The 10 Most Expensive Video Games Ever Sold
Video games have been the craze for years now. Kids of all ages love them, and even adults find themselves fascinated with this very popular pastime. There have been a number of popular video games to hit the market over the years, and these electronic, interactive games have been some of the most popular sources of entertainment since they began decades ago. The graphics have come a long way since the beginning of video games, and new gaming systems have hit the market throughout their years of being on the market, with each one having their own hit games that have not only had their time of popularity, but some have earned quite a hefty price tag over time, after spending due time on store shelves, and eventually becoming harder to come by. If you know anything about video games, you may have even followed the trends of these popular pastimes and have come to know which games are in demand as collectibles, and which ones just kind of puttered out without really ever even becoming a hit at all. If you have ever wondered which video games carry the heftiest price tags, then keep reading, because these are the ten most expensive video games ever sold.
10. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial – $1,537
The movie E.T. was one of the biggest movies of all times. It was an international sensation, and with the popularity of the movie, Atari gaming system thought they would create an interactive video game that would be based off of the movie for all the fans of E.T. who were also Atari owners. The object of the game was for you to help E.T. find an interplanetary telephone that he would eventually be able to use to phone home. The game was displayed on various screens of the cubic world that was so popular of that era of gaming systems. The game was one of the very first video games to ever be based on a movie like this, and it has been deemed as one that revolutionized games from movie development. It changed the world and as other gaming systems developed, more and more games based off movies soon followed. Despite the game being a game changer for video games, in general, it is most often thought of as one of the worst video games in the history of video games, ever. It was a commercial flop for Atari, however, despite the negativity regarding the game, it remains one of the most sought after video games for this same reason. Today, the game is worth $1,537, if you can get hold of a copy.
9. Entertainment Mountain Bike Rally & Speed Racer Combo Cart – $1,500 – $3,700
Entertainment Mountain Bike Rally & Speed Racer Combo Cart is a retro game from the early 1990’s era. The video was released by the exercise equipment company, Life Fitness, and was a combination of bike exercise and an entertainment system. A TV screen was a built into the console and you could either play games on the Super Nintendo that had controllers that were split between the handles on the bike, watch TV, or just bike. This game was designed for this bike/gaming system, specifically. This whole, bike/entertainment system was a new development for back in that day, and they were expensive, so not many people had them. Over time, the retail versions of the bikes just sat in the stores and went unsold, and eventually newer technology and equipment was developed that left these in the dust. When there was nothing to do with these video games anymore, because they were not compatible with newer models of fitness/entertaining bikes or gaming systems, most people wound up throwing their game cartridge away and it has made it even harder to get hold of a copy. That is why these videos do cost a lot today, due to their rarity. They are pulling in about $1,500-$3,700 when one is found and sold.
8. Super Copa – $400 – $6,900
For the sporty gamers, the Super Copa Nintendo video game (1994) was designed to let the sportsman get his game on with using increased skill sets to not only inspire, but work with a team, and get the game to get into full action. The gamepad offered tight control of all the action happening in the game and it could be played as either a single, or a double player. It was also a game geared toward anyone, kid or adult. Super Copa was a fast-paced game and full of slick moves to keep you on your toes. It was so unique, that today, the game can sell from anywhere between $400 and $6,900, depending on its condition.
7. Atlantis II – $5,000 – $7,000
Back in 1982 when video games were the hot commodity and everyone wanted an Atari system or to go the arcade to play a little Donkey Kong or Pac-Man, Atlantis was also out there, but it isn’t one that was often talked about as much as the standard video games, like the aforementioned, were. If you are familiar with the game, Missile Command, then you would kind of get what Atlantis is. Something that was different about this game is that the game developer had a running competition, a tournament, which was called, Destination Atlantis, where players were invited to take a picture of their TV screen and show their high score. The best players were the actually sent Atlantis II, which was basically a special edition of Atlantis. The game wasn’t mass produced back then, due to it only being a games given as a reward, so that makes it rare and hard to come by. So if you do, the games are selling for up to $7,000. A big pay off for hanging on to your old Atlantis II game, or happening upon one elsewhere.
6. Nintendo Powerfest 1994 – $10,000 – $10,988
Nintendo only produced about 33 game cartridges of this game, the Powerfest 1994. These games were used in stores all across the country to be a part of about 130 different events. The winners of each of the events won a trip to San Diego in the World Championships. Those who placed 2nd, each received a Star Fox Jacket, which happened to be leftovers from the Star Fox Competition from the previous year. At the end of all the events, all of the cartridges were returned to Nintendo, all except one, which eventually ended up in the hands of a game collector, Rick Bruns, who just happened to have participated in the competition back when he was a kid. He paid $10,000 for this rare, and one-of-a-kind game cartridge.
5. Red Sea Crossing – $10,000 – $13,877
In the Red Sea Crossing game by Atari, you took on the character role of Moses when he was crossing the Red Sea. You were to dodge fish, turtles, and other sea creatures, and occasionally, you might encounter one of the pixelated Egyptian characters who would try to throw arrows at you. It wasn’t a very well- heard of or popular game by Atari, and someone actually came across a copy at a garage sale and bought it for .50. There was nothing with it, no instructions or manual of any kind. But there was a number to call about it and found out that Steve Stack was the creator of the game. The buyer of the game actually held onto the game for about five years and would up selling it by auction, in 2012, on GameGavel.com, where it sold for a whopping, $10,400. It is one of the most expensive video games ever sold.
4. 1990 Nintendo World Champions (Gold and Gray Editions) – $8,500 – $20,200
Nintendo created a series of video game competitions that began in 1990. The first competition toured twenty-nine cities throughout the U.S. The competition was named for the game cartridge that was released in 1990 and it is worth $8,500-$20,200. Since then, Nintendo has held two other subsequent competitions, with the third edition just being held recently, in October of 2017. A new game was release in 2014, called the NES Remix 2, reminiscent of the original Nintendo World Championships Remix. The gold and gray editions of the original cartridge are some of the most expensive video games ever sold.
3. Nintendo Campus Challenge – $14,000 – $20,000
Nintendo video game developers are big into competitions. They have held a number of competitions on college campuses as well as at spring break destinations for college kids. One competition, World Championships, gave players six minutes to play for the highest score on games like, Dr. Mario, PinBot, and Super Mario Bros. 3. When the tour ended, the majority of the copies of the games were destroyed, all but a few and one of the game cartridges fell into the hands of Rob Walters in 2006. He purchased a lot of different retro games and sold them all for around $50,000, with one of the games being a copy of
2. Air Raid – $3,000 – $33,433
On April 10, 2010, a copy of Air Raid sold for $31,600. It is the only known, (what was thought to be a complete version) of the game to still exist. It was put out by Atari in 1982, and is a shoot ’em up game, meant for the Atari 2600, and designed by Men-A-Vision, which are said to have only developed the one game. It was very limited in distribution, which made it a highly sought after game. After the 2010 surfacing and purchase of the one cartridge, later, in late 2011, another copy emerged, however, this one was only a partial copy, but in the end, even it sold for a substantial amount of money. It sold for an impressive $3,375 U.S. After all of the hype regarding the 2010 game emerging in the media, a third has since come out. On October 24, 2010, another copy came out, and this one was truly a complete version, with the cartridge, instruction manual, and the box altogether. It was put up for auction and eventually did sale, with the sale’s price finalizing at $33,433.30.
1. Stadium Events – $2,600 – $41,300 (Box alone – $10,000)
Stadium Events was a game released in 1987 by Bandai, and was one of only a couple of games that were available in America that was actually designed for that company’s Family Fun Fitness mat, which was a soft mat you used to control the characters by walking, jumping, and running on to make them move. Nintendo wound up buying the rights to both the game and the mat in 1988 and subsequently re-released them both under a new name, WorldClass Track Meet and the mat was newly released as the Power Pad controller. Nintendo didn’t want any confusion with the two games, so they pulled all the copies of the original Stadium Events from the store shelves. They were supposed to be destroyed, however, about 200 copies had already been sold, and of those, about 20 complete copies are said to still be out there somewhere. This is what makes them so rare, and so expensive. The biggest part of the game package, is, the package. Most kids would throw their box away, so to have a full-intact box for the game is very rare. Boxes alone can sell for up to $10,000 by themselves. A man in Kansas came across a version of the original version of Stadium Events in his closet that was purchased in 1987. He claims he had meant to just give it to Goodwill due to not being able to ever find the accompanying mat, but never did. The game was still sealed and in its packaging since he had meant to return it all those years back, and since he had it now, he put it up on eBay for auction and it wound up selling for an amazing, $41,300. It has become the second only known full copy of the game in existence and is at the top of the list for being the most expensive video game ever sold.
