A rare Zelda game achieved $800,000 at auction which inspired gaming enthusiasts to study valuable classic video games by researching rare popular examples before using an established e-commerce site to seek the highest potential resale prices for their outdated games.
Table of Contents
Let’s reveal the Top 10 most valuable classic video games
| Rank | Game | Highest online selling price (USD$) | Publisher | Year | Location |
| 1 | Nintendo World Championships | $275,000 | Nintendo | 1990 | Milford, MI, USA |
| 2 | ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut | $150,000 | Interplay Entertainment | 1998 | Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| 3 | Super Mario Bros 3 | $149,000 | Nintendo | 1992 | Mooers, NY, USA |
| 4 | Paperboy | $140,000 | Atari Games/ Midway Games | 1985 | Stony Brook, NY, USA |
| 5 | Super Mario Kart | $59,999 | Nintendo | 1992 | Arlington, VA, USA |
| 6 | Duck Hunt | $43,464 | Nintendo | 1984 | Napanee, ON, USA |
| 7 | Pac-Man | $39,999 | Nintendo | 1982 | Sierra Madre, CA, USA |
| 8 | Luigi’s Mansion | $29,999 | Nintendo | 2001 | Dayton, OH, USA |
| 9 | Conker’s Bad Fur Day | $26,978 | Rare | 2001 | Banora Point, NSW, Australia |
| 10 | The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past | $26,015 | Nintendo | 1992 | Rome, Italy |
At $275,000, Nintendo World Championships (1990) is the most valuable vintage video game currently available. Created as part of a promotional US-wide Nintendo competition, this prized collectable is highly desirable. Worth over double the price of ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut in second place, this uber-rare gaming cartridge is one of the most coveted in the world. If you were able to get your hands on a copy, you would find a selection of three adapted minigames based on Tetris, Super Mario Bros. and Rad Racer, made especially for the 1990 Nintendo Championships.
In second place is ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut (1998), which is valued at $150,000. With only 20,000 copies ever made for former rental giant Blockbuster, this update of ClayFighter 63⅓ was difficult to source even in the nineties. Even so, this still makes Clayfighter: Sculptor’s Cut 172 times more common than the elusive Nintendo World Championship, of which only 116 cartridges are known to exist worldwide.
Super Mario Bros. 3 comes in third place at $149,000. Having planted the seed for over 200 spinoff games, the industrious plumber brothers Mario and Luigi have graced our screens for almost 40 years and show no signs of stopping. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1993) is a fan favourite, with rare, unsealed copies for the NES console fetching high prices online. And, it appears that age is second only to quality, with Super Mario Bros. 3 worth over $140k more than the only other 1993 game in the ranking, the Disney-themed DuckTales 2, which comes in 54th place at just $616.
Now technically a third party of Nintendo, infamous game publisher Atari makes a feature in fourth place with Paperboy (1985), valued at an impressive$140,000. An arcade classic in which players take on the role of a paperboy dropping off his papers in stylised suburbia, this NES version allowed fans to play from the comfort of their own homes.
Nintendo published over two-thirds of the most expensive video games
With honourable mentions from Atari, Interplay Entertainment and Rare, Japan’s infamous multinational gaming company, Nintendo, dominated the top 10. With ultra-rare and wildly popular games such as Nintendo World Championships and Super Mario Bros. among its roster, it’s no surprise that Nintendo is also responsible for some of the priciest resells.
The most expensive games are owned by US collectors
With Nintendo World Championships ($275,000) taking place across the US, this rare copy was located in Milford, MI, while Super Mario Bros 3 ($149,000) and Paperboy ($140,000) belong to collectors in New York. ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut ($150,000) can be found in Kuwait, while the most expensive Zelda game, The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past ($26,015) belongs to a collector in Rome, Italy.
The last Tomb Raider game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) fetches a maximum price of $172 online, in contrast to those who own the 1996 original edition of Tomb Raider, who could make up to $6,042 according to the data. Zelda fans could also benefit from searching through their collection, with Zelda games A Link To The Past (1992), Ocarina of Time (1998) and Majora’s Mask (2000) fetching thousands of dollars each.
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FAQ
Which is the Most Valuable Classic Video Game?
At $275,000, Nintendo World Championships (1990) is the most valuable vintage video game currently available.
