Top 20 Rarest and Most Expensive Video Games Ever Sold

The 20 most expensive video-game titles at a glance

Cut-off tie: Pokémon Red Version, Twisted Metal and Clu Clu Land also have verified $156,000 (approx. £115,000) Heritage sales. Super Mario Bros. 3 takes the final numbered place because it reached that figure first, on 20 November 2020. Contra’s $150,000 (approx. £111,000) result now sits immediately below the cut.

The record sales, from #1 to #20

#1 — Super Mario Bros. — $3,000,000 (approx. £2.22 million)

The record holder is not simply “an old Mario game”. Early NES copies pre-date the familiar shrinkwrap format and can be separated by sticker seals, hangtabs, box text and small production codes. This second-production copy used a glossy round sticker and retained the “Control Deck” packaging designation.

Heritage described it as the earliest confirmed sealed example and one of three sealed copies of the production known at the time. Its PSA 9.6 box and A++ seal combine landmark software, exceptionally early packaging and elite preservation—the three forces behind the $3 million (approx. £2.22 million) result.

#2 — Super Mario 64 — $1,560,000 (approx. £1.15 million)

Super Mario 64 helped define how character movement and camera control could work in three dimensions. It was a major N64 release and a mass-market game—not an obscure cartridge with a tiny print run.

That is the lesson behind the $1.56 million (approx. £1.15 million) copy: rarity of a title is not the same as rarity of an elite-condition sealed example. A 9.8 box with A++ seal represented an almost untouched survivor of a game most owners opened immediately.

#3 — The Legend of Zelda — $870,000 (approx. £644,000)

“No Rev-A” and the Round Seal of Quality are not decorative footnotes. They help locate this copy within Zelda’s early US production history. Heritage said the earlier “NES TM” first production was believed to be represented by only one sealed example, making this early-production version the earliest realistically obtainable sealed variant at the time.

Zelda’s importance as an adventure series supplies demand; the production details tell collectors exactly what survived. If duplicate titles were allowed, other early Zelda variants would also sit high in the ranking.

#4 — John Madden Football — $480,000 (approx. £355,000)

The sports-game anomaly is one of the best stories in the ranking. Sports titles were usually bought to play, updated annually and handled heavily, so pristine early sealed examples were rarely treated as future collectibles. Yet this release helped establish a series that became part of American sports culture.

The sold copy also carried direct provenance from John Madden’s office. Historical importance, survival and provenance allowed a sports simulation to challenge Mario, Zelda and Sonic—evidence that collector value is not restricted to traditional rarity or fantasy franchises.

#5 — Mario Bros. — $450,000 (approx. £333,000)

Do not confuse this with Super Mario Bros.. Mario Bros. is the arcade-rooted single-screen game featuring Mario and Luigi before the side-scrolling Mushroom Kingdom formula took over. Its NES black-box presentation ties it to Nintendo’s foundational US library.

Heritage described this Wisconsin Collection copy as the only certified sealed first-production example known at the time of sale. The coveted early gloss-sticker seal, 9.2 box grade and A++ seal grade helped it reach $450,000 (approx. £333,000)—superseding the title’s earlier $264,000 (approx. £195,000) record.

#6 — Sonic the Hedgehog — $430,500 (approx. £319,000)

Sonic gave Sega a defining mascot and a fast, confident answer to Nintendo during the 16-bit console rivalry. It was also a Genesis pack-in in many homes, meaning copies were generally opened for immediate play.

Goldin’s $430,500 (approx. £319,000) result was widely reported as a record for the title. Because the original lot page is no longer readily accessible, we retain the contemporary reported sale but distinguish it from the directly accessible Heritage records used elsewhere.

#7 — Super Mario World — $360,000 (approx. £266,000)

Super Mario World was closely associated with the launch of the SNES and was widely bundled with the console. Pack-in status creates a useful paradox: enormous numbers of people owned and played it, while comparatively few retail packages remained sealed and immaculate.

The $360,000 (approx. £266,000) copy combined launch-era nostalgia, a 9.4 box grade and A+ seal. It is another reminder that broad distribution can increase cultural demand while childhood use reduces the number of untouched survivors.

#8 — Super Mario Bros. 2 — $324,000 (approx. £240,000)

The American Super Mario Bros. 2 is unusual within the series, built from the foundations of Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic. Its mechanics and character choices still became part of Mario’s wider vocabulary.

Heritage called this 9.8 A+ first-production copy the finest example of any variant it had offered at the time. The result belongs in a current title-by-title ranking even though it was absent from the initial working list.

#9 — Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! — $312,000 (approx. £231,000)

The Tyson-branded edition is the most instantly recognisable form of Nintendo’s boxing game. Its licensed cover, memorable final opponent and place in NES culture give it a distinct identity from later Punch-Out!! packaging.

Heritage said no other Wata 9.8 copy was known to have reached public auction when this 9.8 A++ example sold. The later-production designation did not prevent a record: at this level, the extraordinary condition and seal were decisive.

#10 — Resident Evil — $264,000 (approx. £195,000)

Early PlayStation releases used a tall longbox before standard jewel cases became dominant. The format is visually distinctive, but its broad surfaces, edges and mixed materials create more opportunities for wear than a compact plastic case.

This first-production ridged-longbox copy came from the Dreamer Collection and retained a 9.6 box grade with A+ seal. It also represents the beginning of a series central to survival horror, joining historically important software with difficult-to-preserve launch-era packaging.

#11 — Super Smash Bros. — $240,000 (approx. £178,000)

The original Super Smash Bros. is the modest N64 beginning of Nintendo’s enormous crossover fighting series. Loose copies are familiar; a 9.8 A++ sealed box is not. Heritage described this as the highest-graded example it had offered at that point.

The result shows why “the game was mass produced” is not the end of a valuation discussion. Supply must be considered at the exact variant, seal and condition level collectors are bidding on.

#12 — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — $228,000 (approx. £169,000)

Ocarina of Time translated Zelda’s exploration, combat and puzzle design into 3D and became one of the N64’s most critically significant releases. Cultural stature does not guarantee a record price, but it creates sustained demand when an exceptional physical copy appears.

This standard-release example reached Wata 9.8 A++—an extraordinary combination of box and seal preservation for packaging that was normally opened immediately. It is a clear N64 example of condition rarity rather than title rarity.

#13 — Final Fantasy — $204,000 (approx. £151,000)

The US NES release anchors the North American collecting history of one of role-playing gaming’s defining series. Long play sessions and the game’s emphasis on progression meant retail copies were bought to be used, not stored untouched.

At 9.8 with an A++ seal, this example sat at the extreme end of sealed condition. Its price reflects both franchise importance and the difficulty of finding a thirty-year-old cardboard box and factory seal approaching pristine condition.

#14 — Super Mario Land — $200,000 (approx. £148,000)

Mario’s first handheld adventure arrived alongside the Game Boy era in lightweight cardboard packaging. These small boxes were opened, flattened, discarded or carried in bags and drawers, so clean sealed survivors face a different preservation challenge from hard plastic cartridge cases.

The $200,000 (approx. £148,000) copy was identified by green screenshots and the absence of later “USA and Canada” text. Its first-production packaging and 9.8/A+ condition connect a mass-market handheld milestone to a very narrow survivor class.

#15 — GoldenEye 007 — $192,000 (approx. £142,000)

GoldenEye 007 was everywhere. Heritage cited sales of roughly eight million copies, while its split-screen multiplayer became part of the N64’s social identity. That ubiquity is exactly what makes an initial-production 9.8 A++ sealed copy so striking.

A common played cartridge and an exceptional untouched first-wave box are different collectibles. The $192,000 (approx. £142,000) result captures that distinction—and the unusual status of a film-licensed game that built a legacy far beyond an ordinary tie-in.

#16 — Mario Kart 64 — $187,500 (approx. £139,000)

Mario Kart 64 turned Nintendo’s racing series into a defining four-player N64 experience. The record copy was not rare because the game lacked an audience—it was rare in the specific combination of original-print status, factory seal and an almost perfect 9.8/A++ assessment.

Heritage reported that PSA’s May 2026 population information showed only two 9.8 original-print examples. Population data can change as more games are graded, but the snapshot helps explain the competition for this copy.

#17 — Nintendo World Championships 1990 — $180,000 (approx. £133,000)

No box is required here because this was never a normal retail release. Nintendo created the cartridge for its 1990 touring competition, combining timed challenges from three games. The grey carts were used within that event ecosystem rather than placed on shop shelves.

Heritage estimated roughly 100 grey examples survive and noted the fragility of their labels. Most games on this list became valuable because nobody opened them; this one is valuable because almost nobody could own one in the first place.

#18 — ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut — $175,000 (approx. £130,000)

This is the Blockbuster unicorn. Sculptor’s Cut was a rental exclusive and was not sold directly to consumers. Copies were expected to be opened, stickered, circulated and handled by customer after customer—the precise opposite of the life required to remain factory sealed.

Heritage described the auctioned copy as one of three known unopened examples. That unusually specific survival story, rather than mainstream fame alone, explains why a niche fighting game can sit beside Nintendo’s defining releases.

#19 — Metroid — $168,000 (approx. £124,000)

This copy combines a cornerstone Nintendo series with the packaging signals early NES specialists pursue: a hangtab box, no Rev-A mark and first-production status. Those details place it much nearer the beginning of the game’s US retail history than a later printing.

Most surviving copies were opened and played. An unopened example with a 9.4 box grade and A+ seal therefore occupies a much narrower condition tier than the title’s broad cultural familiarity might suggest.

#20 — Super Mario Bros. 3 — $156,000 (approx. £115,000)

The tiny placement of one word made this copy exceptional. On the earliest box, “Bros.” sits to the left above Mario’s glove; later “Right Bros.” packaging is far more familiar. Heritage described sealed examples of the first-production layout as exceedingly rare. The $156,000 (approx. £115,000) result demonstrated how packaging chronology can matter as much as the game inside.

The title itself was a late-generation NES landmark, but collectors were bidding on more than popularity: elite condition, an intact factory seal and a visually identifiable first-production box all converged in one copy.

What actually makes an old video game valuable?

Age alone is not enough. Many old games remain affordable because large numbers survive. Record-level copies normally combine several attributes:

• Unopened condition: an intact original seal sharply narrows the pool.
• Production chronology: first prints, hangtabs, code variants and early seal styles can identify an earlier release.
• Packaging difficulty: cardboard Game Boy boxes and PlayStation longboxes are easily crushed, creased or scuffed.
• Condition grade: small differences at the top of the scale can separate already scarce survivors.
• Historical importance: a debut, technological turning point or competition-only object can deepen demand.
• Provenance and scarcity: a credible ownership history or documented tiny survivor pool can matter greatly.
• Collector demand: rarity without interested buyers does not guarantee a high price.