The Game Boy wasn’t the first handheld gaming machine, but it was one of the most successful ones on its 1989 release. Combined with its successors, the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, they would go on to sell more than 100 million units. It couldn’t quite contain the NES' tech, but it managed to run 8-bit games with buttons and a D-Pad based on the NES' joypad.
The console was discontinued in 2003 but remains a firm favorite for collectors of retro gaming consoles, as it was an important part of console history in popularizing handhelds. Between that and being many players' first machine, the Game Boy’s games have become pretty collectible. However, since the console came out 35 years ago, many of them have become pretty rare.
Updated Februry 16, 2025, by David Heath:Given it was one of the most successful handhelds in history, it’s little wonder there’s a thriving collecting scene for the Nintendo Game Boy. It outlasted its rivals by having a richer game library, and being more cost-effective by making 4 AA batteries last 20+ hours instead of 6. Even when it was succeeded by the Game Boy Color, it had a mid-1990s revival thanks to new accessories like the Game Boy Camera, Printer, and the phenomenon that isPokémon.
But buyingPokemon Red, BlueorGreenis child’s play, as are its other classics likeSuper Mario Land,The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening,andTetris. This handheld console had a whole host of cult classics, rarities, and weird standouts that are worth hundreds if not thousands of dollars. So, this list has more standout games added to it, from quirky sports sims to cult classic platformers.
All prices were taken fromPriceCharting.comand were accurate at the time of publication.
$78.82
$412.02
New
$948
Culture Brain’sChinese Heroseries had a bit of an identity crisis on its journey to the west. The original arcade/NES game retained its Chinese themes asKung Fu Heroes. But it took them 5 years to make the sequel,Super Chinese 2, which becameLittle Ninja Brothersin the West. The action-RPG’s other Western follow-ups also stuck to the ninja theme withNinja BoyandNinja Boy 2on the Game Boy. The former can be found for relatively reasonable prices, given it was a cult classic even back on its 1990 release.
But the latter, which sees heroes Ryu and Jack fight aliens in space, went for an eye-watering $1,100 CIB and $2,530 for new copies. That is, until September when both crashed down to $155 CIB and $357 new. It may rise again, but until that happens, the only purse-stretching version of the game is the PAL port, costing $412 CIB and $948 new.
$79.74
$577.64
$1,329
People might thinkFish Dudewas another animal mascot from the early 90s hopping onSonic the Hedgehog’s bandwagon. However, SOFEL’s game actually predates the Blue Blur, turning up in Japan in October 1990, then in America the following April. It’s also not a platformer. Instead, it plays more like a survival sim as players move their fish around the sea to scoff smaller fish while avoiding getting gulped by bigger ones.
Players could even leap out of the water briefly to avoid becoming another fish’s dinner, while risking becoming a bird’s supper in the process. It’s a strange game with strange enemies, and might intrigue some people into giving it a go. Though whether their curiosity is worth $80 for a loose cartridge, or $578 for a complete set is up to the buyer. Its prices have dropped by a couple of hundred bucks for CIB and New copies this month, so it’s a good time for collectors to pick it up.
$231.99
$754.19
$1,735
Nintendo’s ethos behind the Game Boy was “lateral thinking with withered technology,” and it certainly showed. It had monochrome graphics with a grim, babyfood-green screen that needed bright light at the right angle to see anything. Even then, the action could become a blurry mess if it got too hectic. Yet some developers thought it would be a great platform to release books on, like Wisdom Tree with their infamous, unlicensed religious games.
They released the King James Bible for the device, but theNIV Bible and the 20 Lost Levels of Joshuathrew in a simple (if janky) platformer on top of the Bible’s tiny text. It’s worth more today as a collector’s item. New copies recently spiked up to their peak at $1,735, and CIB copies are nearly a grand cheaper at $754. The prices have remained constant since March 2024, so buyers have some time to keep saving.
$151.65
$749.99
$1,299.43
TheCastlevaniaseries has had playable female characters, like Sypha inCastlevania 3or Maria Renard inCastlevania: Rondo of Blood. But the Belmont clan has largely produced male vampire hunters. OnlyCastlevania Legendsproduced a fatal femme in Sonia Belmont, and it was soon rendered non-canon, as then-series producer Koji Igarashi felt its plot didn’t fit in with its chronological follow-ups (it was meant to start off the whole timeline), but it didn’t wow players either, being a shorter, plainer experience thanCastlevania 2: Belmont’s Revenge.
Still, it’s not the worstCastlevaniagame around. It’s not even the worstCastlevaniagame on the Game Boy (seeCastlevania: The Adventure). But its rarity has seen it rise in price in both North America and PAL regions. Its loose and new copies are cheaper in PAL regions, costing $113/837 respectively. But North America has more luck with its CIB copies, being roughly $13 cheaper at $749 compared to $762. It’s not much of a discount, but it’s still easier on the bank balance.
$52.49
$859.99
$1,978
Between the 1994 live-action movie and Cartoon Network’s reliance on classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons at the time,The Flintstoneshad a resurgence in the 1990s. It also meant they got a lot of tie-in games, though few of them have stood the test of time. But collectors have been keeping a keen eye onThe Flintstones: King Rock Treasure Islandover the years.
Released in 1993 by Taito, it was a simple platformer where Fred Flintstone found a treasure map and went through 7 levels to find where it leads to. It’s not too purse-straining to find a loose cartridge, but finding it complete in box (CIB) or brand new has gotten increasingly rare. At its peak in 2013, new packs cost collectors $5,000. It quickly calmed down, but CIB and New prices have been climbing since 2022. If people really want their hands on an affordable cartridge, its PAL version is available for $21.38 loose.
$167.50
$899.99
$2,070
The Game Boy may have had the best battery life among the early handhelds, but those 4 AAs could only handle an RPG likeKnight Questfor so long. That’s putting aside its tiny, blurry screen, which made reading stats and dialogue a task in itself. For an extra ill portent, the game was made by Lenar, the same people behind the infamous NES action RPGDeadly Towers. Luckily, it’s way better than that rough entry, though it’s not exactly on par with games likePokémonorFinal Fantasy Legend.
It’s also gotten more expensive over time, with the occasional dip here and there. Loose cartridges were going for $315 back in mid-2022, before going as low as $77 in 2023. New copies went for a relatively more manageable $500 in the summer of 2023, then doubled in price in July 2024, before doubling again in September of the same year. They’ve remained stable since then, but loose copies have dropped a touch in price to $167.50, making it more affordable for people who just want the cartridge.
$53.41
$955.22
$2,197
Super Mario Brosmay have revolutionized platform games, butSonic the Hedgehogmight’ve inspired the most copycats.Bubsy the Bobcat,Acro the Acrobat,Wild Woody,Brian the Lion,Kid Chaos,Alfred Chickenand more all either tried to be mascots with attitude, mascots withSonic’s speed, or both. Even Gremlin Graphics, the predecessors to Sumo Digital, got in on the action withZool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension, where the alien ninja gremlin would zip around levels, collecting sweets like Chupa Chups and shooting ships down.
The game was ported to nearly every active machine in the early 1990s, from the SNES and Genesis to the Acorn Archimedes and Amiga CD32. If anyone wanted to collect all of its different releases, they’d find the Game Boy port the most expensive. It’s not exactly the best, as the Game Boy’s green, blurry screen wasn’t made for rapid action. But getting a complete box will set buyers back by $955, or $2,197 new. If pressed, they may have to settle for the PAL version, which is vastly cheaper at $67 CIB.
$157.11
$959.57
$2,207
People would thinkMega Man 4on the Game Boy was just a squeezed-down version of the NES game. But the Game BoyMega Mangames actually followed their own storyline, asGB MM4doesn’t involve the NES game’s big bad Dr Cossack. Instead, Mega Man has to fight off Dr Wily, a new foe called Ballade, and a mix of Robot Masters fromMM4andMM5.Gameplaywise, it manages to capture the jump-and-shoot appeal of the NES game, despite the Game Boy’s blurry screen and tinny sound.
Its North American prices are beginning to slip gradually from their sky-high peak. However, getting it new used to be a pipe dream as sealed copies were going for nearly $10,000 in the middle of 2022. They’re still not exactly going for peanuts, costing $650 CIB or $1,500 new. But its PAL equivalent is now much more precious, going for nearly $1,000 for a complete set, and twice that for sealed copies.
$47
$982.97
$2,261
Rare’s hard-as-nails amphibian-based brawler met the Lee Brothers to formBattletoads & Double Dragon, where they had to team up to stop the Dark Queen and the Shadow Boss. The game was released on the Sega Genesis and Nintendo’s consoles to fair acclaim, though its difficult gameplay and wacky animations were definitely more likeBattletoadsand less likeDouble Dragon.The Game Boy was the weakest of the ports thanks to its tiny screen blurring the hectic action, and the rough sound quality.
This made it rarer than its bigger ports, and thus more valuable to collectors. Picking it up loose is no problem for people who just want to play the game on real hardware. But if they want it boxed, they’re going to have to cough up nearly $1,000, then double that with change to just over $2,000 for new copies. In the 2010s, CIB and New copies were barely going for more than $200-300, but they began spiking up to their current prices from late 2021 onward. If anyone invested in either version of the game in the past, they can get a lot if they can find a buyer now.
$49.99
$1,250
$2,875
Metal Mastersactually began life on the Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, and IBM PCs, where it predatedVirtua Fighter 4andTekken 5in letting players customize their character. By using credits earned from beating up opponents, they could get new parts for their body, arms and legs to increase their strength. Unfortunately, their computer opponents can do the same, including the evil Baron Harkan, who plans on building his Super Robot to conquer the Metal Master tournaments and the world.
It received a Game Boy port in 1993, which had limited distribution, and made finding a copy of it all the more challenging for collectors both back in the 90s. New copies did dip from $1,721 in late 2021 to $621 in 2022, but they made an astronomical rise throughout 2023-2024 to $2,875. CIB copies weren’t any better, as they’ve nearly increased tenfold from $152 in 2023 to $1,250 now. It’s much cheaper to track down its Limited Run release, which is $45 complete and $36.35 for new copies.
