Image source: Bruno Thethe

Top 10 Most Valuable Games in my Collection

Recently I was looking through the N64, GameCube, and DS games I own, and I wondered how much they would be worth. Not that I’m interested in selling them, as the main reason I’m holding onto them is sentimental value, but I was curious. I turned to PriceCharting.com to determine the top 10 most valuable games I own!

PriceCharting may not be a perfect resource, but it’s definitely a convenient one. I tracks prices of video games over time, and splits the prices into several categories, including Loose (cartridge or disc only), CIB (Complete In Box; game, box, and manual), and New (factory sealed packaging). Its data does cite real completed sales from eBay, so it’s not making up prices out of nowhere. This isn’t a sponsorship or anything, I’ve just found the website pretty interesting to search through lately.

I thought about filtering out recent games, or games for recent platforms. In the end though, it turned out that many of the games I own for modern systems don’t even make this list. Games for older Nintendo systems have held or appreciated in value remarkably well. Admittedly, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 games PatronusLight and I own aren’t worth very much at all, so you won’t see any of them on this list!

10. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (US$35.98)

• Developer: Nintendo EAD
• Release: December 7, 2009
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Starting off the list at number 10, we have The Legend of Zelda: Spirits Tracks. I’ll admit, I never finished this game. I’m not really sure why either. I played through its DS predecessor, Phantom Hourglass, in its entirety, and that game has a bit of backtracking that can be a slog to get through. For whatever reason though, I just dropped Spirit Tracks at a certain point.

Of the two Zelda DS games, it’s the more valuable. Whether or not it’s better than Phantom Hourglass is up to you!

9. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (US$36.67)

• Developer: Bethesda
• Release: November 16, 2017
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

As a Switch game, this entry is one of the more recent games to make this list. What surprised me however is that PriceCharting lists its value as higher than other more recent Switch titles I own: Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, and the LEGO Harry Potter Collection.

I did see the average price fluctuate for Switch Skyrim over the course of a few days while drafting this post. It was originally a few dollars higher, putting it at number 8, then dropped in price down to 10, and finally reached place 9 when the original number 9 (Luigi’s Mansion) dropped in price!

8. Pokémon Colosseum (US$40.00)

• Developer: Genius Sonority
• Release: March 22, 2004
• Platform: Nintendo GameCube

The first Pokémon RPG on a home console, Pokémon Colosseum blew me away at the time. Pokémon had never before looked this good in 3D, and I loved the region and story. It wasn’t a traditional Pokémon game, with no wild Pokémon, Routes, or Gym Leaders, but I think it still has its charm.

7. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (US$40.09)

• Developer: Bandai Namco Studios / Sora Ltd.
• Release: December 7, 2018
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

I’ve always liked Super Smash Bros., and Ultimate is no exception to this. The huge roster including all previous fighters is pretty amazing. Now around 9 months old, the price for Ultimate has already dropped to US$40, and it’ll likely drop some more in the future. Smash Bros. is popular enough now that I think Ultimate will be a pretty common Switch game by the of the Switch’s life, so it probably won’t hold its value.

6. Paper Mario (US$43.50)

• Developer: Intelligent Systems
• Release: February 5, 2001
• Platform: Nintendo 64

A complete copy of Paper Mario is actually worth US$111.54 at this time, but all I have is the cartridge! Sadly, when I was a kid I didn’t have the foresight to hold onto the box. Although, the cardboard N64 game boxes aren’t as nice for preservation as modern plastic game cases.

Paper Mario isn’t the oldest game I own, but it is the oldest game on this list!

5. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (US$50.78)

• Developer: Intelligent Systems
• Release: July 26th, 2019
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

Three Houses is the most recent game on this list, not even a month old yet at the time of writing. So, it’s not much of a surprise to see that its price is still close to the launch price of US$60.

4. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (US$55.00)

• Developer: Intelligent Systems
• Release: October 11, 2004
• Platform: Nintendo GameCube

Since I have a complete copy of it, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is worth more than the N64 Paper Mario in my collection. As I’ve said before, it’s a phenomenal game, my favorite on the GameCube. It is one of the more expensive GameCube games, and the most expensive GameCube game on this list.

3. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (US$59.26)

• Developer: Intelligent Systems
• Release: February 16, 2009
• Platform: Nintendo DS

Going into this article, I didn’t realize Shadow Dragon would be one of the most valuable games I owned. When I played this on my original DS, I thought it was okay. It was cool to see Marth outside of Smash Bros., but I enjoyed the prior Fire Emblem games more than this one.

I think the declining popularity of the series at the time probably led to a low number of units being shipped. Now that Fire Emblem is popular, it’s really no surprise that the prices of older games would be driven up, I guess. I mean, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance is listed on PriceCharting as US$120.72 for a disc-only copy. I will always curse the day I lost or otherwise lent away my copy of Path of Radiance. It was a huge mistake, and now getting a copy for my collection is pretty unlikely given the huge price tag!

2. Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth - Premium Showtime Edition (US$63.37)

• Developer: Atlus
• Release: June 4, 2019
• Platform: Nintendo 3DS

The 2nd most valuable on this list, and the 2nd most recent game I own, Persona Q2’s “Premium Showtime Edition” came with a number of physical goodies that I just couldn’t pass up. It has a Koromaru plush! And a set of playing cards with Persona characters on them in their chibi Persona Q style!

The game itself isn’t entirely my cup of tea. It’s interesting that PriceCharting reports its current value higher than the US$60 I purchased it for. Honestly, I can see it becoming even more valuable in a few years. It’s one of the last big 3DS games released (maybe the last?) and I don’t think it sold all that well as a result. Plus, collector’s editions like this are probably more rare anyway. We’ll see as time goes on, but either way I’m glad to have it in my collection!

1. Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection (US$70.47)

• Developer: P-Studio
• Release: December 4, 2018
• Platform: PlayStation 4

The first and only game on this list not on a Nintendo console! The Persona Dancing: Endless Night Collection includes both Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight. Each is a rhythm game spin-off of a mainline Persona title. The Endless Night Collection also included a digital download for Persona 4: Dancing All Night on PS4, the first time that game was available on a system other than the PlayStation Vita where it originated.

Not much to say about this one. It was the most expensive on this list when I bought it, I think it was around US$90. I don’t regret the purchase, I had a lot of fun playing both games in this compilation, but I will admit that the price tag was a little high for the amount of songs included in each game. It was worth it to see the Persona 3 cast together again though, especially in HD 3D, and for the awesome Persona 3 music tracks and remixes!