Video games may be an expensive hobby when you get started, but smart investments can pay off. People who own the right Nintendo and Atari 2600 games can earn some serious cash. I’m talking at least $10,000, if you took care of your precious cartridges and didn’t get rid of them when the allure wore off. Let’s take a look at some of the most valuable games out there, in case there’s something secretly special lurking in your basement.
Atlantis II
We’re going to start small, with something you might actually own. Distinctions matter. Atlantis is an easy to acquire Atari 2600 game. Atlantis II ? Not so much. It was only given to people with top Atlantis scores and is a more difficult version of the original game. However, it’s hard to find or even tell if you have it, since the carts only had a sticker on them to tell them apart. Stickers fade over time. If you happen to have a real Atlantis II , it could be worth as much as $6,000.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Special Edition
Hey, there’s a PlayStation 3 game on this list! That’s because there’s actually a super rare edition of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves out there. To get this special edition, which included a replica of Drake’s knife, Sony held an official contest. Only 200 ever went out. Considering the series’ popularity, that’s caused prices to skyrocket. There have been instances where it’s been listed for up for $10,000, though right now you can find copies for sale for about $5,000 and $7,189.99 .
Kizuna Encounter
Sometimes, very few copies of a game are localized. Kizuna Encounter was released for the Neo Geo in Europe, but there are only a handful of known copies in existence. Back in 2004, a copy went up for sale on eBay for $10,000, but it’s estimated to be worth between $12,000 and $13,000 now. If you happen to have the rare European version, rather than the common Japanese one, you could make some serious bank.
Red Sea Crossing
Story time! Back when I was a kid, I had this NES game called Spiritual Warfare . It was basically a religious The Legend of Zelda . It’s also worth a lot of money now, because it wasn’t an official game. Red Sea Crossing is a similar title. It was a mail order Christian game for the Atari 2600. That means copies of this title where you help Moses part the Red Sea can bring a deluge of cash on you. One of the most recent auctions in 2012 had it going for $13,877.78.
Magical Chase
While most people tend to think of the NES or Atari 2600 when it comes to rare and expensive games, they should also consider more niche consoles. The TurboGrafx-16’s Magical Chase is one such rarity. This horizontal shoot’em up is considered a classic. It also came out right at the end of the system’s life, which means a pristine version can go for as much as $14,000. But hey, if you want to save money, you can get a “like new” version for $5,500 .
Nintendo World Championship Carts
The 1990 Nintendo World Championships were a big deal. People from all around wished for a chance to play Super Mario Bros. , Rad Racer , and Tetris and come away as the best player. The best part? 90 gray cartridges and 26 gold cartridges with the games were given to finalists and Nintendo Power contest winners. While the gray cartridge isn’t as valuable, gold cartridges can go for $15,000. None of the gold ones are available at the moment, though someone desperate could pay $19,495 on eBay for a gray cartridge.
Nintendo Campus Challenge
Nintendo liked to hold special events back in the day. One was the 1991 campus Challenge Event. Cartridges went to 60 colleges, with competitors playing for high scores in Super Mario Bros. 3 , PinBot , and Dr. Mario . There’s one copy in circulation that we know of, and it sold at auction for $14,000 in 2009, then again a few months later for $20,100. Odds are you won’t find it, but you can buy a reproduction cart of it for $95 at RetroUSB .
Superman
Variants matter. The smallest difference can make a game more or less valuable. Take Superman , for the Atari 2600. A cartridge with “Superman” in red could be about $10. One with “Superman” in yellow could end up being worth as much as $30,000, in the right condition. If you still have some cartridges lying around and know you owned Superman , now’s a good time to go inspect that label.
Air Raid
Have you ever heard of Air Raid ? Probably not. It’s one of rarest, if not the most rare, Atari 2600 titles. To start, it was developer Men-a-Vision’s only game. To make it even more enticing, it’s the only Atari 2600 game that’s a blue cartridge with a T-handle. A boxed copy went for $31,600 in 2010, and another sold for $33,433.30 in 2012. While you probably can’t afford the game itself anymore, AtariAge has a $6 magnet featuring the game’s art!
Stadium Events
The original Stadium Events for the NES is insanely valuable. It was recalled almost immediately after it was released, which means only a few hundred copies ended up being sold. It can end up going for insane amounts of money, depending on its state. The lowest recent price was $13,105 in 2010, but it also went for $35,100 in 2015 and $41,300 in 2010. You could pay your college tuition or get a really great car with a copy of this!