Rare and Expensive Nintendo Games – If You Have These Retro Games, You’ve Hit the Jackpot (Image: GETTY SEGA NINTENDO)
Nintendo is arguably the most iconic name in gaming, with the Japanese gaming giant churning out many all-time classics over the decades. In addition to being constant innovators pushing the boundaries, Nintendo games tend to hold their value better on the second-hand market than titles released by Sony and Microsoft. But not all games are created equal, and some Nintendo games lying around are worth a small fortune.
In fact, the most expensive video game sale on record was for a Nintendo game – that is, an unopened copy of the 1985 classic Super Mario Bros for the NES that sold at auction for $2 million. dollars.
This came after an unopened copy of Super Mario 64 sold at auction for $1.56 million.
Unopened games from decades ago in mint condition are extremely hard to find, but you don’t need a rarity like that to make a huge profit. Here are details on some of the most expensive retro games money can buy that have released on Switch, Wii, NES, Game Boy and GameCube…
Nintendo Entertainment System – NES Classic Edition
Nintendo’s World Championship cart is the most expensive NES game (Image: HERITAGE AUCTIONS)
RETRO GAMING – THE MOST EXPENSIVE NES GAMES
The NES is home to extremely rare – and expensive – games that will be almost as hard to find as an unopened copy of Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Bros.
One of them is the Nintendo World Championship, an NES cart that was released for the premier video game competition of 1990.
This basket featured games played during the tournament and distributed to finalists, while some golden versions were given away as part of a Nintendo Power contest.
It’s the most expensive NES game you can buy on the used market, with PriceCharting – which tracks the price of countless video games and consoles – saying it’s worth over £16,000.
Family Fun Fitness Stadium Event is another rare and expensive NES game (Image: HERITAGE AUCTIONS)
Another rare NES game worth almost as much is Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events.
This is valued by PriceCharting at just under £15,990. One of the reasons this NES game is so valuable is its rarity.
A standard first run for an NES game was around 10,000 copies – but it’s believed there are far fewer carts available for Family Fun Fitness Stadium events.
Both of these games are US releases, and that’s something important to keep in mind with collecting retro games – a game’s value can fluctuate depending on the region it was released in, as well as if a game is loose, complete in box or brand new and unopened.
Trip World for the Game Boy can bring in thousands of pounds (Image: SUNSOFT)
RETRO GAMING – THE MOST EXPENSIVE GAME BOY GAMES
The Game Boy is one of the most popular consoles ever released, with 118.69 million units sold worldwide.
The Game Boy and Game Boy Color are the third best-selling consoles of all time, behind the Nintendo DS and PS2.
And, if you’re lucky enough, you may have rare and expensive games released for this widely purchased console.
One of the most expensive Game Boy games ever released was released in the UK – that title is Trip World.
If you’ve got a brand new version of this game, it’s worth nearly £5,000 – but even a full boxed edition will fetch over £2,100.
This Manchester United Game Boy is also a rare and expensive collector’s item (Image: CEX)
Trip World is a platform game created by beloved Japanese developer Sunsoft which was released in Europe in 1993.
Players take control of a bunny-like creature on a mission to retrieve a Flower of Peace.
The game was later released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, so if you wanted to play it on the cheap, this was one way to pick it up.
Elsewhere in the UK, another rare Game Boy collectible has been released – and that’s the Manchester United Game Boy.
If you have a brand new version of this console, it’s worth over £2,000.
Gray Signature Edition is one of the most expensive Switch games (Image: SPECIAL RESERVE GAMES)
RETRO GAMING – THE MOST EXPENSIVE SWITCH GAMES
The Switch is Nintendo’s newest console and one of its most successful.
It looks set to overtake the PS4 as the fourth best-selling console of all time and it seems only a matter of time before it overtakes the Game Boy and Game Boy Color.
And if you own a Switch, you’ll want to check if you have a game in your collection that has gone up in value.
This game is Gray’s Collector’s Edition from Devolver Digital.
Gris’ Signature Edition – which was produced by Special Reserve Games – is worth over £1,000 these days.
When it was released, this limited-edition, out-of-stock version of Gris was just under $250, so if you bought it, you could sell it now and make a huge profit.
This Sonic Heroes and Super Monkey Ball bundle for GameCube can sell for over £10,000 (Picture: SEGA)
RETRO GAMING – THE MOST EXPENSIVE GAMECUBE GAMES
The GameCube is a fascinating console, and it’s the last time Nintendo tried to match Sony and Microsoft in terms of raw power.
The GameCube was overtaken by both the OG Xbox and of course the PS2, and after this generation Nintendo has always tried to do something a little different with its home consoles – starting with the Wii, then the Wii U and now the Switch.
This approach has – apart from the Wii U – given Nintendo huge success in terms of sales, so the GameCube era can be seen as a major turning point for the Kyoto-based gaming icon.
And if you were one of the 21.74 million who bought the console that looked like a lunchbox, there’s a game you’ll be hoping for a part of your collection.
This game is the Sonic Heroes & Super Monkey Ball Duo Pack.
It’s an American version, but if you’re lucky enough to have it lying around or in a closet, your bank balance has become much healthier.
A brand new copy of this game is worth over £10,000.
Legend of Sayuki is a rare Nintendo Wii game (Picture: 505 GAMES)
RETRO GAMING – THE MOST EXPENSIVE WII GAMES
The Wii is a fascinating console, marking the point where Nintendo stopped producing a home console that could directly compete with its rivals.
The Wii – which these days is ridiculed by some for its mobile controls – was such an inventive and ingenious piece of kit.
It’s a big reveal at E3 where we saw the Wiimote in motion was magical, and its simple, easy-to-use concept helped unite generations of homes around the world in gaming.
Who else has had game nights with elderly relatives playing Wii Sports and other easy to understand games?
It’s a wonderful console that taps into what makes Nintendo so special and magical.
Unlike other Nintendo systems, you won’t find games worth thousands of pounds.
But there is one game that can fetch a high price in the retro game market.
This game is Legend of Sayuki which was released in the UK – this title published by 505 Games is a scrolling shooter.
It’s also been released on PS2, and if you have a copy of this brand new game you can get almost £500 for it.
Whatever games you have in your collection, if you’re wondering if it’s worth anything, you can head to the PriceCharting website.
Just search for the game in question and you can see how much it’s worth and track its price over time.