The Top 10 Most Expensive Nintendo (NES) Video Games Ever Sold

The Top 10 Most Expensive Nintendo (NES) Video Games Ever Sold

The wave of nostalgia has become rather strong in recent years, and continues to grow even stronger. While most of your new video game purchases depreciate in value the second you open the plastic wrapping, some of your old games might just do the opposite. We don’t often expect that video games we enjoyed as children could become something that might just make us a small fortune someday, but life can be rather surprising. It never seems to be the items you expect to be valuable, that do in fact end up being extremely lucrative one day.

With the recent boom in classic video games, players are becoming obsessed with finding some of their old favorites. Some of the popular games aren’t all that hard to find, and they aren’t that expensive either. While there are others that have continued to grow in price and seem to be rather difficult to get your hands on. Some of these games are valuable simply because everyone wants them, and others are this way because they weren’t popular at all during their initial release. The games that were not that popular when they first came out, ended up having very few copies ever released. The fact that such a small run was made has caused some of these older games to become extremely valuable- especially the ones that have gained a more recent respect for their unique gameplay. Here is our list of some of the most expensive and rare Nintendo games that you might just have from back in the day.

Stadium Events

This is not only the most expensive and rare NES game, but likely the priciest game entirely. It sold in its original packaging for over $40,000, but used it can go for a couple thousand. It is hard to put a strict value on this game, since there are only around 200 in existence. Anything with such a limited release number is bound to become valuable over time, since the people possessing it can often control the market.

Nintendo Campus Challenge

In 1991 Nintendo held a competition at various college campuses with a special cartridge created for the events. The cartridge included Super Mario, Dr. Mario and Pinbot and only had 6 minutes of gameplay before taking score. It is said that only one is in circulation currently and it sold for over $20,000. This is certainly the rarest game on the NES market, making it extremely illusive and expensive.

Nintendo World Championships Gold

Only 26 of these were given out after the 1990 world championships, making it one of the rarest video games ever. It sells for somewhere around $18,000, which is an absolutely insane price tag for a classic cartridge. It includes Super Mario, Tetris and Rad Racer and collects a combined score after only 6 minutes of gameplay.

Peek-A-Boo Poker

A rather risqué and pornographic video game, this features what is essentially strip poker with a group of women. Since it wasn’t really a popular game, being that mostly children played NES games back during its release, it is definitely rare. It can sell for over $1,000 to the right buyer looking to collect this unusual game.

Cheetahmen II

Being that this game was never officially released, it is extremely rare now. Around 1,500 of them were later found in a warehouse and sold, making those in circulation incredibly hard to acquire. It can sell for over $400 online, depending on the condition of the game itself.

Punch Out Special Edition

Only 10,000 copies of this special gold edition were ever made and given as part of a competition in Japan. In this version Super Macho Man is actually the final fight, making it different than the final release version. It can sell for around $400, and is more geared towards collectors who simply want to get their hands on something rare.

Little Samson

The reason that this specific NES game is so rare, is because very few were ever made. It was created for NES after the release of the Super Nintendo had already occurred, making less people interested in their older console. This caused Little Sampson to become an extremely rare game, and now causing it to become rather expensive as well. Fans now appreciate its gameplay and many wish they still had this game in their collection. The game itself can sell for thousands online, but there are many fakes it appears being sold with a cover sticker that looks identical to the original.

Ducktales 2

While the original Ducktales game is certainly a popular game, the sequel didn’t catch as much attention. The fact that many fans weren’t even aware of its creation, caused it to boom in price later on. A less common game, it can sell for $300 when sold in the original box.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters

While many fans weren’t all that excited about this tournament style fighting game for the NES, it has since become a much more desirable game. Fans now enjoy the TMNT characters in this fighting style, which was certainly unique for the NES. It has also become popular because most TMNT fans enjoy being able to collect just about anything that reminds them of these classic and nostalgic turtles. While it isn’t crazy valuable compared to some other games, it does sell for over $100, sometimes even more when in its original box.

Flintstones Surprise at Dino Peak

Since this game was released a few years after the Super Nintendo game out, most gamers had moved on from the NES. The late release means fewer copies made, which means this game has now become much more valuable. It can actually sell for over $100, making it a rare find for fans who enjoy collecting the classics.