Nintendo has been in the video game industry for over 40 years. In that time there have been some extremely rare and valuable games released for Nintendo’s consoles. The rarest games were for the NES, and most were competition cartridges for special events. These competition carts are getting near impossible to find as collectors have snatched them up in the past couple of decades. Many of the other rare Nintendo games were either promotional games, unlicensed games, or Blockbuster Video exclusives. There are some games that released for the general market, like Mega Man 5 & 6, that command a high price, but they are still way down the list in terms of overall worth and rarity.
Updated November 23rd, 2020 by Kristy Ambrose: As the years roll on, Nintendo games keep rising in value, to the point where finding them, collecting them, and selling them to the highest bidder has actually become a career if you have the time and resources for the initial search. Games for older systems continue to yield decent investments and as consoles age, games appear on the market that weren’t as valuable as before. The Nintendo 64 system, which was released in 1996, is now well into vintage territory and more of the games that made the last cartridge console famous are currently rising in value and disappearing from the virtual shelves. Considering how fast the market is changing, it can be tough to keep track, and we’re here to help you out with some of the rarest, most valuable games.
15 The Legend Of Zelda, Majora’s Mask (Holographic Label)
The odd one out in a vast family of games, Majora’s Mask always enjoyed a cult following but was never a fan favorite. It’s the only game in the entire franchise that’s a direct sequel to the one before it in a series that’s known for a wonky, non-linear timeline. Critics raved about the game’s graphics and compelling story. The game has stood the test of time and is currently enjoying a resurgence. New and sealed copies are going for more than a thousand dollars and the price is rapidly going up, especially for any special or collectors editions that are rare and hard to find. The example here is the one with the holographic label, which is currently on top in terms of rarity and value.
14 MACS: Multipurpose Arcade Combat Simulator
These cartridges are exceptionally rare since they were made specifically for professional target and training practice. The game came as a complete package that included the entire Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a loose version of the game, and a training rifle. Only loose versions are currently available, as the game was never intended for resale or retail display, and these are going for a nice chunk of change at just over $1600. If a complete package were ever to become available, or an unsealed one, the price would be exponentially more as they probably don’t even exist.
13 Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages & Seasons – Limited Edition
These were games for the Gameboy Color, and not many people seem to remember them when discussing Zelda games. These two games featured gameplay and a graphical style very similar to the original Legend of Zelda title. The game incorporates the changing of the seasons into the gameplay; with some areas only accessible during a certain season. There were only 500 copies of the Limited Edition released; which included both games as well as promotional items – like a shirt and an actual, working boomerang. The price is currently around $1,150.00, but a complete-in-box copy can fetch about $2,200.00
12 Cheetahmen II
The original Cheetahmen game appeared on the Action 52 cartridge for the NES. Action 52 is also a fairly rare game, and was made (in)famous by The Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) on Youtube. Cheetahmen II is a broken game that was clearly unfinished; as the outer cartridge case is just a repurposed Action 52 cartridge with a simple gold label.
There were less than 2,000 of these produced; making them rare to find – even on Ebay. There are a lot of reproduction Cheetahmen II cartridges out there, so if you want to buy one make sure it is genuine. These generally sell for about $1,300.00.
11 The Flintstones: Surprise At Dinosaur Peak
Collectors are often after this game partly because of its unique history. Its value is high due to the fact that this cartridge is quite rare, but the story as to why has been lost to the ages. Rumors speculate that it was never available in retail in North America, and could only be acquired as part of a promotional deal with Blockbuster video, hence the relatively small number of them. However, other versions of the story point to a limited, late release and a poor marketing campaign. Either way, this cartridge is very difficult to find and therefore priced at more than $3500 for a complete copy. No sealed or used copies are available.
10 Duck Tales – Gold Cartridge Edition
The original Duck Tales is itself a game that commands a fairly high price, but is not particularly rare. When Capcom remade this classic game in 2013 they decided to release a very limited kit that includes a functional gold copy of the original NES cartridge along with some other promotional items – like a really cool lunch box. There were only 150 of these kits produced; so the prospect of finding one is very slim. If you do find one, the average price is $1,400.00. There is one for sale on Ebay right now for $3,000.00 – at least it has free shipping.
9 Donkey Kong Country Competition Edition
This was a special version of the classic Donkey Kong Country that was used in the Nintendo PowerFest ’94 competition. The game was changed for the competition; a timer was added (which for some reason is in the middle of the screen), and the available levels were changed slightly. The cartridge itself looks very similar to the standard version. The only difference was that the top-right corner of the label says “Competition Edition” in a red triangle. Only 2,500 of these cartridges were made, and if you manage to locate a copy their value is approximately $1,650.00.
8 Myriad 6-In-1/Caltron 6-In-1
This is an unlicensed compilation cartridge for the NES. This game was originally titled Caltron 6-in-1, but when Caltron went out of business their remaining stock was purchased by Myriad Inc. and resold as the Myriad 6-in-1. The 6 games on the cart are clones of popular games – like Space Harrier and Buster Bros.
The Caltron version is rare, but the Myriad version was limited to 888 copies. Each copy was numbered, and if you have a copy with matching serial numbers (for the cart, instructions, and box) the value is significantly increased. A copy of the Myriad 6-in-1 commonly sells for about $1,400.00, but a complete-in-box copy goes for about $3,000.00.
7 Little Samson
Fun to play, colorful, and generally great NES side-scrolling game, Little Samson fell victim to a weak promotional campaign and did poorly in its own time. The late release date in 1992 also didn’t help, since the N64 got most of the media attention in the mid-1990s. For a while, it fell into obscurity, but once it was rediscovered by collectors the trend never died down. Complete copies of the game are currently selling for more than $3500 for a complete used copy, with no new or sealed copies even known to exist or simply not for sale.
6 Nintendo Campus Challenge 1992
This was a large, unusual looking cartridge that looks more like an add-on for the SNES when inserted into the cartridge slot. This cartridge was used for the Campus Challenge in 1992, which was a competition held on 35 college campuses in North America. The cart had limited versions of 3 classic SNES games: Super Mario World, Pilotwings, and F-Zero. The cartridge also had an input for a phone jack, so it could relay information to a server at Nintendo’s headquarters. There are only two of these confirmed to exist, with a rumored third copy somewhere out there waiting to be found. The value of these cartridges is estimated at $4,000.00.
5 Hagane: The Final Conflict
A game that’s currently enjoying a resurgence thanks to the nostalgia factor, Hagane: The Final Conflict is a classic side-scroller that mimics other favorites like Ninja Gaiden. Like so many other games that were released on the SNES platform in the mid-1990s, it arrived too late to make an impact before the N64 arrived and sucked all the air out of the gaming room. Circulation was limited and few copies are still available. Old-school platformers are riding a trend right now as it is, and this game is fairly rare, which adds even more to its value. New and sealed copies are selling for about $4500, with prices for loose and used copies also trending upwards.
4 Stadium Events
For many collectors, this cartridge is the Holy Grail of NES games. Stadium Events was a follow-up title for the Family Fun and Fitness accessory for the NES. Family fun and Fitness, from Bandai, was a large pad that plugged into the controller port. The reason this sounds like Nintendo’s Power Pad is because Nintendo liked this idea so much they purchased the concept from Bandai and re-branded the accessory.
When this happened, all the Family Fun and Fitness pads and games were removed from store shelves. A copy of Stadium Events demands about $10,000.00, $21,200.00 for a complete in box copy, and about $28,500.00 for a sealed copy.
3 Nintendo World Championship – Grey Cartridge
In 1990 Nintendo launched the Nintendo World Championship competition. In the U.S. there were 29 cities included in the tournament. These competitions used special NES cartridges that had parts of three games: Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris. The contestants would play through the 3 games, and the winner was decided through an algorithm that factored in several criteria, such as time and points. These carts have become very sought after, and there isn’t a consensus on the number produced. The highest confirmed serial number is 353, and if you want to buy one be prepared to fork over about $19,000.00
2 Nintendo World Championship – Gold Cartridge
These cartridges have the same circuit board inside as the grey World Championship cart, but instead of the dull grey case they have a shiny gold case. These gold variants were given away as prizes in a mail-in competition featured in the Nintendo Power magazine. There were only twenty-six of these produced, making them one of the rarest NES games ever made. It is highly likely that not all 26 of these carts have survived to today. One of these, with the label missing, was sold on Ebay for over $100,000.00 in 2014, but the official value is closer to $20,000.00.
1 Nintendo Campus Challenge 1991
The Nintendo Campus Challenge was structured much like the Nintendo World Championship from the previous year. The only difference being that this competition was held at various college campuses around the U.S., as well as a few other venues like Disney World. The three games on this cartridge are Super Mario Bros. 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario. There has only been one Campus Challenge 1991 cartridge found; it is unknown if there are more, but common sense dictates there must be. This unique (so far) cartridge was sold in 2009 for $20,100.00.
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