If you grew up in the ’90s, chances are you spent countless hours glued to your Game Boy. Whether it was exploring the depths of Hyrule in “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening” or trying to catch ’em all in “Pokemon Red/Blue,” these handheld games hold a special place in our hearts. But did you know that some of these retro gems are now worth a fortune?
From rare limited editions to obscure titles released only in Japan, the prices of some Game Boy titles will blow your mind. So, get ready to explore the intriguing world of collector’s items, and maybe even dust off that old Game Boy sitting in your closet!
10. Battletoads & Double Dragon
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $44.00 |
| Complete In Box | $1,032.90 |
| Mint | $2,376.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
Back in the ’90s, Battletoads & Double Dragon was the biggest crossover event in gaming. The game allowed players to pick from their favorite bodacious definitely-not-ninja-turtles or the All-American Kung-Fu twins in the fight against a Dark Queen with plans to dominate the galaxy.
A working used version of the cartridge isn’t worth much at $44. The real value is found in the box and manuals, which have become increasingly hard to find in the thirty years since the game’s release. A complete-in-box copy of Battletoads & Double Dragon is worth more than a cool $1,000 and an unopened copy will get you over $2,300.
9. Metal Masters
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $44.37 |
| Complete In Box | $1,075.22 |
| Mint | $2,473.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
This overlooked robot fighting game offers a unique mix of side-scrolling brawling with one-on-one fighting à la Street Fighter. Not many people have heard of this game, let alone played it, which makes it hard to find working copies of the game today. If you’ve got a complete-in-box copy of Metal Masters, expect to get around $1,000 for it or $2,473 for a sealed copy.
8. Ninja Boy 2
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $59.75 |
| Complete In Box | $1,100.00 |
| Mint | $2,530.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
Ninja Boy 2 is a planet-hopping action-adventure game with light RPG elements that was released for the Game Boy in 1991. It’s one of the lesser-known titles in the Game Boy library and saw limited print runs back in the early ’90s. Today, pre-owned, complete-in-box copies of Ninja Boy 2 go for $1,100 and mint-condition items are worth over $2,500.
7. Sumo Fighter
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $206.81 |
| Complete In Box | $1,412.19 |
| Mint | $3,248.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
Sumo Fighter is a game about a sumo fighter who must save his girlfriend Kayo. It plays like your typical side-scrolling action title, with obstacles such as spike pits, blocks, and enemies to dispose of. An in-box copy of Sumo Fighter will burn a hole in your pocket to the tune of $1,412.
What makes Sumo Fighter so expensive? The game didn’t find much of an audience outside of Japan, so English-language prints were limited. As a result, North American ports are now extremely rare and sought after by collectors.
6. Mega Man V
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $186.21 |
| Complete In Box | $1,429.20 |
| Mint | $3,287.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
Mega Man V is notable for being the only Game Boy game in the series that was a brand-new game instead of a direct port of a NES game. In it, the Blue Bomber fends off extraterrestrial invaders called Stardroids, who were all original bosses only found in this version of the game.
The Japanese version of Mega Man V for the Game Boy is easy enough to find; it’s the English-language copies that collectors seek. Few non-Japan copies of the game were ever printed, and today, a complete-in-box copy of Mega Man V is worth upwards of $1,400.
5. Toxic Crusaders
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $304.48 |
| Complete In Box | $1,556.87 |
| Mint | $3,581.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
This side-scrolling beat ’em up tie-in to the Toxic Crusaders TV series is worth more than $1,500 for a complete-in-box copy. Why such a high valuation? Unlike many of the games on this list, Toxic Crusaders was only released in North America and never localized to other regions. That means few copies ever saw the light of day, driving resale prices sky-high.
4. Kid Dracula
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $212.50 |
| Complete In Box | $2,265.65 |
| Mint | $5,211.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
Kid Dracula was an experimental, non-canonical spin-off of the Castlevania series starring the son of Dracula. It was highly praised for providing a humorous look at Castlevania and was digitally released as part of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection in 2019.
Copies of the Game Boy port are exceedingly rare. A pre-owned Kid Dracula cartridge is worth roughly $210 today, but if you throw in the box and manual, you stand to earn up to $2,265. If you can find a mint, unopened copy of the game, prepare to pay up to $5,211 for it.
3. Spud’s Adventure
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $509.55 |
| Complete In Box | $2,350.00 |
| Mint | $5,405.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
At $2,350 complete in box, Spud’s Adventure is the third-most expensive Game Boy game. Like many Atlus titles in the Game Boy era, Spud’s Adventure had a limited print run and has never been reprinted or rereleased in the years since. The only copies of the game that exist are the ones printed way back in 1991.
2. F1 Pole Position
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $277.64 |
| Complete In Box | $2,499.00 |
| Mint | $5,748.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
F1 Pole Position is the second most expensive Game Boy game with an estimated complete-in-box value of $2,499, though I know it as one of the buggiest racing games on the Game Boy. If you’ve got a copy sitting in a box at home, don’t start celebrating yet. That’s the figure for special cartridges with a distinct label printing error where the graphic only takes up half the space, with the bottom half entirely black.
1. Amazing Tater
| Condition | Est. Price |
|---|---|
| Cartridge | $571.05 |
| Complete In Box | $5,861.30 |
| Mint | $13,481.00 |
| Figures as of June 6, 2023 (Source: PriceCharting) | |
If you’ve never heard of Amazing Tater before, we don’t blame you; not many have. It’s the sequel to the spatial puzzle game Kwirk, though you’d never know it from the game’s name and box art (what’s wrong with just calling it “Kwirk 2”?).
Amazing Tater is yet another limited-run Atlus game that didn’t fare so well on the market, but the lucky few who own a copy are the ones laughing now. Amazing Tater has an estimated complete-in-box price tag of $5,800 — that’s more than twice the next most expensive game on this list — and a brand-new, sealed copy of the game is worth nearly $13,500!
While it may be disheartening to see the staggering cost of these games, it’s fascinating to see the impact a little cartridge can have on both the gaming community and the pocketbooks of those lucky enough to own them.
As a reminder, the listed prices are constantly fluctuating, and as new collectors emerge and demand grows, who knows what future Game Boy auctions will yield? For both collectors and retro gaming enthusiasts, the hunt for these valuable Game Boy games continues to be an exciting and never-ending adventure.