The Most Expensive Pokemon Games
What are the most expensive Pokemon games in the franchise? From high-demand classics to little-known rares, we're taking a look at the most valuable games in the monster-collecting adventure games.
In a sea of goldmines, the Pokemon video game franchise numbers are among Nintendo's most golden. Despite not owning the rights directly, Nintendo profits from the sky-high sales figures of every new title in the series of monster-catching adventure games.
Of course, with such high sales, it's no surprise that some factory-sealed copies of older games have become increasingly hard to come by, leading to them fetching a pretty penny on auction sites. Here, we're taking a look at the most expensive games in the Pokemon franchise and how much they're worth.
Pokemon Snap
Few predicted that Pokemon Snap would become an all-time favorite title among the wide variety of Pokemon games. This on-the-rails photo-capturing adventure lets players travel to different locations to document Pokemon in their natural habitats. While its gameplay is rather simplistic, the original Nintendo 64 title became a cult classic that was later remade in April 2021 as New Pokemon Snap, reigniting interest and obsession with this classic.
Pokemon Switch Console Bundles
For obvious reasons, the majority of these titles are far older Pokemon games than anything on the Nintendo Switch. So, why do these Switch console bundles manage to hit the $700 mark? It's probably a combination of the appealing (well, subjectively speaking) Joy-Con designs, the unique Switch dock aesthetic, and the fact that there's an entire Switch in there most of all.
Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen
Popping back to the earlier days of the franchise, Pokemon FireRed still outsells LeafGreen as Red used to overshadow Blue - FireRed's resale value is a few hundred higher. That means sealed copies of LeafGreen will fetch about as much as those Let's Go bundles, but it's Charizard's timeless mug that roars for more.
Pokemon Gold & Silver
The arrival of the second-generation games, Gold & Silver, helped to secure that as plain falsehood. While they didn't sell quite as many copies - nor have any subsequent titles! - they still lit the sales charts on fire. The unusual story of Gold & Silver's development is well worth a read if you have some time to spare.
Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire
The third-generation games, Ruby & Sapphire, arrived to critical acclaim and high sales figures. They continue to sell well decades after their original release, as proven by the recent re-release of the remakes, Let's Go, and the fact that a new core RPG game in the series is still a few years away.
Mentioned in the same breath as the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, Metroid Prime is one of the most important games in Nintendo's history.
