Retro gaming is often a nostalgic hobby for some, while other may stumble upon old games while clearing out their homes. However, many people may be leaving thousands if not millions of pounds gathering dust by not checking their old games and consoles.
While some items and games have grown in popularity over the decades, others have been discontinued or turned from casual gaming items to collector’s memorabilia. PC and mobile gaming platform GameTop highlighted some of the top retro games, consoles and handhelds based on the staggering sums they have received in auctions.
Starting off with arguably the best-known nostalgic video game; Super Mario Bros. In 1985, the two Italian brothers made history when the first game released for the Nintendo NES console and mint condition copies of this iconic original earned a jaw-dropping $2million (£1.64million).
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Mint condition copies of Super Mario 64, Super Mario World and Super Mario Bros 2 can also fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds while the next most valuable retro game is, unsurprisingly, the original Tetris. Although it was originally released in 1984 but grew to fame in 1989 with the rise of Game Boy popularity and a rare version of the original has earned up to $1million (£820,000) at auctions.
When it comes to gaming consoles, a failed prototype is actually the most valuable retro item. In the early 1990s, gaming heavyweights Nintendo and Sony joined forces for the Nintendo PlayStation hybrid. 200 prototypes were reportedly originally created, but it’s unknown where 199 of them are.
The fabled prototype was believed to be totally lost to history until an estate sale in 2015 discovered the only one still confirmed to exist today. It sold at auction for over $300,000 (£245,000) in 2020 to Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey after a three-week long bidding war during which he took to X fuming: “Who are the other nutters who keep bidding against me?”
Another rarity is the 2009 Nintendo Wii Supreme which was created as a collector’s item with 22-Karat gold coverings and diamond-encrusted buttons valued at over $400,000 (£327,000). The 1980s Atari Cosmos is also in high-demand as the holographic tabletop console is now also a collectible valued at $25,903 (£21,215) according to the experts.
Finally, handheld devices fetching a pretty penny include Game Boys, PS and a number of Nintendo DS versions. Some were originally released as limited editions or collectors items while others have climbed in value due to their rarity.
One of which is the McDonald’s Nintendo DS, which was exclusively for McDonald’s employees in the mid-2000s and was pre-loaded with software to teach them kitchen operations and customer service within the company. While it’s not quite the thrilling gaming experience some may expect, the exclusive item has become popular with collectors earning up to $3,200 (£2,620).
Other DS’ on the top valuable handhelds list includes the Pokemon World Championship Nintendo DSi XL and Advance Wars Nintendo DS fetching around $2,500 (£2,047) and $800 (£655) respectively. Game Boys are also leading the way with the Famitsu 500 Game Boy worth around £575 (£470) to collectors and the Mother 3 Edition Game Boy Micro fetching $800 (£655).