Flashing lights, bleeping sounds, and the clickity-clack of controllers—these are all too common if you’ve lived in a house with video game consoles like Xbox, Nintendo, and PlayStation in recent years.
Around 70% of U.S. households have gaming systems. The gaming industry is growing faster than almost any other entertainment sector. According to Statista, in 2024, the revenue from the worldwide gaming market was estimated at nearly 455 billion U.S. dollars!
That’s no small feat—it’s about $60 billion in growth per year.
There are countless games out there, from paid and free online games to PC games, video games, arcades, and more.
However, certain games are prized by collectors and come with a hefty price tag. In fact, one of the rarest games ever (Gamma Attack by Atari) is valued at about $50,000!
Unless you’re one of the few people in the world who owns one of these, you probably aren’t going to make $50K in one sale.
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But what if you’ve been a gamer for 10 or 20 years?
There’s a chance you have rare video games in your collection that are worth big money.
Table of Contents
The Rarest and Most Valuable Video Games
Below is a list of 7. So, if you’re considering selling your video games, check your collection to see if you own any rare, valuable titles.
1. Mega Man V, on the Nintendo Game Boy
- New: $300
- Used: $100
Mega Man V has the lowest collector’s value on this list, but it’s also the one you’re most likely to have in your possession.
Released in 1994, many of our readers were probably children when this game came out.
Sadly, this also means there is a low chance that it will be unopened and applicable for the $300 price tag.
Currently selling for between $100 to $300 on:
2. Suikoden II, on the PlayStation One
- New: $600
- Used: $100–$200
Suikoden is a popular RPG gaming series from Japan.
While Suikoden I was technically released in the U.S., it came and went relatively quietly, with ample copies available.
On the other hand, Suikoden II had a mysteriously small circulation, making it highly valuable in physical form.
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At the very least, a used copy of this game could net you a cool hundred! But if you were already collecting it, you could make over half a thousand dollars by selling it mint.
Currently selling for between $100 to $600 on:
3. Radiant Silvergun, on the Sega Saturn
- New: $1,200
- Used: $150–$400
Radiant Silvergun is a Japan-exclusive top-down shooting game for the Sega Saturn, playable in Western countries only with a modded or Japanese-native system.
Despite that initial hurdle, those who own a mint copy can sell it for over a thousand dollars—at least $1,200!
You can technically buy one from Amazon, of course— for $1,000. Even your lovingly used copy can fetch $150 on eBay.
Currently selling for between $150 and $1,200 on:
4. EarthBound, on the Super Nintendo
- New: $900
- Used: $200
EarthBound is the famous singular western-released game from the infamously exclusive “Mother” series.
Perhaps better known than EarthBound itself is the main character Ness, who modern gamers will recognize from the “Super Smash” franchise.
If you played this game as a kid, you can get $100–$200 for your used copy, but if you somehow failed to open it, there are $1,250–$1,500 waiting for you online.
Currently selling for between $200 and $900 on:
5. Flintstones II: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak, on the NES
- New: $3,150
- Used: $700
This seemingly forgettable tie-in game has a bit of a strange history: it was never released for retail sale! Instead, this game was rental-only.
Because of that, it has a high “used” value, the highest on this list (not counting #1).
It came out in 1994, so there’s a high chance you’ll find it “used,” but that’s not so bad when you’re getting almost $1,000 for it!
Currently selling for between $700 and $1,300 on:
6. Shantae, on the Gameboy Color
- New: $2,000
- Used: $200–$300
Shantae is noteworthy for several reasons, one of which is that it was released on the Gameboy Color a year after the Gameboy Advance hit the market!
Also notable is that despite Shantae’s low production rate, it was critically acclaimed for its Castlevania-style gameplay. Now, you can find it re-released on digital download services.
An unopened package will net you serious cash, between $1,200 and $1,300, depending on its condition.
Currently selling for between $200 and $1,300 on:
7. Nintendo World Championships, on the NES
- Approximate price: $20,000
It’s the granddaddy of collectible games—a legendary rare cartridge.
Nintendo World Championships is a multi-game cartridge that received almost no circulation in North America. Any copies of it, used or not, are incredibly expensive. Even rarer are the gold cartridges, one of which sold for $17,500 a few years ago on eBay.
This game is so rare that there are entire internet videos devoted to discussing it. But it’s worth keeping your eyes peeled for it—selling any legit copy of the game will earn you enough money for a new car.
The last time it sold for $20,000 on:
Rare Video Games to Sell: Final Thoughts
If you were a gamer a generation or two ago (or your children were) and still have boxes of games sitting around, pop them open! You never know what kind of rare goodies could be waiting inside.
It’s recommended to sell your games sooner rather than later—while there’s still a collector’s market for these physical games. It’s no secret that all of the files are available online. Collectors are a rare breed, and they won’t be looking for this stuff forever!
When you’re sorting through the games in your collection, feel free to cross-check their rarity against websites to see if you have a hidden nest egg in your possession.
This list provides some great ideas, but it isn’t the final word on what is valuable and what isn’t.
If you find something valuable in your collection and sell it, go for it! The collecting world truly lives by the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
None of those are in my gaming archive. Would have been nice to have #7 on your list in my collection. Oh well…
Yeah, I have none either. But if you have a lot of games, you may want to check them online to see if any of them is worth more than its sticker prices.