Roy is a 30-something Londoner, valuer and auctioneer
specialising in trading cards, videogames, comics and 80s & 90s
toys - basically I bottle and sell nostalgia!

Former professional Magic the Gathering player.

Of the top ten most expensive retro games, 60% were made for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Arguably the most important video game console of all time, it kicked off franchises like Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda.

Roy says, “The NES revitalized gaming - many thought the industry was dead after the great videogame crash of the late 70s and early 80s, but Nintendo literally revived the medium with titles such as The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Metroid and Final Fantasy - all unique titles at the time and the first time these characters debuted. What makes Action Comics 1 from 1938 so valuable? It's the first appearance of Superman, the first time the audience got to experience the character, the same is true for the games released on the NES. The debut games from these now well established and iconic franchises were so good and evoke many a fond memory with the gamers of today.”

50% of the 110 most expensive games across 11 of the biggest consoles were produced in the eighties. No surprise, given the decade saw the birth of gaming as we know it. But the noughties – an era that began with the launch of the PS2 and saw no less than six new consoles hit the market – came in close second, accounting for 32% of the most valuable games.

Roy says, “These eras dominate because they are the start of the retro age, the video game boom/revival and the start of the console wars between Nintendo and Sega. Another overlooked reason that greatly differentiates the eras is the number of copies made. If you compare the number of games made for the NES to any game made in the mid-2000s, the games from the later years were heavily over printed and games coming out almost weekly. You'll find the expensive games developed in the mid-2000s are either universally acclaimed games from popular franchises or games that had an incredibly low print run, like Kuon for the PlayStation 2. We as humans equate money to time, the longer something’s been out or around for the more expensive we perceive it to be, and this is true for games from the 80's/NES era.”

Escapism takes many forms, but is there any quite so satisfying as slipping into the role of a hero and battling your way to victory? Fending off Beat ‘Em Ups, First Person Shooters, Sports games, Horror, Adventure and more, 32% of our most expensive games were in the Action genre.

Roy says, “Action games offer a unique opportunity for the player to experience something they never could in real life, and they have continued to improve throughout the generations. They are also the most exciting - often in the early days before the time of the internet spoiling or reviewing games all we had to go on was the cover or back of the game. Explosions and vast unexplored worlds and possibility on the front cover win every time over someone with a golf club!

In the early days of gaming, specifically during the mid to late 80s genres weren't really defined as they are today, or at least there wasn't nearly as many genres as there are today - this is certainly a more rational way to look at sales data from the time.”

Now to step inside the telepod and move into the future. Roy Raftrey guides us through the games they think will be worth the most in years to come.

Roy says, “all sealed Pokémon titles have been going through the roof in the last two years, Ewbank Auctioneers's recently sold a sealed Pokémon yellow for £2100! I would look at picking up sealed copies of Pokémon Sun and Moon for the Nintendo 3DS asap.”

Roy says, “Some of the worst games in history are some of the most expensive because of how bad they are and how often they come up in YouTube videos or articles - it makes players want to experience them. ET on the Atari was the start, Superman 64 followed. Look at picking up Sonic the Hedgehog aka Sonic 06 on either the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. It ticks all the boxes, beloved character, franchise and developer in Sega, but it was nearly the death of Sonic and was notorious for bugs.”

Roy says “God of War Ragnarök was the fastest selling first party title, in December 2021. I would look at getting the original PS2 God of War trilogy Sealed, asap.

Roy says, “Games produced for the current generation of consoles are usually printed in the tens of millions, but 3D All-Stars had a limited print run and was only available for a 10-month window - now it's not possible to order with videogame distributors and the current retail is £10 over what it was on the day of release.”

Roy says, “Games that were the start of a new genre should be on anyone's radar. Resident Evil coined the phrase 'survival horror' and has over 20 titles to choose from.”

Roy says “in the last couple of year developers have been pushing the age of digital games more and more, for this reason older games that can't be ported over digitally for reasons such as licensing issues or soundtrack ownership should naturally go up in price. Games like the Dino Crisis series, or games tied to shows like the X-Files, the PS2 X-Files Resist or Serve has my pick.”

Roy says, “Earlier this year Super Mario Bros on the NES sold for record breaking amounts - I would look at Sealed Mario Games from the last 20 years, Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube, Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 on the Wii and even lesser-known games on the WiiU like Mario 3D world.”

So, whether you’re gaming on the go with Nintendo Switch games or pulling all-nighters to complete PS5 games or Xbox games ignore anyone who says you’re wasting your time. If you can keep the packaging as pristine as the memories, in 20 years’ time your favourites may be worth more than a trip down memory lane.