Though a hobby enjoyed by millions, gaming typically isn’t the cheapest pass time. Sure, some gamers may get by via thrifty spending tactics and an anti-early adoption mindset, but the industry’s continued war on pre-owned games and increased reliance on scummy in-game monetization schemes make saving money all the more difficult. That’s not to say that it is impossible, but the cost of consoles, PC upgrades, and subscription-based services can add up rather quickly.

Retro game collectors tend to have it much worse: while $60 for a brand new title may sound a bit steep, try paying literally thousands for one that released over forty years ago. To each their own, of course—there is certainly some merit to hoarding these rare gaming gems. Yet, to some, it seems like an odd investment, to say the least: after all, most of these games are accessible for free online. Why shell out thousands for a physical copy of Little Samson when an emulator and USB NES controller could accurately reproduce the experience? The answer: for some, owning the actual game is half the fun.

Some retro games can certainly be expensive, but their value often relies heavily on the condition of the merchandise: A seller may be lucky to net $10 from the sale of a grimy, worn-out copy of GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64, but a sealed, complete-in-box copy could go for hundreds of dollars. Before anyone goes to scour through their attic in search of priceless gaming gems, here are thirty games that are worth a fortune sealed (but worth nothing opened).

30 StarCraft 64 (Nintendo 64) - $200

StarCraft 64 was released on the heels of the extremely popular PC RTS StarCraft, and it is famous for being one of the only games of that genre available on the system. At the time, roughly-hewn, polygonal 3D environments were the in-thing, and adventure/platformers were thought to best show off the system’s graphical capabilities. Unfortunately for Nintendo 64 fans, StarCraft 64 is a terrible port and a mockery of the legendarily great PC title. Though it is worth next to nothing on its own, dedicated Starcraft fans have been known to shell out around $200 for a sealed, boxed copy of the game.

29 Justice League Task Force (SNES) - $250

Justice League Task Force was a relatively mediocre tournament fighter which—as the name implies—featured a host of DC comic heroes and villains. Nothing remarkable in an era which gave us such fantastic fighters as Street Fighter II and its many variants, Task Force went relatively overlooked until retro game collectors slowly came to covet it. A loose copy can be found in just about any used game store worth its salt and would hardly be worth the plastic on which it has been printed. However, a sealed copy of Justice League Task Force could go for around $250.

28 Rise Of The Robots Director’s Cut (PC) - $300

An overlooked cyberpunk take on the 90’s fighting game craze, 1994’s Rise of the Robots Director’s Cut is an ill-remembered title which may only ignite feelings of nostalgia for those agnostic toward game consoles at that time. This title is steeped in that overwhelmingly-dated mid-90s CG style, and it seems to be, through to its very core, a product of its time. That said, while the jewel case alone won’t earn much, a sealed, boxed copy of Rise of the Robots could earn around $300, which, in the opinions of many, is far more than the game was ever worth.

27 Dark Seed II (PC) - $250

On the surface, 1995’s Dark Seed II may look like little more than a slightly horrific take on the point and click genre, but it really is up there with the almost so-bad-they’re-good FMV horror games like harvester and Phantasmagoria. The real kicker here is that H.R. Geiger, the man responsible for the Xenomorph’s design in the Alien movies, had a hand in most of the artwork present in the game. That alone ought to be worth the relatively cheap price of admission. However, if you’re looking to snag a boxed copy of Dark Seed II, you’ll likely be set back about $250.

26 Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness (Nintendo 64) - $250

Though plenty of people who grew up with an N64 will rush to defend this release, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness is an ugly, awful game that may well be the worst in the otherwise-respectable franchise. Clunky and awkward, Legacy of Darkness was a clear product of the infancy of 3D gaming, and, though Nintendo got it right with Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the combat in this game is an outright unpleasant chore. Despite these criticisms, a sealed, complete-in-box copy of this game could net the seller around $200 to $250, which is about a thousand times more than the game should be worth.

25 Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 (Game Boy) - $250

Wario—the out-of-shape, malevolent alternative to everyone’s favorite portly Italian plumber—made his debut at the end of the NES’s lifecycle on a little-known game titled Wario’s Woods. A quirky puzzle game, it wouldn’t be until Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 on the original Game Boy that the character would star in a platformer. Super Mario Land 3 is, considering the limitations of Nintendo’s first portable gaming machine, a pretty solid game which every Nintendo fan ought to play at some point. However, if you’re looking for a sealed copy, it’ll cost around $250.

24 Final Fantasy X (PS2) - $400

The tenth mainline entrant into the beloved JRPG series Final Fantasy is perhaps most well-known for that cringe-worthy forced-laugh cutscene, but, despite some hammy voice acting, it was a solid addition to the franchise. It stayed truer to the series’ 2D RPG roots than the titles that would follow in its wake, and many fans view it as one of the last really solid Final Fantasy games. With that in mind, while a standard copy can’t be all that difficult to track down, a sealed copy is actually quite marketable. Some sealed copies of the game have gone for around $400.

23 Mass Effect (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) - $400

Aside from kids, nobody considers the Xbox 360 to be a retro console. That notion is pretty ridiculous, and Microsoft’s second gaming machine probably has another twenty to twenty-five years to go before it could be considered totally antiquated. That said, precious few seventh console generation games are worth any kind of money. Bioware’s hit interstellar RPG Mass Effect, however, defies that stereotype. While a standard copy can be picked up just about anywhere for dirt cheap, a sealed version of the game can be sold for around $400.

22 Super Mario Brothers (NES) - $400

There must be thousands upon thousands of loose NES Super Mario Brothers cartridges floating around in the wild: it was perhaps the most recognizable game available for Nintendo’s flagship platform, and just about everyone who owned the system back in the day had a copy of this title lying around. As a result, though most new NES owners will want to get their hands on a pre-owned copy, some dedicated collectors may yet be on the hunt for a sealed, complete-in-box version. These things can go for up to $400, though, so it may be wise to keep prowling around garage sales in search of clueless hand-me-down game vendors.

21 Diablo III (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC) - $400

Blizzard’s 2011 tactical RPG Diablo III was the long-awaited return of one of the most popular video game franchises in the modern gaming era, and it satiated the need of every hardcore, Call-of-Duty-is-too-easy-for-me gamer out there at the time. Though the game did experience a fair bit of backlash as a result of the clumsy introduction of the Diablo III auction house which saw the price of in-game items slowly eclipse the price of the game itself, it was still a fantastic experience through-and-through. Again, while a standard copy of this game is relatively common, sealed copies can net up to $400.

20 Pokémon Red And Blue (Game Boy) - $500

The original Pokémon titles on Game Boy were so incredibly popular that they remain coveted collector's items twenty-plus years after release. Though relatively simple and barebones compared to the massive, sprawling adventures the series now boasts, Pokémon Red and Blue still stand as excellent RPGs which helped to spawn an internationally beloved franchise. Loose copies of the game aren’t overwhelmingly cheap, though most will probably be able to get their hands on them for somewhere in the ballpark of $30 to $50. Sealed, boxed copies, on the other hand, can sometimes go for upwards of $500.

19 Sonic The Hedgehog (Genesis) - $500

We all know Sonic the Hedgehog to be a franchise at least fifteen years removed from its last worthwhile release. Despite the legions of Sonic fans that somehow still exist, the character has been operating on a holding pattern for the better part of this decade. Sonic Mania was an excellent love letter to the origins of the blue blur, but it really only managed to remind players of how poorly Sonic operates in 3D. Loose genesis games aren’t too difficult to come by these days, but sealed, box copies are by and large pretty rare. A mint condition copy of the original Sonic the Hedgehog could run for as much as $500.

18 Ultima Trilogy (DOS) - $400

The first three games in the Ultima series were pinnacles of early CRPG design and helped to influence tons of similar games to come. Fans of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls owe much to this relatively antiquated series, and any gaming historian would do well to check these games out. They are ridiculously primitive and needlessly complex by today’s standards, though they still offer a neat peek into the yesteryears of gaming. Though just about every piece of media contained on a floppy disk is essentially worthless these days, a sealed, complete-in-box copy of Ultima Trilogy on DOS could fetch around $400.

17 The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC) - $400

CD Projekt Red’s RPG triumph The Witcher III: Wild Hunt was perhaps one of the most well-received releases of the past ten years and is almost certain to go down in history as one of the best video game experiences of this console generation. Expertly crafted and so jam-packed with content that it could take players hundreds of hours to complete, it’s no wonder why many gamers are looking to jump into the shoes of Geralt of Rivia. Used copies tend to go for around $20 these days, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, complete-in-box copies of the games’ collector’s edition can sometimes go for as much as $400.

16 Fallout 3 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) - $500

Bethesda’s Fallout 3 was a bold, fantastic achievement which brought the previously-isometric world of Fallout into the third dimension. Featuring a masterful new world and cast of characters will retaining many of the RPG mechanics which made the series great, this gritty, post-apocalyptic experience is still one worth playing ten years on from its initial release. For those who haven’t quite packed away their last-gen consoles, Fallout 3 can practically be purchased for pocket change. If you should, for whatever reason, want a brand-new collector’s edition, though, you had better be ready to part ways with around $500.

15 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - $500

This may come as a surprise to many fans of Nintendo’s epic Legend of Zelda series, but loose copies of the SNES classic Link to the Past don’t command all that much money and can typically be bought for around $15. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid playing this masterpiece, don’t let that meager price fool you: The Legend of Zelda’s outing on the SNES was perhaps the series pinnacle, and it stands in contention with only a few other exemplary titles from the franchise. A sealed, complete-in-box copy can cost around half a grand, though, so it may be best to pick up a copy for cheap at a local game store.

14 Donkey Kong Country (SNES) - $500

Similar to the aforementioned Zelda title, pre-owned copies of Donkey Kong Country on the SNES are relatively inexpensive despite the game’s popularity. In reality, this may have something to do with the widespread availability of digital re-releases or emulators, but it is surprising that more gamers aren’t interested in the physical, authentic experience. As one may expect, however, a brand new, never-before-opened copy of Donkey Kong Country could set you back as much as $500, which is a ton of money for a game that can otherwise be bought for almost nothing.

13 Mega Man 2 (SNES) - $700

Mega Man 2 was one of the games which put developer Capcom at the forefront of the video game industry back in the mid-80’s, and the game’s at-times excruciating difficulty and broadly-acclaimed music stood as perhaps one of the first examples of video games as a form of art. That, of course, despite the at-the-time overlooked first game and its abhorrent awful box art. While pre-owned copies of Mega Man 2 on the NES aren’t wildly expensive, complete-in-box variants tend to command prices in excess of $700. While expensive, this title is almost a must-own for fans of the blue bomber.

12 Luigi’s Mansion (GameCube) - $900

Nintendo’s GameCube was the company's first console to launch without a mainline, flagship Mario title. Though Super Mario Sunshine would later release and prove to be a relatively polarising title, 2001’s Luigi's Mansion was the console’s first game to feature one of Nintendo’s famous brothers. It was an out-of-left-field experience for many players, and the quirky horror aesthetic, in the minds of many, didn’t sit well on the family-friendly platform. It has become something of a cult hit in recent years, however, and, while even pre-owned copies can sell in excess of $100, some sealed specimen can go for a little under a grand.

11 Harvest Moon 64 (Nintendo 64) - $900

Harvest Moon 64 was among the first examples of 3D life simulators, and, at the time, it was remarkable for a game to revolve around such an authentic situation. Still around today and the inspiration, in some fashion, for games like Animal Crossing and The Sims, Harvest Moon 64 is now a relatively rare find, though loose copies still aren’t likely to break the bank. Since this title didn’t sell all that well in the West, complete-in-box copies of this charming, laid-back farm simulator are rare and can sell for up to $900.