Top 11 Rarest Video Games Ever Sold, The video game business is currently worth more than $90 billion, and playing video games is one of the most popular pastimes (and even high-paid jobs) in the world today.
In the early days of the video game industry, there were no intended collectors’ items available, such as figurines, special editions of games, or any of the other things that are commonplace in the industry today.
In spite of this, early video games have recently emerged as highly desirable collectibles for collectors, particularly in the past few years.
The most valuable of these games can be worth tens of thousands of dollars, and they are often the only copies of their respective games that exist anywhere in the globe.
It is important to note that this list is not ordered by value but rather by the rarity of the item based on the number of copies that currently exist.
As of the month of October 2019, the prices of these extremely rare games are as accurate as can be and will be modified as necessary.
Top 11 Rarest Video Games Ever Sold 2024
1. 1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition
- Existing Number of Copies: 26 produced; unknown how many have survived
- Current Value: $15,000 to $50,000 at auction
- Year Released: 1990
- Game Console: NES Nintendo Entertainment System
- Developer and Publisher: Nintendo
Several of the video games on this list were part of limited-edition game cartridges that were designed expressly for a variety of Nintendo gaming competitions.
The most valuable of these games is the 1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition cartridge, which has reached a price of up to $50,000 in recent sales.
The 1990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition was only produced in limited quantities of 26, and it is unknown how many copies are still in circulation.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
The 990 Nintendo World Championships Gold Edition cartridge features a specialized version of Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris, each of which comes equipped with its own unique tournament timer.
2. Air Raid
- Existing Number of Copies: about 23
- Current Value: $3,305 – $33,433.30 at auction
- Year Released: 1982
- Game Console: Atari 2600
- Developer and Publisher: Men-A-Vision
Air Raid is the most mysterious and valuable of all of the rare games for the Atari 2600 that are currently available.
Because of its peculiar t-shaped handle and powder blue color, most people assumed that Air Raid was some type of strange pirated game for a good number of years. The only version of the game that was available was a cartridge that was sold without a box.
However, in 2010, the first nearly complete version of Air Raid was discovered (with the box and cartridge), and further information was disclosed, such as the title of the game and the company that developed it.
The asking price for this specific Air Raid set was $31,600. After another year had passed, the first completely complete Air Raid—including the box, cartridge, and instruction manual—eventually became available on the market and fetched the price of $33,433.30.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
Although Air Raid is the most valued game for the Atari 2600, it is not quite as uncommon as the other games on this list because there are apparently 23 copies of the game in existence.
3. Tetris for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive
- Existing Number of Copies: about 10
- Current Value: $16,000 – $25,000 at auction
- Year Released: 1989
- Game Console: SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive
- Developer and Publisher: SEGA
Tetris is one of the most evergreen games in the world, and it has been converted to almost all of the main game consoles, with the exception of the SEGA Genesis (also known as the Mega Drive).
The origins of Tetris may be traced back to Soviet Russia, and this intricate history is tied in with the SEGA version of the game.
After Tetris left Russia, licensing complications occurred, and different persons made different deals. To make a long tale short, this happened.
After Nintendo purchased the rights to the Tetris franchise from its original creators, a number of video game companies, including SEGA, attempted but ultimately abandoned the construction of their own versions of the game.
Around ten copies of SEGA’s version of Tetris managed to avoid being obliterated during SEGA’s efforts to eradicate the game entirely.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
In 2011, a copy of Tetris for the SEGA Genesis that had been signed by the game’s developer, Alexey Pajitnov, was put up for auction with a starting bid of one million dollars. It should not come as a surprise that there were no bidders.
4. European Kizuna Encounter
- Existing Number of Copies: 5
- Current Value: $9,500 – $13,500 at auction
- Year Released: 1996
- Game Console: Neo Geo PAL
- Developer and Publisher: SNK.
Kizuna Encounter is widely regarded as the Holy Grail of rare gaming titles available in Europe. It is one of many Japanese video games that have been ported to the West from Japan.
It is thought that fewer than 12 copies of the video game Kizuna Encounter were manufactured for the PAL Neo Geo console in Europe, however, the exact reason for this is unknown.
Only five copies of the European version of Kizuna Encounter are known to still exist; these games have been auctioned off in the past and have brought between $9,500 and $13,500 each.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
The Japanese version of Kizuna Encounter is not at all rare and, with the exception of the packaging and inserts, is completely indistinguishable from the European version.
5. Extra Terrestrials
- Existing Number of Copies: 4 confirmed, possibly 5
- Current Value: valued between $7,000 – $15,000; one copy put up for sale in 2019 at $90,000
- Year Released: 1984
- Game Console: Atari 2600
- Developer and Publisher: Banting Brothers and Silk Screen Games
Even the most ardent Atari collectors had never heard of Extra Terrestrials until 2011, and this was despite the fact that it should not be confused with the much-maligned E.T. movie game, which was primarily responsible for the crash of the video game industry in 1983.
After doing some research, the curators at the Personal Computer Museum in Brantford, Ontario, found the game’s roots after receiving a donation of an obscure video game.
The developers of Extra Terrestrials had high hopes of making a profit off of the E.T. craze; however, due to an ironic twist of fate, their game was negatively impacted by the infamous crash of 1983, and as a result, only a few hundred copies of Extra Terrestrials were manufactured.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
Only one game for the Atari 2600 was ever developed in Canada, and that was Extra Terrestrials.
6. 1992 Nintendo Campus Challenge
- Existing Number of Copies: 3
- Current Value: $4,000 at auction
- Year Released: 1992
- Game Console: SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Developer and Publisher: Nintendo
Even though the Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge released in 1992 is almost identical to the one released in 1991, its value is significantly lower for some reason.
Only one of the three known copies of Nintendo Campus Challenge from 1992 ever fetched the asking price of $4,000 (a significant discount from the $20,100 that was paid for the copy of the 1991 game).
A third copy of the cartridge was discovered in the attic of a former employee of a company that had worked on projects for Nintendo. In 2011, a second cartridge was put up for auction, however, it did not get any bids.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
Rob Walters discovered the first known copy of the 1992 Nintendo Campus Challenge video game at the same garage sale where he discovered the 1991 version of the game.
7. Red Sea Crossing
- Existing Number of Copies: 2
- Current Value: $10,400 – $13,900 at auction
- Year Released: 1983
- Game Console: Atari 2600
- Developer and Publisher: Steve Schustack at Inspirational Video Concepts
Before a copy of Red Sea Crossing was discovered at a garage sale in 2007, the existence of the game was thought to be a fabrication by the gaming community.
The fact that it is a Christian game about Moses is also contributing to the players’ lack of belief in the game.
The original owner of Red Sea Crossing waited eight years before selling the game to a buyer for $10,400.
This was after the original owner contacted Steve Schustack, the game’s designer, to verify the game’s legitimacy.
A second edition of Red Sea Crossing was located in a store in Philadelphia not long after the news of the sale had spread, and it was subsequently purchased for the same amount of money.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
The individual who bought the very first copy of Red Sea Crossing made the decision to offer reproductions of the game to other users of the AtariAge community for the price of $60 each.
8. Nintendo Powerfest 1994
- Existing Number of Copies: 2
- Current Value: $12,000 – $23,100 at auction
- Year Released: 1994
- Game Console: SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Developer and Publisher: Nintendo
Nintendo Powerfest 1994, like a handful of the other rare video games on this list, was a part of a special advertised video game competition and was not supposed to be made available to the general public at any point in time.
According to reports, Nintendo manufactured 33 cartridges just for the occasion. These cartridges were subsequently sent back to the firm and utilized for various purposes.
Despite this, two known copies of Nintendo Powerfest 1994 were found, one of which had never been sold while the other had been purchased for $12,000 and then resold for $23,100.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
At Nintendo Powerfest 1994, there were three games: Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Kart, and Ken Griffey, Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.
In order to receive points in the tournament, teams had to complete specified tasks in each game, and the winner was the team that earned the most points overall.
9. 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge
- Existing Number of Copies: 1
- Current Value: $14,000 – $20,100 at auction
- Year Released: 1991
- Game Console: NES (Nintendo Entertainment System)
- Developer and Publisher: Nintendo
Rob Walters, a collector of video games, made an extremely fortunate finding at a garage sale in 2006 that led to the discovery of the
one and only known instance of the unique Nintendo Campus Challenge game cartridge from 1991. After being purchased from Walters by JJ Hendricks for the price of $14,000 in a private transaction, the cartridge was subsequently resold on eBay for the amount of $20,100.
This is one of the most expensive amounts that has ever been paid for a video game (the cartridges for Birthday Mania and Gamma Attack have never been bought or sold).
Did It Cross Your Mind?
Super Mario 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario were all playable characters in the special video game that Nintendo developed for an event called the Nintendo Campus Challenge that took place in 1991 and traveled to various college campuses.
After the event, it was stated that all of the cartridges were destroyed, with the exception of the one that was found.
10. Birthday Mania
- Existing Number of Copies: 1
- Current Value: valued between $15,000 to $35,000
- Year Released: 1984
- Game Console: Atari 2600
- Developer and Publisher: Anthony Tokar and Personal Games Company
Many people believe that Birthday Mania is the rarest video game ever made. This is primarily due to the fact that there is still some debate regarding the legitimacy of the sole known copy of the Gamma Attack cartridge.
Birthday Mania is often considered to be the rarest video game ever made. The history of the minor indie game Birthday Mania, on the other hand, has been thoroughly recorded despite the game’s lack of popularity.
In 1984, a programmer by the name of Anthony Tokar created the game Birthday Mania out of a desire to demonstrate his affection for Atari.
The Personal Games Company was the one that published Tokar’s game, and the total number of copies sold ranged from ten to fifteen. There has only been confirmation of a single copy of Birthday Mania thus far.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
A digital copy of Birthday Mania was published to the AtariAge forum in 2019, after the user Atari_Warlord had obtained permission from the game’s original developer, Anthony Tokar, and made a commitment that any revenues from the re-release of the game would be donated to charity.
11. Gamma Attack
- Existing Number of Copies: 1
- Current Value: valued between $20,000 – $50,000
- Year Released: 1983
- Game Console: Atari 2600
- Developer and Publisher: Gammation
Despite the fact that there are a few games that are deserving of consideration for the top slot on our list, the unidentified
Many people believe that Gamma Attack is the rarest video game that has ever been produced anywhere in the world.
Despite the fact that an eBay listing for Gamma Attack appeared in 2008, very few people were confident that the game was indeed real.
This one and only copy of Gamma Attack was listed on eBay by a user by the name of Phantom, who also goes by Anthony DeNardo on the AtariAge forum.
Phantom set the price of the game so high because he had no intention of selling it and simply wanted to let the world know that this obscure game was real and was made by Gammation, a small firm that specialized in Atari 2600 hardware accessories that have since gone out of business.
Did It Cross Your Mind?
Robert Eskin, the founder of Gammation and the person responsible for creating the original Gamma Attack cartridge, decided to sell signed copies of reproductions of the game after the excitement generated by the one and only known original cartridge.
Top 11 Rarest Video Games Ever Sold – Newshub360.net
Related Post
Credit: www.Newshub360.net
