How to value a video game collection

Two copies of the same game can be worth anything from a few euros to several hundred. The difference comes down to a handful of criteria, and a good estimate rests on real sales rather than asking prices.

Why value your collection

First, for insurance: after a burglary, water damage or a fire, you need to prove what you owned and what it was worth. A collection of games and consoles can exceed the limits a home insurance policy sets for valuables: check with your insurer, inventory in hand.

Then, to trade or sell at a fair price, to know which copy is worth upgrading, or simply to follow a collection built over years.

What sets the price of a game

• Completeness. A loose game, a complete in box one and a sealed one are not valued the same: it is the first criterion, and each completeness has its own price.
• Condition. Crushed corners, tears and fading on the box; a stained or scribbled-on manual; a damaged cartridge label; a scratched disc. The cardboard boxes of Nintendo cartridges are fragile and rarely in good shape.
• Region and edition. The same game is not valued the same in PAL, NTSC-U or NTSC-J. A first edition is usually worth more than a budget reprint (Platinum, Player's Choice…), and a collector's edition only if every item is there.
• Rarity, and above all demand. A rare game few people want can stay cheap; a common but very popular game can cost more than you would think.
• Working order. A game that no longer boots, or a cartridge whose save battery has died, loses part of its value.
• Authenticity. A reproduction is not worth an original, and a “new” game may have been resealed.

What sets the price of a console

• Model and revision: some versions or motherboards are more sought after than others.
• Colour or limited edition, often valued well above the standard model.
• Condition: scratches, plastic yellowed with age, scratched screen or dead pixels on a handheld.
• Completeness: original box, trays, cables and original controller.
• Mods, which can raise or lower the price depending on the buyer, and working order.

Where to find a reliable market value

The golden rule: trust completed sales, not asking prices. A listing can stay online for months at a price nobody pays; a completed sale tells you what a buyer actually accepted. Sold listings on auction sites, and specialist price guides that aggregate those sales, are the best sources.

Compare like with like: same completeness, same condition, same region. Discard one-off sales far above or below the rest. And do it again regularly: the retro game market moves, and a price over a year old should be checked again.

Keeping proof for your insurer

• Photos of every valuable item: front, back, cartridge or disc, and any defects.
• Receipts and proof of purchase, even second-hand.
• Serial numbers of consoles.
• An up-to-date list, with the condition and estimated value of each item, kept somewhere other than your home.

How PixCollection helps

In PixCollection, every copy has its own record: completeness, box and manual condition, region, edition, working order, mods. The app derives a price per completeness, adjusted to the condition of your copy; you can also enter your own estimate, which always takes precedence. A price over a year old is flagged for review.

The Portfolio screen adds it all up: estimated value of the collection, comparison with the price paid, biggest risers. Photos, receipts and serial numbers stay attached to each item, and the Premium plan turns them into an insurance report in PDF.

An estimate is indicative: it is neither an appraisal nor a commitment from an insurer.