Valuation Guide

WHAT ARE MY old games ACTUALLY WORTH?

Most people have a rough idea that old games are 'worth something' and no idea whether that means twenty dollars or six thousand. This is the honest version — the five things that decide the number, written by people who buy these every week.

Get a free quote Call (786) 496-0474

THE THREE FORMATS, AND WHY THEY ARE NOT THE SAME MARKET

Before anything else, work out which of three things you have. People routinely compare a loose cartridge against a sealed sale price and conclude their collection is worth ten times what it is — or throw away something genuinely valuable because it looked ordinary.

LOOSE CARTRIDGE

Just the game. Still worth real money for sought-after titles, but the floor of the three formats. Label condition and whether it saves are what matter.

COMPLETE IN BOX

Game, box, manual and inserts together. Typically several times a loose copy. The box usually carries most of the value, not the cartridge.

SEALED

Factory sealed, never opened. A different market entirely, and the only one where five-figure numbers happen. Never open one to check.

GRADED

Sealed and professionally graded by WATA or VGA. The grade becomes the price. Adjacent grades can differ by thousands.

CONSOLE BOXED

Console with its original box, inserts and styrofoam. Worth substantially more than a loose console.

LOTS & COLLECTIONS

Mixed piles. Usually worth more sold as a lot than piece by piece once you value your own time honestly.

Valuation

WHAT ACTUALLY DECIDES THE NUMBER

In rough order of how much they move the price. If you only check one thing, check the first.

Format, before anything else

A sealed copy of a common game can beat a loose copy of a rare one. Establish which of the formats above you have before you look up any price. This single distinction causes more wildly wrong expectations than everything else combined.

The title itself

Print run size and demand drive this. A game that sold millions is common in every format; a late-release title on a dying console can be scarce even loose. Popularity when new and value now are often inversely related.

Condition, in the specific way collectors mean it

For loose carts: label tears, sun-fading, water staining, writing. For boxed: crushed corners, split seams, missing inserts. For sealed: seal integrity, dents, and whether the shrink has been disturbed.

Print variant and region

First print runs, black-label originals, regional variants and special editions can be worth many times a standard copy. The differences are often a small line of text on the back of the box. We check rather than assume.

Grade, if it is graded

A WATA or VGA number largely becomes the price for sealed material. Our Pokémon Emerald sold for $6,000 as a WATA 9.4. The same game, opened, is a fraction of that.

FAQ

COMMON QUESTIONS.

How much are my old video games worth?

It depends almost entirely on format and title. A loose common cartridge might be a few dollars; a complete-in-box copy of the same game several times that; a sealed copy in the hundreds or thousands. Collections we assess in Miami typically land somewhere between a couple of hundred dollars and five figures. The only reliable way to know is to price your specific titles against completed sales, which is what we do before making any offer.

How can I check what my games are worth myself?

Search completed and sold listings rather than asking prices — active listings tell you what people hope to get, not what anyone paid. Match the exact format: loose, complete-in-box, sealed or graded. Comparing your loose cartridge against a sealed sale is the single most common mistake, and it produces numbers that are wrong by a factor of ten or more.

Are old video games worth more sealed?

Almost always, and usually by a very large margin. Sealed copies are a separate market with separate buyers. This is why the advice is absolute: if a game is still sealed, do not open it to check the condition inside. You cannot reseal it, and you will have converted the most valuable version of that item into one of the least valuable.

Does a scratched disc or a dirty cartridge kill the value?

Not necessarily. Cartridge contacts can be cleaned and light disc scratches can be resurfaced, and neither is fatal for common titles. What does real damage is label damage on cartridges, water staining, and anything that has been written on. Send photos as-is — do not try to clean anything aggressively before an assessment.

Is my game worth grading before I sell it?

Sometimes, and often not. Grading costs money and takes months, and a disappointing grade can leave you worse off than an ungraded sale. It tends to make sense only for high-end sealed candidates where the grade difference is worth more than the fee and the wait. We will tell you honestly when we think it is not worth it.

Do you buy whole collections or only the valuable pieces?

Whole collections. We would rather quote the entire lot than cherry-pick the best three items and leave you to deal with the rest, which is what makes most people give up on selling at all. Free quote within 24 hours, pickup available across Miami and South Florida.

Get an Offer

TELL US WHAT YOU'VE GOT.

Your Name

Phone (optional)

What are you selling?

Describe your collection

What are you hoping to get? (optional)

Photos

Click or drag photos here

JPG, PNG, WEBP — up to 10 photos

Your details are used only to respond to your inquiry and are never sold or shared. Photos are hosted via an anonymous upload and are viewable by anyone with the direct link — please don't include documents, ID or faces. See our privacy policy.

✓ Got it — we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

We Buy

CATEGORIES WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR.

Vintage ToysAction FiguresLEGO SetsHot WheelsVideo GamesRetro ConsolesNintendoAtariFilm CamerasSLR CamerasVintage LensesEstate JewelryGold & SilverWatchesVintage ElectronicsHi-Fi AudioTrading CardsComicsSports MemorabiliaCollectiblesOddities

Not Sure If We Buy It?

JUST ASK. WE DON'T BITE.

If we can't buy it we'll tell you honestly — and we might even point you in the right direction.

WHAT ARE MY OLD VIDEO GAMES WORTH? A MIAMI BUYER'S GUIDE

The honest answer is that video game values swing harder on small details than almost any other collectible category. Format matters more than title, condition matters more than age, and a print variant printed on the back of a box can multiply a number several times over. This guide covers what we check before quoting on any collection in Miami.

If you would rather skip the research, send photos through the form above. We price against current completed sales, explain how we arrived at the figure, and make one honest offer. Free assessment within 24 hours, no obligation.

More on selling games with us: sell video games & consoles in Miami · Sealed & Graded Games · Retro Consoles

We also buy vintage toys and action figures, LEGO, collectible figures and cameras and lenses. Call (786) 496-0474 or get in touch.