Nintendo has enjoyed the most longevity of all the gaming companies, meaning its games can reach extremely high prices. Certain Nintendo games have been steadily rising in value for years, with some reaching eye-watering levels due to their scarcity.
A game can become rare if it was a competition exclusive or released at the tail-end of a generation and therefore had a low print run. Whatever the reason, the more time goes on, the rarer these games become as they find their way into the hands of those with the money to buy them.
10 E.V.O.: Search For Eden (SNES, 1993)
A sort of precursor to Spore, E.V.O.: Search For Eden is a side-scrolling platform game for the SNES that involves designing and navigating a creature through different eras of Earth's past. In 2006, pricecharting.com had the game listed at $47.38, its price steadily rising over the years to reach $265 at the time of writing.
And that's just for the cartridge. There's a listing on eBay selling just the box for $700. Complete in the box, the game is going for between $350 to $1,500, depending on the condition.
9 Goemon's Great Adventure (N64, 1999)
Anyone who happened to pick up a copy of side-scrolling platformer Goemon's Great Adventure for the N64 in 2006, when a loose copy was only $10, should be very pleased that they did. The cartridge alone is currently worth $127, while the game with its box is going for over $300. Sealed copies are even reaching as high as $1000.
Set in Japan in the Edo period, Goemon's Great Adventure is an early proponent of 2.5D in the platforming genre, with Goemon moving horizontally through a 3D landscape.
8 Hagane: The Final Conflict (SNES, 1995)
Hagane: The Final Conflict drew comparisons with Ninja Gaiden back when it was released in the mid-90s. While it was reviewed fairly well by the publications of the time, it's not nearly as good in terms of quality.
Its low circulation means the game is hard to come by these days. Complete in-box copies are going for $675, while a new copy can be purchased for nearly $1,500.
7 Stadium Events (NES, 1987)
Decades before Ring Fit Adventure, there was Stadium Events, a sports/fitness game that had players using a Family Fun Fitness mat to control the characters on the screen. Players would run on the spot, taking part in various track events.
Stadium Events is an incredibly rare game that sells for $436 loose. A sealed copy sold for $31,500 in 2015, while complete in-box copies sell for around $1,000 on average.
6 Donkey Kong Country Competition (SNES, 1994)
With only 2500 copies out there, Donkey Kong Country Competition for the SNES is so rare that it doesn't show up at auctions very often. There have only been 6 sales of complete boxed copies between 2013 and 2021, according to pricecharting.com, with the latest one being in 2020 when the game sold for $5,520.
Donkey Kong Country Competition was part of the Nintendo Powerfest '94 competition. There were some small adjustments were made to the game compared to the original, such as the inclusion of a timer. The only difference to the box art is the words 'Competition Cartridge' in the upper-righthand corner.
5 Snowboard Kids 2 (N64, 1999)
While the US release of Snowboard Kids 2 goes for around $100 complete, the Australian PAL release has steadily risen in value over the years and can now fetch as much as $2,650. This release is extremely rare as it's the only verifiable release window, with no evidence of European stores having sold it.
Snowboard Kids 2 was developed by Racjin and published by Atlus. The game involves snowboarding through various environments, performing tricks, and using power-ups.
4 Spud's Adventure (Game Boy, 1991)
Spud's Adventure is an odd and unassuming RPG adventure game about a potato that can fire projectiles that look just like him. The value of the game has gradually been increasing from $32 in 2008, with it standing at $400 in 2021 for the cartridge alone.
A boxed copy will set you back nearly $2,200, while a sealed copy was sold in 2015 for $3,5oo, making it one of the most expensive games on the original Game Boy.
3 Panic Restaurant (NES, 1992)
Published by Taito, Panic Restaurant came out when the SNES was already a year old in the States, which accounts for why it is so rare. As is typical of late-generation games, it's known as one of the best-looking games on the NES.
With gamers focused on the shiny new SNES, not many copies of Panic Restaurant were made. Both the US and European versions are pricey, with the sealed PAL version currently sitting at $935.
2 Bonk's Adventure (NES, 1994)
Back in 2007, a loose copy of Bonk's Adventure for the NES would set you back $100. In 2021, its price is just shy of $800. A port of a Turbo Grafx-16 game, it came out a little too late in the generation, which meant it had a low print run and went on to become incredibly rare.
A complete Bonk's Adventure set sold for $2500 in April of 2021, while the last sale of a sealed copy was for $2,799 in 2016.
1 ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut (N64, 1998)
A special edition update of ClayFighter 63⅓ was released as a Blockbuster Video rental exclusive. While it was only supposed to be rented, Blockbuster held a contest that allowed people to win a copy of the game.
The value of a ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut cartridge has risen from $37 in 2007 to $933 in 2021, while boxed copies have sold for $14,500 and $10,000 in 2020 and 2021.