintendo Campus Challenge 1991, $17,000
For the NES, this Nintendo bundle has Super Mario 3, Pinbot, and Dr. Mario. The cartridges were only used for campus gaming competitions. In these competitions, the players would try to get the most points within a time limit.
After completing their sole purpose, they were all destroyed.
Or so we thought until a copy was found in an ex-Nintendo employee’s garage. They must have been overjoyed when it sold for fourteen thousand in 2006. It didn’t end there, and it resold for twenty thousand.
19 Accessory: Steelseries Arctis Pro Wireless, $400
When gamers do not live alone or they play online with friends, a good headset is a must.
Behold the Steelseries Artcis Pro Wireless headset, for the most luxurious loving gamers. It has Bluetooth functionality, a control box, and a retractable noise-canceling mic. Reviews loves that you can control everything on one box and that changing the batteries is painless and easy. The only complaint is that the menu is sometimes confusing. It is known as one of the best gaming headphones out there, thus the expensive price.
18 Video Game: Air Raid, $19,000
Only twelve copies of this game are rumored to exist and they are easily recognized for their blue color and T-shaped cartridge handle. Two copies have been auctioned for 14 thousand dollars and 33 thousand dollars.
Like the name suggests, the game is about defending a city from an air raid using your own aircraft.
The game was released in 1982 for the Atari 2600. It was created by Men-A-Vision, and was their only game. So if you find this in your garage, you have basically stuck gold.
17 Video Game: 1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition, $18,000
These limited edition NES games were awards for the winners and runner-ups of Nintendo’s Power contest. They are known for their gold-color and have a couple games on them like Rad Racer, Tetris, and Super Mario Bros.
For those that don’t know, the Nintendo World Championships are a nationwide competition. The latest one took place in 2017. Besides that and the 1990 one, another took place in 2015. It’s only the 1990 championship that gave birth to this rare gold edition cartridge though.
16 Accessory: Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller, $200
For the PS2, you can get this Resident Evil collector’s controller for two hundred dollars. The controller was inspired by a character fans refer to as the “Chainsaw Man” who wears a sack on his head and is a difficult enemy who can saw Leon’s head off before the player can even say, “Oh look, it’s Chainsaw Man.”
Not only is the controller awesome, but its packaging also reflects the game’s theme.
The controller comes with a display stand and there is even a groove to set a single memory card.
15 Video Game: Birthday Mania, $25,000
There is only one verified copy of this game in existence, so it may be considered the rarest one on this list. The idea behind it is pretty cute too, as it comes in a box you can personalize with a name, date, and birthday message.
The content is simple mini-games like popping balloons and blowing out candles. It was made by a programmer, Anthony Tokar, in 1984 due to his love of Atari games. It was his first and only game made.
14 Video Game: Gamma Attack, $35,000
For the Atari 2600, Gamma Attack had only one copy created by Gammation. According to the Racketboy website, the game is currently owned by Anthony DeNardo, a collector. He has listed the cartridge on eBay before though, asking for 50 thousand dollars as the buy-it-now price.
The fun part is that DeNardo did not even know what it was at first when he bought it until he did research.
In the game, you play as a flying saucer that shoots at tanks on the ground. You can move the flying saucer but can only shoot in one direction.
13 Accessory: Vintage Nintendo Power Zelda Mario Back Pack, $600
Link and Mario are like the fathers of Nintendo. Whoever wore this backpack back when it wasn’t considered vintage was still probably considered the coolest person. This item is getting sold on eBay and Amazon from between two hundred to nine hundred dollars.
Hilariously, some sellers say it’s Zelda on the bag. Tsk tsk.
The bag can certainly make one think of the evolution of Link from that backpack to Breath of the Wild. Mario, on the other hand, has not changed so much.
12 Video Game: Tetris for the Sega Genesis / Mega-Drive, $1,000,000
This game was an adaption to the arcade version of Tetris. It’s rumored that there are only ten copies out there. This version was made by Alexey Pajitnov himself, who is the Russian video game designer that developed Tetris in the first place.
One million dollars is just the buy-it-now price.
Other sellers have it for 20 thousand U.S. dollars. It is region locked though, so make sure you can actually play the game if you buy it.
11 Video Game: Stadium Events, $42,000
Stadium Events is a sports fitness game. Kotaku confirmed that a sealed copy of this rare NES game sold for nearly 42 thousand dollars. What makes this game so rare was its small window of being sold on shelves. The games were pulled and replaced by World Class Track Meet.
A loose cartridge can still sell for 10 thousand dollars. In its original box, it can sell for 20 thousand dollars. All this is according to Kotaku of course.