Could your old games or console be worth a fortune? Top 10 of the world’s rarest computer games and console

No. 10 - Super Mario Bros. NES 1985:

This first instalment of Nintendo’s and everyone’s favourite plumber that came out in 1985 and was released for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and today this game averages around £20 for a used boxed game. But if you have a rare packaging one then that game could be worth in the region of £100,000 - £1 million.

In the early days of the games release, Nintendo sold what are called ‘test market’ games and they were sealed with a Matte sticker seal or a glossy seal in later releases. These were often accompanied with the word “Bros.” to the left corner, covering part of Mario’s glove. This type of variant is extremely rare, with one copy sold in the US for $2 million dollars.

No. 9 – NBA Jam Tournament Edition:

This Basketball came out in 1993 for the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), and the Sega Genesis is not rare as they are found in common place amongst the gaming community, but there is a specific type of NBA Jam that is rare, and it is the one that was only used in major gaming tournaments.

The actual tournament version has numerous different aspects to the one you could buy for the console such as all the power ups and cheats were disabled in this version making it for a more competitive and enjoyable tournament. As it was all about how you played the game not how many cheats you remembered.

The famous Michael Jordan was also removed from the game due to a licensing issue. There was an updated roster of players that reflected their current stats and teams that were involved in the 1993/94 NBA season. Finally, of course the condition of the game adds to its value. A graded copy of this game could be worth up to $1,295 (£964.26).

No 8. – Famicom Console:

The Famicom was released by Nintendo in 1983 and is a forgotten big brother of the NES, even though the Famicom is rare in itself ranging from a few hundred pounds to thousands if in its original box.

Collectors will try to chase down any modifications it has like the NES RGB mod which allows gamers to have clearer and sharper images on their TV screens. Or they will seek out the very rare Hong Kong edition, a console that was only made for Hong Kong audiences.

No 7. – Birthday Mania Atari 2600 (1984):

This game offered a personalized touch, each game was made to order and could only be purchased by magazine order. The game added the recipient’s name on the opening title screen with the tune Happy Birthday played in the background. The game offered a bunch of mini games such as blowing out candles and popping balloons.

Because this game was never mass produced or commercialised, makes it one of the rarest games in the world with experts valuing a copy of the game around $34,000 Dollars or £25,302,42.

No 6. – Tetris Sega Mega Drive / Sega Genesis (1988):

A typical working Tetris cartridge isn’t particularly worth a lot with cartridges being sold for around £100 pounds, a boxed version could fetch hundreds.

A PAL version that has been formatted for television that was not sold in North America, makes them a hot commodity and could be worth around £1,500 - £3,000 pounds.

One rare copy that was signed by the developer, Alexey Pajitnov was sold for millions of Dollars.

No. 7 – Air Raid Atari 2600 (1982):

This shoot ‘em up was released by Men-A-Vision and was the only game the company made and is considered as one of the rarest games as of today there are only a few copies of the game still in circulation.

The game cartridge has a unique ‘T’ style blue shape and alone is worth $3,000. A boxed version of the game, with the manual, has been known to be sold for around $33,000.

No. 8 – Stadium Events NES (1986):

This Olympic style game focused on the player competing in Olympic events such a sprinting, high jump and pole vaulting ect.

Due to its limited availability and its subsequent recall. The original Bandai game was made as a third-party game with the ‘Family Fun Fitness Mat’ as its controller but when Nintendo bought the rights to the mat controller, they recalled the game not many customers received one which made the game very rare with few known to be around.

This game has been listed as number six of the holy grail of games. With a copy going for around £35,000.

The game was later rebranded as World Class Track Meet.

No. 9 – Red Sea Crossing Atari 2600 (1983):

This Christian based platformer which was made by Steve Schustack. The game was only available by Mail order and went largely unknown by the larger gaming community.

Due to its limited release very few copies of this game still remain in the world with recent estimates ranging from $13,000 to $15,000. With estimates of 100 copies being made very few have reached the surface and could be anywhere.

No 10. – Mario 64 Nintendo 64 (1996):

Finally, the game that has collectors scrambling is Mario 64, this game has been regarded as the first of its kind offering the player a chance at playing in a 3-D world as they explore the mushroom kingdom.

Even though the game cartridge alone is only worth £20 pounds and can be found everywhere. But the game in a box with the WATA grading of 9.8 can be seen to be sold for $1.5 million, as there were only five copies of this game given this WATA grading worldwide.

What is a WATA grading? Well, it is given by the company, and each game is marked for its authenticity and if there is any damage to the box, if the picture is perfect and so on before the game is then shipped off worldwide to be sold.

So, if you’re lucky enough to find a game with a high WATA rating, think twice before tampering as it could be worth millions in the future. How many of these games do you still have gathering duct in your loft?