Nintendo's 8-bit console is home to a plethora of exceedingly rare and expensive games. Despite their age and archaic nature, there are more than a handful of titles that remain highly coveted, and often cost loads more than the flashy games of the modern era. Thanks to its seasoning and its slew of unique and obscure games, NES is one of the platforms of choice for collectors looking to show off their rare gaming artifacts.
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Much like the software embedded within the plastic cartridges, many of these carts themselves come with some rather interesting backstories which often explain how they became so scarce and so valuable. While there are plenty of titles that are on the expensive side, a handful of them are truly in their own league when it comes to rarity and price, especially when found in new condition.
Updated July 23rd, 2021 by Stephen LaGioia: Collecting rare video games is a hobby that only seems to be growing among the gaming community. This is particularly true for older gamers, who seek to bask in nostalgia and score gaming relics that have grown rarer over the years. The increased prominence and influence of online retailers has only emboldened these enthusiasts, thanks to the added convenience and accessibility these outlets provide. With this in mind—and the fluid nature of the game prices—it seemed appropriate to refresh this list and include some more rare, pricey titles for the NES.
15 Mighty Final Fight
- Current price range: $240 - $1,660
Fans of Capcom's street brawler are likely to point to the gritty realism when it comes to the franchise's unique appeal. In this sense, then, this odd spinoff doesn't exactly showcase the spirit of its mainline counterparts. Rather, it opts to feature some rather comical, cartoon-like caricatures instead.
The silly, minimal art style, coupled with an ill-fitting experience system, made this offshoot something of an afterthought for both the studio and fans alike. But while the original NES cart is fairly obscure, the game saw new life by way of a 2006 rendition for the Game Boy Advance, Capcom Mini-Mix.
14 Wacky Races
- Current price range: $290 - $850
Not to be confused with the colorful PlayStation romp from 2000—this NES game by Atlus was somewhat doomed from the start with regards to widespread success, being based on a fairly obscure Hanna-Barbera cartoon by the same name. It probably didn't help that the title was a bit deceiving, being a platformer rather than a driving game.
But while it was certainly no Super Mario, the game offered some competent and often tricky platforming across an expansive trio of areas. Players assume the role of the chuckling dog Muttley, who can hop, bite, and even use his tail to glide across plentiful gaps as he collects bones and clashes with other racers.
13 Power Blade 2
- Current price range: $700 - $3,700
Even in their more prominent 8-bit days, Japanese studio Taito had a knack for yielding relatively small quantities of game carts for the NES—and this testosterone-fueled action romp is one of many casualties on this front.
Just like its 1990 predecessor, this more robust sequel takes a page from the Mega Man playbook with its ample grind-it-out shooter gameplay. Players will adorn a super-powered "cyborg" suit and fend off various foes, eventually nabbing suits that enable them to swim, gain armor, and even climb ceilings.
12 Zombie Nation
- Current price range: $610 - $1,470
In the oh-so-distant dystopian future of 1999, an alien has crash-landed on earth by way of meteorite, wreaking havoc and turning the US population into zombies. Enter the bizarre floating-head protagonist, Kamakubi, who's tasked with blasting through treacherous city streets and recovering a samurai sword to destroy the alien source. While the dark, bizarre themes are sure to raise some eyebrows, the crux of the gameplay is essentially a horror-laden version of R-Type.
Between its gruesome motifs and punishing gameplay, it's perhaps no surprise that Zombie Nation never saw any real success on Nintendo's family-friendly console. However, it seems the game will be rising from the dead with a Switch and Windows re-release in October 2021.
11 The Flintstones: Surprise At Dinosaur Peak
- Current price range: $1,100 - $2,770
This platformer, based on the hit Hanna-Barbera cartoon, arrived quite late on the NES scene, releasing years after the Super Nintendo had launched. This made the somewhat crude experience seem all the more prehistoric. On top of this, the game was reportedly exclusive to Blockbuster Video for the majority of its run, further alienating itself from the market.
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Still, the few who did manage to get their hands on this ancient antique were mostly surprised to find a pretty rock-solid platformer. The game offers some colorful locales, decent mechanics, and the fun ability to swap between Fred and Barney; each of whom use different weapons and abilities.
10 TMNT: Tournament Fighters
- Current price range: $210 - $1,299
Before the Super Smash Bros.-inspired romp that was, TMNT: Smash-Up, there was this charming fighter that bore many of the hallmarks of Street Fighter with a Turtles overlay.
This NES game had the misfortune of being released well after the Super Nintendo had been launched, and was somewhat overshadowed by the brawler classic Turtles In Time. On top of this, there were a variety of skews for Tournament Fighter, in addition to varying regional releases. In a rare role reversal, Japan never got a release of this particular NES Turtles game, further adding to its scarcity.
9 Snow Brothers
- Current price range: $350 - $3,000
It's a shame this converted arcade game has been relegated to obscurity, as it actually contains some simultaneous co-op that's quite enjoyable.
Yet, apparently most gamers in 1991 didn't quite think so, as the game never really took off; getting lost amidst a sea of quality NES games. It was also followed by the much-hyped SNES around the time of its release, and overshadowed by the very similar Bubble Bobble games. These factors, coupled with developer Toaplan filing for bankruptcy and closing its doors in 1994, led to a pretty short, limited run of the NES version of Snow Brothers.
8 Bonk's Adventure
- Current price range: $765 - $2,600
The rarity of Bonk's Adventure can mostly be attributed to the several versions and ports that make each skew more scarce than it otherwise would have been. The original platform, and really, the main focus for Bonk's was the TurboGrafx-16 console. By the time it was ported to the NES, the odd Mario imitator which starred a cave boy with a massive head, was sort of an afterthought, and never widely distributed.
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It did see something of a renaissance, however, as it was one of the first games to kick-off Nintendo's Wii Virtual Console in 2006. This port more recent port ironically seemed to give it far more exposure and players than its original NES release.
7 Panic Restaurant
- Current price range: $920 - $3,333
It's perhaps easy to see how a tricky platform game featuring a kitchen crawling with food monsters might not exactly light the sales charts on fire. Though, there's more to its rarity other than its lack of appeal.
This Taito-developed title also had the misfortune of releasing on the aged 8-bit console from Nintendo several months after their flashier SNES was released, making them a bit late to the dinner party. This translated to sales (or lack thereof), and stands as the main reason so few carts were produced.
6 Bubble Bobble Part 2
- Current price range: $500 - $3,300
While the original Bubble Bobble was a relative hit on the NES when it released shortly after the console's US debut, the sequel was sort of a case of "too little too late." Not only was the gameplay more lukewarm, but the cart was also one of the last to be made for the NES before developers started shifting their focus to SNES.
Thus, it was unlikely to obtain one, unless visiting a rental store that happened to be selling them; as Taito's games were reportedly more abundant at these outlets.
5 Little Samson
- Current price range: $1,950 - $16,000
Gaming collectors would seemingly have hit the jackpot if they happened to be a fan or collector of Japanese publisher Taito. Yes, apparently, getting one's hands on a Taito-published game produced near the end of the NES's life almost guarantees the obtaining of a highly rare and sought-after cart.
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Unlike many of its ilk, though, Little Samson actually was given an official wide release, but simply didn't manage to find an audience. Its late 1992 release date and utter lack of promotion by the publisher probably didn't help, nor did the uncanny similarity to the far more successful Mega Man.
4 Cheetahmen 2
- Current price range: $1,450 - $2,125
This odd sidescroller could be considered a failed "off-brand" TMNT knockoff that's largely only known today by older NES diehards. The Cheetahmen franchise is more of a curiosity in gaming history than a functional video game. The programmers behind it were reportedly in over their heads when developing it, and it comes across in its barely functional mechanics and countless bugs.
The original flop can be found as part of another rare NES game known as Action 52. A sequel was planned and partially developed, but never carried to completion. In fact, no official finished game carts exist; with the roughly 1,500 in circulation housing the incomplete game and a simple gold sticker with the title slapped on. And good luck finding the box, which is even rarer!
3 Stadium Events
- Current price range: $9,550 - $42,000
It's funny to think that a sort of spiritual predecessor to Wii Fit, one of the most successful games of all time, would be one of the rarest, most obscure games on the NES — and possibly in gaming altogether. So why is it that this cheesy, archaic sports game and its cheap dance pad often goes for well over $10,000, and is one of the most coveted treasures by NES collectors?
Well, the credit (or blame?) lies with Nintendo themselves, as they essentially poached the Bandai-made original and rebranded it as World Class Track Meet. It's virtually the same game, but with a new name, and far more common prints.
2 Nintendo World Championship
- Current price range: (gold) $13,000 - $18,000
This cart, which features a hodgepodge of timed stages from different NES games, was made for the sole purpose of a single event; hence why this is one of the all-time most sought-after artifacts for collectors. In 1990, a Nintendo-based contest was held, where fans could compete in various game events and be awarded some pretty impressive prizes, including a flashy new convertible and a gold-painted Mario trophy.
These game trials were then housed in carts and produced in extremely limited numbers as part of future contests. There were only about 400 of the grey carts manufactured, while the gold Zelda-themed carts are even more scarce and have sold for a whopping $18,000!
1 Nintendo Campus Challenge
- Current price range (1991 edition): $17,100 - $29,200
It's tough to get rarer than this, considering there exists only one cart that's accounted for. Similar to Nintendo World Champions, this strange cart was made for the singular purpose of playing segments of Nintendo games used for a special event. This occasion, named the Nintendo Campus Challenge, was a Nintendo-sponsored competition held in '91 and '92, in which the Japanese developers toured dozens of college campuses throughout the US.
One lucky gamer managed to score the only known cart at—of all places—a garage sale, after which he took advantage of its massive exclusively and flipped it on Ebay for over $20,000!