A whole generation of baseball fans grew up to lament the fact that their parents tossed out their baseball card collections, which could’ve been worth thousands if kept pristine. Now, millennials are suffering similar pain—over their video games. While some ultra-rare games have sold at auction for millions, some more garden-variety games are still worth hundreds more than the original asking price. Read on for seven vintage video games worth hundreds now.
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Chrono Trigger is regularly ranked alongside titles in the Final Fantasy series as one of the best role-playing game (RPG) of all time. Its gorgeous pixel graphics, rich score, and intricate time-hopping plot have made it an enduring favorite, and fans still clamoring for a remastered version. But if you want an original cartridge, you’ll have to spend more than $200 for a loose copy, and a lot more if you want the box and instructions too.
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While almost everyone who owned a Nintendo 64 played Super Mario 64, some of the mustachioed plumber’s games on that system were far less ubiquitous. Though it kicked off the still ongoing Paper Mario action RPG series, 2000’s Paper Mario is relatively rare today, and a complete copy—including the box—is among the rarest of Nintendo 64 titles, according to The Gamer. It’s worth around $240.
If the games on this list can tell us anything, it’s that collectors love RPGs, and they love Mario. For a long time, this Super Nintendo title—which blends the best of those two worlds—was one of the most sought-after vintage titles, fetching as much as $362 according to The Gamer.
But here’s some good news from frustrated gamers without deep pockets: The vintage classic will soon get a new lease on life with the release of a remastered version for the Nintendo Switch, featuring better graphics and enhanced gameplay. It’s not quite the game you remember, but at $60, it’s a heck of a lot more affordable.
Released in 1997 for the Super Nintendo, farming simulator Harvest Moon was Farmville before there was Farmville, and it proved just as addictive to gamers looking to chill out and grow some crops rather than blast aliens on stomp on Goombas. The franchise has continued into the present day, but if you want to go back to the seed from which it all sprouted, it’ll cost you—an original cartridge goes for $430 or more.
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The Sega Saturn was Sega’s bid to compete with Sony’s PlayStation, but it never really achieved the same level of success. As a result, its games were produced in much smaller quantities—and by the end of its lifecycle, some were relatively rare. One of them, the critically acclaimed RPG Panzer Dragoon Saga, has become one of the hardest to find on the used market. A used copy will set you back somewhere in the range of $550; an unopened one is worth a lot more.
Mortal Kombat is a series known for its over-the-top gore, and the prices for a rare version of the third installment for the PlayStation might be enough to make your eyes bleed in real life. Most copies were sold in oversized “long boxes” that were the norm for PlayStation games, but some copies of MK3 shipped in standard, CD-sized jewel cases. If you’re an MK completist looking to pick one up, you’ll need to spend $550 or more.
Released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo, the silly, heartfelt role-playing game EarthBound became a cult favorite for its lovable characters and weird pop culture sensibility. If you’ve got a copy lying around, count yourself lucky. Even used, the game will net you a hefty profit—opened copies regularly sell online for $600 or more. If you’re lucky enough to still have the box and all the goodies that came with it, including a strategy guide and a set of trading cards, you’re likely to score more than $1,000.
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