One of the many boons to owning physical instead of digital games is that they may become rare and they can act as an investment. As time goes on, the price and rarity of a game can fluctuate due to how many copies it initially sold, if it ever got released, and what system it was released on.
Based on that idea, we’ve done our research and compiled a list of seven games that are surprisingly hard to find. Be sure to leave your thoughts and any games we may have missed in the comment section below.
Pokemon Soul Silver/Heart Gold
Pokemon titles have a reputation for being popular games that are surprisingly expensive to buy once you go back a few generations. The rarest games in the Pokemon franchise are Soul Silver and Heart Gold, remakes of the second generation of Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS.
Just the cartridge themselves is the price of a new game, totaling up to around $60 to $80 each depending on where you live. If you get the complete in-box package, you’re easily looking at more than a couple hundred dollars for just one of these games with the case and manual.
It doesn’t make sense why they’re such rare games, as the games aren’t really even that old; perhaps it’s just the product’s quality. Pokemon Soul Silver and Heart Gold are incredibly replayable, as it lets you go back to the first game’s region and beat their league, and it has a beautiful art style, so maybe that has something to do with it.
It’s a great Pokemon remaster. It’s just a shame you have to pay an arm and a leg for it.
Fire Emblem Path of Radiance
Although Fire Emblem is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, it’s only the more recent titles that have been widely played. Back in the days of the GameCube and the Wii, the series wasn’t doing so hot, which wasn’t too surprising considering it was a niche game on a console that wasn’t selling well.
As a result of these poor sales, the game didn’t get too much attention, eventually making it rather scarce down the line due to supply and demand. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance was the first in a two-part series, and despite both games being rare, Path of Radiance is easily the hardest to find.
If you want a copy of this game, you’ll have to pay more than $300. It’s not some special edition either; it’s just the base game with the case and manual. I managed to get a copy of Path of Radiance a few years ago for $250, and that was a steal.
This game and its sequel are due for a re-release as they’re hard to find and some of the most expensive games on their consoles. Path of Radiance is one of the Gamecube’s most rare games.
Eternal Darkness
Did you know that back in the days of the Gamecube, Nintendo published their first M-rated game ever, called Eternal Darkness? If not, that’s because despite having revolutionary gameplay mechanics, it didn’t sell well.
Although there had already been breakthroughs in the horror game genre thanks to juggernauts like Resident Evil and Silent Hill, Eternal Darkness took it a step further. The game employed a sanity mechanic that broke the fourth wall to mess with the player’s head.
If your sanity meter got low enough, Eternal Darkness would make you think your game froze, or that there was a fly on the TV, or that you’re stuck in a room with no way out. Truthfully, the game isn’t that scary nowadays since we don’t use CRT TVs anymore, but the gameplay concepts were unique and messed with the mind in ways no other game did.
The scariest thing nowadays is actually its price range. Since it didn’t sell tons of copies and has such a cult following, there is no way this game could be found for under $100.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Today Sega is known for developing their own games as well as helping publish others, but back in the day they also made their own consoles. Their consoles had a host of exclusive games that were beloved by many, including Panzer Dragoon Saga
Panzer Dragoon Saga is an RPG set in a post-apocalyptic world and has you riding upon armored dragons. This was the fifth game in the Panzer Dragoon series and took some significant departments from series staples.
Instead of being an on-rails shooter like previous entries, there was instead semi-turn-based combat, free roam exploration, and leveling up. The changes were welcomed as many consider this to be a staple of the Sega Saturn.
However, Panzer Dragoon Saga had a limited release in the West. This meant that English copies of the game were so rare, they ended up selling for hundreds of dollars, something that is still the case today. If you managed to find a sealed copy of this rare game, it goes for thousands.
Earthbound
Nintendo is known for mega-hits like The Legend of Zelda and Mario, as they still use the IPs to create new games even today. Living in the shadow of these mascots, though, are plenty of other popular franchises that have been left in the retro days yet to return, like The Mother series
The franchise gained a cult following across the years due to its satirical tone, unique gameplay mechanics, and charming setting. The series has yet to see any new games since Mother 3 came out in 2006, though. Earthbound, which is technically the second game in the series, but the first to release in the West, may have a large cult following, but it’s still a challenging game to find.
Earthbound had an expensive marketing campaign in the West but still managed to flop when it came to sales numbers, leading to less production. Even just the cartridges can go for anything from $300 to $500, while the complete in-box version goes for thousands. At least Ness is in Super Smash Bros, right?
King of Fighter 2000 – English Version
The King of Fighters series has been going since the early nineties, with the fifteenth mainline game is due to come out this year. With so many games in the series, it isn’t surprising that one of them would eventually pop up as rare. That game turned out to be King of Fighters 2000.
King of Fighters 2000 was the seventh mainline game in the series, releasing on NEO GEO in the summer of 2000. Despite the franchise’s growing acclaim overseas, it still had a limited release in the West. In fact, it was so limited, that the English version of the game now sells for at least $10,000.
King of Fighters 2000 would go on to be ported to other, more modern consoles, but that hasn’t lowered the price of the original at all. That’s honestly if you can even find the original. It’s easily the rarest game on the list.
P.T
P.T is a particular case since it’s not technically possible to buy the actual game now and in fact was only created as a playable teaser for a now-canceled game called Silent Hills, a new game in the long-running Silent Hill franchise. Even though it was only a demo, though, the game received a substantial following online.
When starting the game, players are given no direction on what to do, how to play, or how to solve any of the game’s plethora of puzzles. This fun, short, and simple concept caused it to be considerably popular among streamers and lets players, boosting its notoriety and reach as a result.
Unfortunately, the game was canceled soon after, prompting Sony to remove the teaser from the PlayStation store, even adding an update later on that would make it unplayable. The only way to play it after the update was to buy a PS4 with its version that wasn’t updated, making it super rare.
Depending on what version of PS4 you buy with P.T on it, you’ll pay more than a couple of hundred dollars for the console.
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