Retro Game Collecting: A Beginner's Complete Guide

Why Collect Physical Games?

Digital storefronts have made most classic games accessible without a physical copy. Nintendo Switch Online, PlayStation Plus, and Steam libraries cover a significant portion of the canonical catalog. So why collect cartridges and discs?

The honest answer is that physical collecting is partly about the object as much as the game. There’s a specific pleasure in a shelf of cartridges, in handling a well-preserved copy of a game that’s thirty years old, in the original box art and manual that provided context that modern games deliver in-game.

There are also practical reasons: significant portions of the classic library are not available through any digital storefront. EarthBound, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (in its original form), and many other titles are either unavailable digitally or available only in modified versions. Original hardware playing original media is the only way to experience exactly what those games were.

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Start With a Platform, Not a Game

The most common mistake new collectors make is buying individual games they want before establishing a complete system.

A complete system means:

• Console hardware in working condition
• All necessary cables (power, video)
• At least one working controller
• A display it works with (or an upscaler)

Without a complete system, an expensive game cartridge is an object you can’t play. Prioritize hardware first.

Platform recommendations by collecting value:

NES: Deep library, affordable hardware, some extremely expensive rare games alongside hundreds of cheap common titles. Good for gradual, affordable collecting.

SNES: Higher cartridge prices than NES across the board, but among the best game-per-dollar ratios of any platform. Most SNES games hold their value because demand remains high.

Sega Genesis: More affordable than SNES. Many excellent games (particularly the EA Sports library) are inexpensive. The platform is undervalued relative to its quality.

PlayStation 1: Discs are generally inexpensive and abundant. Some titles in original big-box format are collectible. The hardware is cheap and well-documented for maintenance.

Game Boy Advance: Rising prices but still accessible. Many excellent games. The hardware is compact and durable.

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Spotting Counterfeits

The rising value of retro games has created a counterfeit market. The most commonly counterfeited platforms are NES, SNES, and GBA — where repro cartridges are cheap to produce and high-value titles command significant premiums.

NES cartridge authentication: Open the cartridge and examine the circuit board. Authentic Nintendo NES cartridges have a specific board revision number printed on the PCB (e.g., NES-EKROM-01). Counterfeit boards often look different, have misaligned components, or use obvious modern PCB construction. The screws on authentic cartridges require a specialized Game Bit screwdriver; counterfeit cartridges sometimes use Phillips head screws.

SNES cartridge authentication: The board and chip dating should be consistent with the game’s release year. An SNES cartridge nominally from 1991 should not have chips dated 2015. Label adhesive, label printing quality, and the feel of the plastic are secondary tells.

GBA cartridge authentication: The Nintendo logo on authentic GBA cartridges has a specific texture. The board inside authentic cartridges has specific chip configurations. Many repro GBA cartridges are obviously fake when opened. The battery (for save games) in authentic cartridges is a specific type — repros often use a different cell.

PlayStation disc authentication: PS1 discs are harder to counterfeit convincingly because the disc data structure includes manufacturing codes. Burned discs look different on the data side from pressed discs. Authentic PS1 discs have a specific texture on the data side (shiny, with a distinctive color gradient) that burned discs don’t replicate.

General rules:

• If the price seems too good for a known-expensive title, assume counterfeit until proven otherwise
• Buy from reputable stores with return policies when purchasing high-value titles
• Online purchases of expensive games should come from sellers with significant feedback history

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Where to Buy

Local retro game stores: The best option for testing hardware before purchase. Prices are typically at or near market rates, but you’re paying for the ability to verify what you’re buying. Staff at good retro shops know their inventory.

eBay: The widest selection. Use completed listings (not current listings) to check actual sale prices — what sellers ask and what games actually sell for are often different. Filter for sellers with 98%+ positive feedback and check their return policy before purchasing expensive items.

Facebook Marketplace / Craigslist: Best for finding deals from people clearing out collections or downsizing. You’re often buying from someone who doesn’t know exact market prices, which can mean deals. Always meet in a safe public location or request delivery.

Game conventions: Variable. Convention prices are often at-or-above retail but you can handle items before buying. The social environment is fun for collectors.

Thrift stores: Increasingly picked over by resellers who check these regularly, but deals still appear. Best in areas with less active reseller communities.

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Price Guides and Market Research

PriceCharting.com is the primary price reference for retro games. The site tracks eBay sold listings and calculates market values for loose, complete-in-box (CIB), and brand-new cartridges separately.

Always check PriceCharting before making a significant purchase. Prices have changed significantly over the past five years — some games that were $20 in 2019 are $80+ in 2025, and some games that were artificially inflated have corrected downward.

Wata Games and VGA grading: Third-party grading services that evaluate and encapsulate sealed or CIB games in acrylic cases with condition grades. Graded games sell at significant premiums over ungraded equivalents. The grading market has been criticized for price manipulation; graded games should be understood as a separate market from functional collecting.

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Condition Standards

Cartridge only (loose): The cartridge itself, no box or manual. The most common form for affordable collecting.

Cart + manual: More collectible than loose; manuals are often lost.

Complete in box (CIB): Original cartridge, original manual, original box in good condition. Significantly more valuable than loose for most titles.

Brand new/sealed: Factory-sealed, never opened. Primarily interesting to investment collectors rather than players.

For players who intend to actually play their collection, cartridge-only is the most practical. CIB collecting adds cost that makes sense if the collection itself is part of what you value.

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The Games Worth the High Prices

Some retro games are expensive for legitimate reasons — they’re excellent, rare, or both. Some are expensive because market speculation inflated prices. Brief guidance:

Worth the premium (great games that happen to be expensive):

• EarthBound (SNES) — one of the most original RPGs ever made
• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1) — the defining Metroidvania
• Chrono Trigger (SNES) — the most approachable JRPG ever made
• Mega Man X3 (SNES) — the rarest Mega Man X entry
• Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge (SNES) — legitimately rare promotional item

Questionable at current prices:

• Most late-era NES games that were print runs of ordinary games, now expensive only because they’re rare
• Many licensed games that are valuable primarily as collectibles rather than as experiences worth playing

The best collecting strategy is to buy games you intend to play. A collection of games you’ve enjoyed is more satisfying than a collection of expensive items you display but don’t use.