The act of keeping things packed might not seem worthwhile at first, especially when it comes to video games. If players ever buy a game that comes in a box, they usually want to take the wrapping off and open it right away. However, some people who had the willpower to keep their games sealed have now made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling those games.
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This article will go over some of the most expensive video games ever sold. Also, to make this article more intriguing, we'll not mention multiple copies of any single game, or this article would only consist of one or two games entirely.
10 10/10 Contra ($150,000)
Contra was sold for $150,000 on Heritage Auctions' website. The extreme rarity of this game is what makes it cost so much. Heritage Auctions had never gotten a copy of Contra that was as rare as this game. It had a WATA score of 9.8 and a seal rating of A+.
There had only been one other copy that was just as close to it in rating in what was called the Carolina Collection. That version of Contra was a WATA 9.6 A++ sealed rating. The fact that this was a one-of-a-kind piece with almost pristine box art shot its price up.
9 9/10 Twisted Metal ($156,000)
Heritage Auctions sold Twisted Metal for $156,000. Twisted Metal is at a WATA 9.6 A+ sealed score. This variant is extremely rare as it comes in its Ridged Longbox form, which was the first casing style for PlayStation 1 games. It is also an early production copy that was created in 1995.
Twisted Metal is part of the reason there have been plenty of combat racers over the years. The game's cult following grows with every piece of entertainment that's added to the franchise, as its dark themes and combat are alluring to many.
8 8/10 Super Mario Bros 3 ($156,000)
Super Mario Bros. 3 sold for a total of $156,000 on the Heritage Auctions website. The sits at a WATA 9.2 A+ sealed score in its rarity. The left-hand side of the cartridge reveals why this variant of the cartridge is so expensive. The “BROS” text on the box on this cartridge is on the left, overlapping Mario's hand. Most copies contain that word between Mario’s hat and the “RIO” in the Mario text.
This game, like most Mario games, is loved by those who play it and its small errors make it all the more of a collectible. This game is almost a perfect rendition of what it was when it first came out all those years ago.
7 7/10 Final Fantasy ($204,000)
Heritage Auctions sold a copy of Final Fantasy for $204,000. This is one of the best copies of Final Fantasy to exist. It has a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed rating. The Heritage Auctions institution even argues that they are unsure how this game is not too different from a 10.
There are no other copies that they had sold with a higher WATA score. There were also no other copies of Final Fantasy for auction with this score. So, this might be the last copy that's this good in condition.
6 6/10 Resident Evil ($264,000)
Resident Evil went for a whopping $264,000 on Heritage Auctions. This is WATA 9.6 A+ sealed rating in a Ridged Longbox. Resident Evil is known as the most expensive PlayStation game to have ever been sold in an auction. This is one of the first production printings of the game, and there are known to be less than 10 sealed copies in the world, let alone of this condition.
Resident Evil has created a lot of the great things that players know and love about the survival horror genre of gaming. This game will always be able to withstand the test of time as it's an important part of PlayStation gaming history.
5 5/10 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out ($312,000)
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out was sold on the Heritage Auctions website for $312,000. The wild thing about this game is that in the same year (April of 2021), a 9.6 A++ WATA scored Mike Tyson's Punch-Out was sold. Then, in October of 2021, this WATA 9.8 A++ sealed copy was sold.
So far, there have not been any other Mike Tyson's Punch-Out copies that have reached this level on the WATA scale. This is a rare piece of history that looks undeniably well preserved even to the untrained eye.
4 4/10 Sonic The Hedgehog ($420,000)
Sonic the Hedgehog sold for $420,000 on the Golden Auctions website. This copy of Sonic The Hedgehog is a lot lower on the WATA scale than many other games on this list. It has a score of WATA 9.4 A sealed. Nevertheless, it's hard enough to find an original Sonic the Hedgehog game, so getting this score is a big deal in this case.
There is also a lot of drama connected with Sega and Super Nintendo butting heads and having famous mascots in the 90s console wars. Sega's mascot was and still is Sonic, and all of these factors make it a gem to own.
3 3/10 The Legend Of Zelda ($870,000)
This The Legend of Zelda cartridge was sold on Heritage's auction website for $870,000. The WATA score might fool many people as it comes in with a WATA 9.0 A sealed. However, this is still extremely rare as it came out in 1987. Additionally, this specific variant only came out for two months in 1987.
This is also what's called a No Rev-A cartridge, meaning it had 5 screws in it instead of 3. There is only one other variant of this game that precedes it, and that is the one marked "NES R" versus the "NES TM" rating this box art has, but it's believed that only one "NES R" copy exists now. So, this The Legend of Zelda copy is the closest to the original thing gamers could have at the time.
2 2/10 Super Mario 64 ($1.56 Million)
According to the Heritage Auctions' website, Super Mario 64 sold for 1.56 million dollars at auction. This copy doesn't look 25 years old, so it's been wonderfully taken care of. The game comes in hot at a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed score. This is the highest grade of this copy known to exist.
This game also has some pretty big significance. It did, after all, revolutionize what we know about platformers today. It was also the first rendition players had ever seen of Mario in a 3D realm.
1 1/10 Super Mario Bros. ($2,000,000)
Super Mario Bros sold for an incredible $2 million on the Rally website. This is the highest-selling game that has ever been sold. This record was announced only a month after the two previous games had broken records within months of each other.
This Super Mario Bros. was a rare variant of the game with a WATA rating of 9.8 A+ sealed. The fact that this was one of the first copies of the game that created the side-scrolling platforming genre adds to its value. Super Mario Bros. was part of the initial stage of what we now know about gaming. The anonymous person who bought this game must cherish this piece of a nearly pristine preserved part of gaming culture.