The Rarest Video Games From Each Console Generation

Video games have been around since the late 1950s, and when they started arriving in people’s homes in the ‘70s, the console generations began. The first included all manner of devices, most of which played Pong, but by the second, interchangeable games jumpstarted the craze. There have been nine recognized home video game console generations, and one that people are still debating about. We’ve dug into the archives to find the rarest games from each console generation, and like most things that are scarce, they’re also highly valued by collectors, so if you have one of the following games, you’re sitting on a small goldmine.

1st) Pong “Home Edition” Prototype

1st Gen: Atari Pong | Coleco Telstar | Magnavox Odyssey

Because interchangeable games weren’t yet a thing during the first generation, the rarest game is also a console. Specifically, the original “Home Pong” prototype with the Pong chip built into the hand-carved system and controller mockup is the rarest. It’s the design that influenced the Sears Tele-Games systems introduced in 1975, and only two are known to exist. It was made to travel around and show off to potential customers. A more delicate version is permanently on display at the Computer History Museum, while the second was sold at auction for $270,910 in March 2022.

2nd) Red Sea Crossing – Atari 2600

2nd Gen: Atari 2600 | Channel F | ColecoVision | Intellivision | Magnavox Odyssey 2

In most cases, licensed games are the rarest, but there’s a market for unlicensed titles, and there were tons of them on the Atari 2600. One of the weirdest of these unlicensed games is also the rarest: Red Sea Crossing. You could only purchase it by mail order in 1983, and only four copies are known to exist. In the game, the player guides Moses through the Red Sea as he’s pursued by the Egyptians, making it the first video game released for a commercial console based on a story from the Bible. Price Charting lists the loose value of Red Sea Crossing at $15,000, as there are few known copies.

3rd) Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events – NES

3rd Gen: Atari 7800 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Sega Master System

Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events was released in 1987 to work with the Family Fun Fitness Control Mat. Nintendo didn’t own the rights to the device, but once it acquired the rights, the game was retitled in North America, and every copy of Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events was pulled from store shelves. Few made it into the wild as a result, so they’re pretty much impossible to find. A loose copy of the game cartridge runs around $19,000, while a high-graded copy runs around $175K, which is surprisingly higher than Nintendo World Championships (grey edition), though lower than the gold.

4th) Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle (EU) – Neo Geo

4th Gen: TurboGrafx-16 | Genesis | Neo Geo | Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The SNK Neo Geo didn’t grab a huge chunk of the home console market, largely due to its price. The system cost $650, while its games sold for $200-$300, making it unaffordable to most players. Still, most of its games aren’t particularly expensive for collectors, aside from rare copies of Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle. The home console version (AES) sold in Europe, marked EU, is incredibly rare, and finding a copy in the wild is pretty unlikely. Loose copies sell for around $50,000, while complete ones with the box and manual are closer to $275,000. There are only 10 known copies, making it the rarest and most sought-after Neo Geo cartridge.

5th) NFL Blitz (Greatest Hits) – PlayStation

5th Gen: 3DO | Jaguar | PlayStation | Nintendo 64

Game scarcity began to wane in the 5th generation, but it didn’t disappear by any measure. There are plenty of rare games for the generation’s systems, but they’re not nearly as valuable as those that came before. In the 5th generation, one of the rarest games is NFL Blitz 2000 (Greatest Hits) for the PlayStation, a rare variant of the much more common standard edition. Loose copies sell for over $3,000, while new and graded copies can run for around $15,000 to $16.5K. The game’s rarity stems from its recall almost as soon as it was released, making the remaining copies super collectible.

6th) Gun Club – PlayStation 2

6th Gen: GameCube | Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | Xbox 

One of the rarest games of the sixth generation is Gun Club for the PlayStation 2. The 2004 shooting simulation game lets players fire a variety of guns in safe environments, making it more of a virtual shooting range than a standard video game. Gun Club was never released on a wide scale, so only a small number were made and sold in two formats: NTSC (North America) and PAL (Europe). The NTSC version is fairly easy to find, while the PAL version is next to impossible to locate, as it’s incredibly rare. Loose copies can sell for as much as $21,000, while highly graded copies have sold for nearly $85K.

7th) Club Penguin: Game Day Limited Edition – Wii

7th Gen: PlayStation 3 | Wii | Xbox 360

The rarest game to arrive in the seventh generation is Club Penguin: Game Day! Limited Edition for the Nintendo Wii. The MMO game presented a world where players could act as penguins, featuring a variety of minigames to enjoy. Club Penguin: Game Day Limited Edition is an incredibly rare version that added a ton of new minigames and features to the online experience. Finding copies isn’t impossible, but be prepared to shell out some cash to snag one. A loose disk will run you over $530, while a new or graded copy can reach as much as $2K+. This is because there are likely only around 100 copies left, due to a limited production run.

8th) Gris (Signature Edition) – Nintendo Switch

8th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Wii U | Xbox One

As we get into the 8th generation and beyond, rarity is less about scarcity from lost copies over the years and more about limited-edition versions of popular games. Case in point, the eighth generation’s rarest game is Gris (Signature Edition) for the Nintendo Switch. It was sold for $250, and only 250 copies were produced, which is why it’s now rare when compared to other Switch titles. The game, which was relatively unknown at the time, came with all kinds of extra goodies, and today a complete set costs around $1,350.

9th) Elden Ring Premium Collector’s Edition – PlayStation 5

9th Gen: Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X|S

Keeping the special edition trend going, Elden Ring Premium Collector’s Edition for the PlayStation 5 is the rarest game from the ninth generation. The high-quality game and extras, which included several exclusive items, sold for $260 upon release and were limited to a very low production run. Because of the game’s popularity, the Premium Collector’s Edition can cost collectors around $2,500, which made the initial $260 expense something of an investment today. Similarly, rare versions were released on other platforms, but the NTSC PS4 version is the rarest of all, making it the most collectible.

10th) Octopath Traveler 0 (Collector’s Edition) – Switch 2

10th Gen: Nintendo Switch 2 | PlayStation 6 | Xbox ???

As of writing, there’s no consensus as to the 10th generation, but some see the introduction of the Nintendo Switch 2 as its beginning. Since the PlayStation 6 and next Xbox console are a long way off, that leaves the rarest game to the only console available, and Octopath Traveler 0 (Collector’s Edition) is the rarest. It was sold on the Square Enix Store, where you could buy it for $229. It was also released on Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X, but the rarest version is on Switch. Square isn’t selling them on its site anymore, likely because they’ve sold out, but you can usually find one on eBay for under $300.

Have you ever gotten your hands on one of the rare gems? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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