A lot of the research that has been done on the most expensive Xbox game is based on their price on websites like eBay. However, no one pays attention to the lucrative market of graded video games. Graded video games are games that are rated on something called the WATA scale, which takes into account how well the box looks on a scale of 1 to 10. It also considers how well the seal is intact from a scale of C to A++.
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This list aims to show players what no other list has shown - the most valuable Xbox games ever sold. Get ready to see just how expensive games can get.
10 10/10 BioShock ($4,320)
This copy of BioShock went for a total of $4,320 on Heritage Auctions. The game had many reasons for getting that price tag. The first is the grading score which was a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed. This means that the box was almost in perfect condition, and the seal was absolutely flawless.
This game is also a variant of BioShock for Xbox 360 that comes with an embossed foil slip sleeve that goes over the game. The sleeve's condition is near perfect, which is rare as they tend to get damaged fairly easily.
9 9/10 The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind($5,520)
Heritage Auctions ended up selling The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for $5,520 on July 11, 2021. This game is originally from 2002 and still managed to keep a WATA Rating of 9.8 A+ sealed. This means it is incredibly close to being in mint condition but has minor problems with the seal and box.
It's odd, but there aren't many copies of the game that are this well preserved. That's because, during this period, many people did not think about grading their games or keeping them sealed as future memorabilia.
8 8/10 Fortnite ($6,000)
Heritage Auctions sold a copy of Fortnite for $6,000. Yes, before bursting into popularity, Fortnite was originally a mediocre zombie game that had physical copies. The crazy thing about Fortnite is that very few copies were made in comparison to other games at the time. This specific sold copy was sitting at a WATA 9.8 A sealed grading.
This copy of Fortnite at such a high grade is tough to find. Most people have opened their copies, losing most of their value.
7 7/10 Futurama ($6,000)
The Futurama game on the original Xbox sold on the Heritage Auctions website for $6,000. This game comes in with a WATA 9.6 A+ sealed grading score. The game was shortly discontinued after its initial release adding to its rarity.
It's important to note that this Futurama copy is directly from Bill Morrison's collection, which puts some glamour on the ownership of this game. Bill Morrison was the art director for Futurama from 1999 to 2003. He also happened to help out a lot with the making of this game. Futurama's game additionally made up a lost episode of the show that is now available to watch but also entertaining to play through.
6 6/10 NBA Elite 11 ($6,900)
Heritage Auctions sold this copy of NBA Elite 11 for $6,900. This video game is one of the only ones on this list not to have a seal and is, therefore, scored WATA 9.4 Disc in its grading. This game was ready to be sent out and released onto the Xbox by EA, but at the last minute, they cut it. The reason they cut it was because of a lot of unfixable bugs that the game would've had.
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There were only a small amount of discs made. These discs were never distributed or released. All of those facts make this game a rare piece of a historic EA gaming failure that many collectors would love to own.
5 5/10 Halo 2 ($9,000)
Halo 2 was sold on the Heritage Auctions website for $9,000. The game is at a WATA 9.8 A+ sealed graded rating. This was one of the first produced copies of the Halo 2 game. The game even has the "Do Not Sell Before 11/09/04" sticker attached to it.
This copy of the game also includes the Xbox Live sticker. That adds a little throwback to when the Live service was just being added to Xbox for gamers to play online.
4 4/10 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ($11,400)
This copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was sold for $11,400 on Heritage Auctions. The game has a WATA 9.6 A+ sealed grading score. This game is scarce as it is one of the few copies to include the "AO" sticker, which stands for adults only. After people found out about an adult mini-game that could be played in the game that originally had an M label called "Hot Coffee," gaming companies were forced to put stickers on some titles and flat out pull most of the GTA copies out.
The history of this game is so wild that many could see why someone with the money might put down this much for the game.
3 3/10 Gears Of War ($14,000)
Heritage Auctions' website sold Gears of War for $14,000 on July 11, 2021. This copy has a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed grading score. The fact that it brings this score is astonishing, as the game came out in 2006. There was a lot less game grading and conserving during the last 20 years, making this one truly rare.
The iconic nature of the Gear of War series makes it much more expensive. It started its own artistic genre of Sci-Fi shooters with fun combat and an interesting story.
2 2/10 Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition ($26,400)
This version of the Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition was sold at Heritage Auctions for $26,400. The game's about ten years old and holds a WATA 9.8 A++ sealed grading score. The surprising part about this video game is that it still includes the security label and Xbox Live trial, and it is the first boxed production of the game.
The fact that the Game can prove that it's a first print of the game by the "Includes 2-Day Gold Trial" on the box adds a sparkle of intrigue to the wants of collectors.
1 1/10 Halo Combat Evolved ($108,000)
Heritage Auctions sold the most expensive Xbox game, which was Halo Combat Evolved on the original Xbox, for $108,000. This copy has a WATA 9.8 A+, which is pretty close to perfect. What makes this game stand out is that it still has the "Not For Resale" label on the disk.
This copy of the game was initially meant for Microsoft employees, developers, and a few stores as a promotional disk. There were so few copies of this specific Halo Combat Evolved, which made it be sold at such an exorbitant price point.