Tiny print runs, impossible-to-find exclusives, limited editions: some games are worth a small fortune today. This Top 100 gathers the rarest retro games according to the RomWize rarity index, calculated version by version. For each one, you will find its rarity, its regional editions and its estimated collector value, the ideal hunting ground for collectors.
"Port of Hudson's PC Engine Super CD-ROM shoot 'em up, redrawn by Sega for Mega-CD with new cinematics and a reworked CD-Audio score. The European JVC pressing stands out for redrawn cover art foregrounding the fire knight and for an additional strategy booklet absent from the American release. That editorial specificity makes it the most contested version among European CD shmup collectors."
"Undead Line is the Japan-exclusive edition of Palsoft's shoot in very limited local print. Exceptional collector value: one of the rarest and most expensive Japanese Megadrive shmups on the secondary market."
"The American SNES NTSC version of Harvest Moon, the first Western localisation of Bokujou Monogatari, released late in early 1998 with a particularly small end-of-life print. This late-cycle scarcity makes it one of the most expensive SNES NTSC titles in the simulation segment, in the fragile US cardboard box. Value rests on the genuine scarcity of the late print and on the global aura of the franchise born from this founding entry."
"A 1995 US SNES Atlus/Enix release, the Western localisation of Quest's 'Densetsu no Ogre Battle'. The US cart was distributed in very limited quantities at the end of the SNES cycle, which makes US boxed CIB one of the most expensive tactical RPG grails on the market. Graded sealed prices climb hard, sustained by extreme physical scarcity and by the global stature Yasumi Matsuno gained from his later Square work."
"The Famicom edition of this sequel, more accessible than the European PAL counterpart but rarer than the first Japanese entry. The late 1994 release on Famicom, with Super Famicom already dominating, explains the modest print. Intact boxed CIB has seen its Japanese cote climb steadily, helped by the renewed prestige of Capcom Disney games highlighted in modern compilations."
"Mega-CD adaptation of Bullfrog's Syndicate, kept exclusive to the European market on this format, while the Mega Drive version received worldwide distribution. The optical edition leverages CD-Audio for Russell Shaw's industrial score and adds a brand-new cinematic introduction. That PAL exclusivity and the elevated audio quality make it a target for Bullfrog collectors aiming to complete the franchise ecosystem."
"Fifth and final Mega Man on the original Game Boy, built around the Stardroids, a set of robots that appear in no other branch of the franchise. Super Game Boy compatible with its own palette. The PAL run came in particularly small and has earned near grail status among Rockman completists, since the Capcom Europe cardboard box in clean condition with manual and poster map is rarely found intact together."
"The European PAL NES edition of the Taito Takeru platformer released in 1992 at the very tail of the cycle, regarded as one of the most expensive NES PAL CIBs in the world. The European print was tiny, and the exceptional technical and artistic quality (by ex-Capcom developers) made it an absolute Holy Grail. Intact boxed CIB in clean condition regularly hits top public-auction marks, independent of any speculation."
"The US NTSC NES edition of the fifth entry, released at the end of the NES commercial cycle in the States. The late US print is shorter than the earlier entries, making clean complete copies notably less common, with the US cardboard box warping on top. Desirability comes from this end-of-generation scarcity and the game's place in the Capcom saga, among the structuring pieces of a serious US NES collection."
"A 1995 US SNES LucasArts/Konami release, North-American-exclusive, a 2D mecha-action often compared to Cybernator. The US cart was distributed in very limited quantities and stands as one of the rarest US SNES titles in the action/mecha segment. Boxed CIB in an intact box with manual has become a grail for LucasArts SNES collectors, and graded sealed prices climb hard, sustained by extreme physical scarcity and by the title's cult aura."
"Strictly European Sunsoft release with no American counterpart, which makes it one of the recognised grails of the Western Game Boy catalogue. Animation and art direction by the Mr. Gimmick team, whose pastel visual identity and movement fluidity stand out within the PAL catalogue. Sunsoft Europe run was extremely short, and the cartridge in a clean cardboard box regularly reaches headline numbers at specialised auctions."
"The European PAL SNES edition of the 1994 Human Entertainment vertical beat'em up, released in very limited quantities and never distributed in the US. The PAL cart is one of the most expensive SNES PAL titles on the European market, comparable to Demon's Crest. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box has become a Scandinavian and British grail, and the cote climbs hard, sustained by extreme physical scarcity and by the cult status of the game among Human Entertainment purists."
"The Japanese Super Famicom version of LucasArts' Super Star Wars Return of the Jedi, Japan-exclusive under this 'Jedi's Revenge' subtitle. The Japanese cart sports an original cover and preserves the unremastered original audio. Intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and illustrated JVC manual is valued by Japanese LucasArts collectors for the coherence of the localised SFC Star Wars trilogy, and the cote climbs hard, sustained by the physical scarcity of the local pressing."
"US NTSC-U edition of Magic Knight Rayearth on Saturn, distributed by Working Designs in 1998, the last official US Saturn release, a CLAMP anime adaptation mixing action RPG and animated cinematic sequences. Localized and published very late, at the very end of the console's American life, it had a minimal run that makes it one of the platform's major NTSC rarities. Demand from US Saturn and Working Designs completists strongly drives the price, the complete identified US copy ranking among the most coveted pieces of the catalogue."
"The European PAL SNES edition of the Capcom arcade beat'em up ported to SNES, with a short PAL print and a fragile cardboard box. The PAL cart is markedly rarer than the Japanese Super Famicom version, and the SNES port remained one of the few period ways to play this Capcom arcade title at home. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs hard, sustained by physical scarcity and the cult arcade aura."
"Limited Run Games reissue on a freshly produced GBC cartridge, manufactured as a numbered run with dedicated sleeves and collector edition extras. It does not faithfully reproduce the 2002 Capcom cartridge but addresses a different audience: not period-original buyers but collectors of recent pressings guaranteed sealed. The printed serial number remains the dominant pricing data point on the LRG secondary market."
"A late 1992 Sunsoft Famicom release, long cited as the console's technical and musical peak thanks to the Sunsoft 5B audio chip built into the cart. The Japanese print was short, and intact boxed CIB with cardboard sleeve and manual is one of the most coveted Famicom grails. The Nordic PAL release is rarer still. Masashi Kageyama's soundtrack feeds steady demand among informed chiptuners."
"A very late European PAL NES edition of Sunsoft's 'Gimmick!', released in microscopic quantities on the Scandinavian market only. One of the most expensive NES PAL CIBs in the world, regularly clearing several thousand euros in clean shape. Physical scarcity is extreme, and the Sunsoft 5B chip aura combined with the Scandinavian print make it a mythic piece. Authenticated boxed CIB is an absolute grail of European NES collecting."
