Everyone loves to have that one thing pretty much no one else does—ask a video game collector. If you have a couple Ben Franklins to throw around, you’re in luck because these rare games do not come cheap. From super rare editions of beloved classics on Sega to NES cartridges that were originally intended for a select small group (we’re looking at you, Nintendo Campus Challenge), here are seven of the rarest video games out there.
Tetris for Sega Genesis
Did you guys know that Tetris was founded in a Soviet government funded center back in the ’80s? Now you do! For a game as ubiquitously loved as Tetris, the Sega version of this game is not an easy one to come by.
According to Kotaku, only 10 of these exist out in this vast world of ours and procuring one of these coveted games can set you back an upwards of $20,000 or more. At a price point like that, perhaps we’re all better off playing Tetris on our iPhones.
1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge for NES
If you spent your days in the early ’90s hanging ’round a college campus (a dingy dorm room significantly ups the likelihood of this), then there’s a possibility you’re familiar with this game. Nintendo held competitions at various college campuses in 1991 and 1992. There is only one known copy that exists of the 1991 game and was found by an intrepid garage sale fiend in 2006, which was promptly turned over on Ebay for a cool $20,100. You can read more on that here.
Gamma Attack for Atari 2600
Crazy story—a guy once tried to sell a copy of this ultra rare game for right around a half million dollars. What’s the low down on the game? You are basically a flying saucer that shoots tanks. The colors are funky and the sound effects are a little grating. Supposedly, only one cartridge was made by Gammation, so there’s that. Cool, huh?
Stadium Events for NES
In 1987, the game was sold at an MRSP of $27.99. One of two games in the Family Fitness series, the game was recalled from shelves shortly after its release in order to be rebranded by Nintendo. Naturally, this made the few titles that wriggled their way into consumers’ hands all the more valuable. Today, the game goes for an upward of $8,000. The heart wants what the heart wants, eh?
ET: The Extra Terrestrial for Atari 2600
There’s an entire documentary chronicling the destruction of this horrendously executed game called Atari: Game Over. As beloved as ET was, this completely bungled game never should have made it out to the market. Unfortunately, when a franchise is in the spotlight, developers will stop at nothing to put a product out into the public’s hands. Thousands of copies of this ill fated game were literally buried in a land mine in New Mexico. In 2015, Rolling Stone reported that ET: The Extraterrestrial was being sold at a price point of $108,000.
Peek a Boo Poker for NES
If you can believe it, erotic video games were a thing back in the ’80s and early ’90s. This naughty NES game came out alongside two other sexually explicit games, Bubble Bath Babes and Hot Slots. Most major retailers back in the day chose not to stock this game on their shelves for pretty obvious reasons, so today it’s quite a find. If you ever spot this at a garage sale, definitely spring for it—Peek a Boo Poker can fetch as much as $1300.
LSD Dream Emulator for Playstation
No joke, this trippy game is your one stop shop for some good, clean fun. What is it? It’s basically a three dimensional platform in which you can explore your surroundings… or dude… maybe it’s like your surroundings are actually exploring you? Designed by Osamu Satu, LSD enjoys a cult following today. You can buy it on eBay for $300… which sounds like nothing compared to the price of some of the other games on this list.
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