These Games Will Bankrupt You
You might think your gaming habit is expensive because you just shelled out seventy dollars for a new release, but that’s pocket change compared to the true high-roller tier of the hobby. For some collectors and enthusiasts, the price of admission involves dropping the equivalent of a down payment on a house just to own a single plastic cartridge. Whether it’s a legendary rarity from the eighties or a modern title where you can spend six figures on virtual spaceships, there’s a whole world of gaming that’s essentially off-limits to anyone without a massive bank account.
1. Star Citizen
While you can technically jump into this space simulator for a reasonable price, the real "rich person" experience involves buying the Legatus Pack. This digital bundle costs tens of thousands of dollars and gives you access to every single ship in the game's massive fleet. You’ll definitely need a high-end PC and a deep wallet.
2. Super Mario Bros. (Graded Early Copies)
You likely have fond memories of playing this on your Nintendo, but an original, factory-sealed copy from the first production run is a different beast entirely. Collectors have paid over two million dollars for pristine versions of this game at high-end auctions. Owning one of these means you’re treating a plumber’s adventure like a Picasso painting.
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3. Entropia Universe
This isn't your average online world because the virtual currency has a fixed exchange rate with real-world US dollars. One player famously purchased a virtual space station called "Crystal Palace" for $330,000, which is more than many people spend on actual real estate. You have to be ready to invest serious capital.
4. Nintendo World Championships (Gold Edition)
Nintendo produced only twenty-six gold cartridges to be awarded to winners of their nationwide tournament in 1990. If you find one on eBay, it will most likely cost you at least $100k. It’s the ultimate status symbol for retro collectors who want to own a literal piece of gaming history.
5. Diablo Immortal
This mobile spin-off made headlines because of the astronomical cost required to fully "max out" a single character's gear. Some estimates suggest you’d need to spend over $100,000 in microtransactions to reach the absolute peak of power in the game. Unless you have an unlimited entertainment budget, you’ll likely find yourself hitting a very expensive wall quite quickly.
6. Air Raid
This ultra-rare Atari 2600 game is commonly known for its half-blue handle and the fact that almost no one knew about it until recently. Only about twenty copies exist, and they’ll easily sell for over $30k due to the extreme demand. It’s a very high price to pay for a pretty repetitive game.
7. Stadium Events
Before it was rebranded as World Class Track Meet, this game had a very limited release, which makes it a "holy grail" for NES enthusiasts. Finding a legitimate copy in the wild is nearly impossible, and sealed versions have sold for upwards of $40,000 in recent years. You’re essentially paying for the rarity.
8. Genshin Impact (Whale Tier)
The battle-tested gacha model allows players to spend thousands of dollars a month in hopes of obtaining every new character. Charging $2k on a “C6 R5” banner isn’t unheard of, and many players will drop that much with hopes of completing their roster.
9. Gamma Attack
Talk about rare. Only one copy is known to exist of this Atari game, making it far more scarce than Bitcoin. The owner once listed it for half a million dollars, though its true value is whatever a billionaire collector is willing to pay.
Nikita Kachanovsky on Unsplash
10. EVE Online
People actually play this game for decades at a time just to acquire insane amounts of in-game currency. It isn’t uncommon to see players who have tens of millions of dollars worth of stuff destroyed in battles that can only take place due to EVE’s massively scaled economy.
11. Birth of Adventure (Neo Geo)
When people think of expensive games, they normally think of cartridges or Japanese console imports. But this Neo Geo console system was more expensive than a car at release. And with prices only going up, you’ll need thousands just for the console alone.
12. The Legend of Zelda (Prototype Copies)
Owning a retail version of Link's first adventure is easy, but owning an internal Nintendo prototype cartridge is a different story. These yellow-labelled testing units are incredibly scarce and are often sold privately for prices that would make your head spin. They’re prized by historians and wealthy fans alike.
13. BioShock (10th Anniversary Edition)
While the game itself is affordable, the ultra-limited "10th Anniversary" statues and bundles can go for thousands on the secondary market. True collectors hunt down these rare physical editions to display in their high-end game rooms. You’re definitely paying for the craftsmanship and the exclusivity of the memorabilia rather than the digital code.
14. Birthday Mania
This Atari 2600 game allowed parents to order a customized version with their child's name on the title screen for their birthday. Because it was a niche mail-order service, only a handful of copies were ever made. If one ever pops up on eBay, expect a bidding war that reaches the tens of thousands.
15. Star Fox Weekend Cartridge
Nintendo of America made these special cartridges as giveaways for a countrywide competition in 1993. When they inevitably ran out of entries, they sold the leftovers to the winners of their fan club magazine’s raffle drawings. You’ll have to be a high earner to justify spending several thousand dollars on this game.
16. Kizuna Encounter (European Version)
This is the legendary white whale of Neo Geo collecting because only a few copies of the European release are known to exist. It’s essentially identical to the much cheaper Japanese version, but that hasn't stopped collectors from paying $13,000 or more for the specific packaging. It’s a perfect example of how a different box can change the price of a game from "expensive" to "astronomical."
17. Red Sea Crossing
This religious-themed Atari 2600 game was lost to history until a copy surfaced at a garage sale in 2007. It turns out it was a very limited mail-order title, and its sudden discovery sent the collecting world into a frenzy. You’ll need a massive budget to convince the current owners to part with one of the only known copies in the world.
18. Final Fantasy (Factory Sealed NES)
Even though millions have played FF1 on some form of NES console, finding one that’s been in the wrapper for thirty-five years is nearly impossible. You’ll be paying six-figure amounts to own a game that you can never play. It’s a lot of money for a game that you’ll never actually be allowed to take out of its plastic case.
19. Campus Challenge 1991
Similar to the Nintendo World Championships, this cartridge was used for a touring college gaming competition and was supposed to be destroyed afterward. A few copies survived, and they are now some of the most expensive items in the entire hobby. You’d probably be better off buying a nice sports car.
20. Grand Theft Auto VI (Launch Day Expectations)
As we head into the late 2026 release of this massive sequel, rumors suggest the "Ultimate Collector's Edition" could be the most expensive new game release in history. Between the base game, potential premium subscriptions, and limited physical statues, you could easily spend several hundred dollars on day one. It’s set to be the ultimate luxury entertainment experience for anyone with a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
