How to Check the Value of Video Games, Step by Step

To check the value of a video game, you need three things: the exact game and version you have, its condition, and what copies like it have actually sold for recently. Asking prices tell you what sellers hope to get. Sold prices tell you what buyers paid. You can look those up with eBay's sold filter or a price guide site, or scan the game with an app that shows an estimated value range.

This guide walks through the method one step at a time, so you get a realistic number instead of the highest listing you happen to see. If you're still wondering whether your games are worth checking at all, start with are old video games worth anything?

Step 1: Identify the exact game and version

"Super Mario Bros. 3" isn't specific enough. Before you look up a price, pin down:

Platform. NES and Famicom, Genesis and Mega Drive, Game Boy and Game Boy Color can look alike at a glance. Check the console name on the label or cartridge.
Region. US, European and Japanese copies of the same game can sell for quite different amounts. Look for the product code on the label, box spine or back of the cartridge. Nintendo codes often end in USA, EUR or a country code, and PlayStation discs use prefixes like SLUS or SCUS for the US, SLES or SCES for Europe, and SLPS or SCPS for Japan.
Print or variant. Budget reprints such as Player's Choice, Greatest Hits, Platinum or Nintendo Selects usually sell for less than the original print. Look for the banner or label on the box or disc.
Special editions. Collector's editions, limited runs and console bundles are listed separately from the standard game.

Getting this step wrong is the most common reason people think their game is worth more, or less, than it is.

Step 2: Decide the condition

Prices are listed by condition, and the gap between them is big. The three groups you'll see most often:

Loose: just the cartridge or disc.
Complete in box (CIB): the game with its original box or case and the manual.
New: still factory-sealed.

A complete copy often sells for several times the loose price. For the details, including what counts as "complete" for different consoles, read loose vs CIB vs new.

Within each group, physical condition still matters. A clean label and a crisp box sell for more than a torn label or a crushed corner. Be honest with yourself here, because buyers will be.

Step 3: Look at sold prices, not asking prices

This is the step that makes the biggest difference. Anyone can list a common game for a huge amount, and some listings sit unsold for months. Those numbers don't tell you what the game is worth.

To see what copies actually sold for on eBay, search for the game and turn on the Sold items filter. On the website it's in the filter sidebar, and in the app it's under Filter. eBay shows sold listings from roughly the last 90 days, with the final sale price highlighted. Sellers with eBay's Seller Hub can also use its Product Research tool, which covers a longer sales history.

When you read sold listings:

Match the version and condition. Skip listings for a different region, a reprint or a bundle.
Look at several sales, not one. A single high sale can be a fluke or a bidding war. Look for where most of them land.
Check what's included. "Game with case" isn't the same as complete with manual.
Watch out for fakes. A suspiciously cheap "rare" game may be a reproduction. See reproduction cartridges explained.
Factor in shipping. Some sellers set a low price and a high shipping charge.

Step 4: Use a price guide for a quick baseline

Price guide websites collect sold listings and turn them into one value per condition, so you don't have to read through dozens of sales yourself. PriceCharting is the best-known one for video games, and it bases its figures on completed sales.

When to use which:

Price guide: best for a quick baseline, or when you're checking lots of common games.
Sold listings: best for a high-value game, an unusual variant, or a copy in unusual condition, where you want to see real comparable sales.

For anything that might be valuable, use both. If the guide and recent sales disagree a lot, trust the recent sales and look closer at the version.

Step 5: Turn the numbers into a range

A game doesn't have one true price. It has a range, and where your copy lands depends on its condition, where you sell it and who's buying that week. Markets also move over time, sometimes quickly.

So write down a range, not a single figure. Then remember that the place you sell changes what you get. Selling to buyers directly usually brings more than a store trade-in, which needs room to resell. If you're getting ready to sell, selling your video game collection covers the options.

How to check the value of lots of video games at once

Steps 1 to 5 work well for a handful of games. For a box of 50 loose cartridges, typing every title, checking the region and reading sold listings takes hours.

That's the job RetroWorth is built for. Point your phone at a label, a box or even a loose cartridge with no barcode, and the app identifies the game. It then shows an estimated value range that you can switch by condition (Loose, Complete in box or New) and region (US, EU or JP). Add each game to your collection as you go to see the total estimated value of everything you've scanned.

Scanning is free, and your first two price checks are free. PRO unlocks every price and lets you export your collection. The values are estimated ranges from aggregated market sales. They're a starting point for decisions, not an appraisal, and markets move.

Common mistakes when checking video game prices

Using asking prices. The highest listing isn't the value.
Mixing up regions. A Japanese or European copy isn't priced like a US copy.
Assuming "complete" when it isn't. A missing manual moves a game into a lower price group.
Trusting one sale. Look for a pattern across several.
Ignoring fees and shipping. What you take home is less than the sale price.
Forgetting about fakes. A value only makes sense for a genuine copy. If you're unsure, check how to tell if a Game Boy game is fake.

FAQ

Is there a free way to check video game prices?

Yes. eBay's sold items filter is free, and many price guide sites show basic values for free. In RetroWorth, scanning is free and your first two price checks are free.

How accurate are video game price guides?

They're good estimates of what a game has recently sold for, based on past sales. They can't predict the next sale, and they're least reliable for rare games that sell only a few times a year. Treat them as a range, not a promise.

Do I need the barcode to look up a game?

No. You can search by title and platform, or scan the label or cartridge with a photo. Many older games, especially loose cartridges, don't have a barcode at all.

Should I get a game graded before checking its value?

For most games, no. Grading costs money and mostly matters for sealed, high-value copies. Check the estimated value first. If a game turns out to be worth a lot, then it's worth looking into grading or a specialist auction house.