We Updated the Rare PS2 Game Article

The rare Playstation 2 game article has been updated with the 15 rarest & most expensive PS2 games with pictures for all of them. The article also includes descriptions for each game along with reasons for their rarity.

Here are a few teasers:

• The top game on the list has decreased in price nearly 66% from two years ago
• Two different series have two titles each on the list
• Six of the games sell for more than $100 when brand new
• Bandai and Capcom both have three games on the list

See the updated rare PS2 games article to read more.

15 Rare Playstation 2 Games | The Most Expensive PS2 Games

The Playstation 2 was discontinued in 2010 as Sony stopped production. During the ten years the PS2 was available nearly 2,000 games were made and some of these games have become rare and hard to find. Below is the list of rarest and most expensive Playstation 2 (PS2) games and what makes them so valuable.

Click to see Prices For All PS2 Games

Most Valuable Playstation 2 Games

Marvel vs Capcom 2

New Price: $280 | Used Price: $29
Capcom and Marvel teamed up for a 2D fighter with Marvel superheroes and Capcom game characters. It is considered one of the best fighters of all time.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 used to sell for $70-80 in used condition until the game was released on Xbox Live and Playstation Network in early 2009. After the digital version was released used prices dropped to their current $30 range. Brand new versions of the game still sell for $200-280.

See Current Marvel vs Capcom 2 Prices

Capcom vs SNK 2

New Price: $150 | Used Price: $13
Capcom vs SNK 2 is another 2D fighting game developed by Capcom, but this time it includes SNK characters from the King of Fighters series.

Used copies of the game sell for $13-15 but sealed copies have sold for more than $150. The game is no longer available at retail and due to licensing issues with characters owned by two different companies, the game will most likely not be re-released.

See Current Capcom vs SNK 2 Prices

Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition

New Price: $130 | Used Price: $37
When Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence was released for PS2, customers who pre-ordered the game received a limited edition version which included a DVD with cut-scenes from the game edited into a movie.

The limited edition we never reprinted and made available outside the pre-order time period so it is relatively hard to find.

See Current Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence Limited Edition Prices

Resident Evil 4 Premium Edition

New Price: $130 | Used Price: $19
The Resident Evil 4 Premium Edition includes the game in a Steelbook case, an artwork book, a documentary DVD, and a Ada Wong art cel.

Most used copies available don't include some of the premium edition extras, which explains the big price difference between new and used copies of this game. The brand new complete premium packs sell for $130.

See Current Resident Evil 4 Premium Edition Prices

Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008

New Price: $120 | Used Price: $35
In 2008 Square Enix released a collection of expansions for Final Fantasy XI. The collection includes Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urhgan, and Wings of the Goddess.

The game was released a couple years after the Playstation 3 when the PS2's popularity was already waning. The game didn't sell very well because most users had already moved onto the PS3 and there were problems playing the game on the PS3.

See Current Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008 Prices

Jurassic Park Operation Genesis

New Price: $100 | Used Price: $33
Jurassic Park Operation Genesis is a theme park simulator. You create a dinosaur theme park and try to attract visitors and keep them safe. Similar to Roller Coaster Tycoon but with dinosaurs as the attractions.

The PS2 version is not as rare as the Xbox version, which sells for nearly $200, but it is still one of the rarest Playstation 2 games.

See Current Jurassic Park Operation Genesis Prices

Grandia II

New Price: $99 | Used Price: $14
Grandia II is an RPG released by UbiSoft in 2002. It is a remake of a Sega Dreamcast game originally released in 2000.

While the Dreamcast version received mostly uniform positive reviews, the PS2 version was criticized for lower frame rates, reduced color and texture quality. Inspite of the technical problems with the game it still sells for close to $100 when brand new.

See Current Grandia II Prices

Wizardry Tale of the Foresaken Land

New Price: $99 | Used Price: $13
Wizardry is a long running first person role-playing series from the PC. This was the first Wizardry game designed for a console.

The game is published by Atlus, who is notorious for their small print runs and rare games. Wizardy is no exception and it sells for almost a hundred dollars when still sealed.

See Current Wizardry Tale of the Foresaken Land Prices

.hack/GU Rebirth

New Price: $95 | Used Price: $40
.hack/GU Rebirth is the first of the .hack/GU series of Action RPG's for the Playstation 2, which also includes Reminisce and Redemption. The game series tries to mimic an MMO type RPG within an offline game. The "off-line" world in the game has fictional message boards and news reports to add to the illusion you are playing online when you "login".

The entire .hack series has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. Those sales are spread over seven games and the majority of sales were in Japan. The NTSC versions of all the .hack/GU titles are fairly rare but Rebirth is the most expensive of the three.

See Current .hack Rebirth Prices

Document of Metal Gear Solid 2

New Price: $92 | Used Price: $20
Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 is an interactive documentary of Metal Gear Solid 2. It includes a database of character models, the entire soundtrack, every cut-scene from the game, and other "making of" materials like storyboards, scripts and development timelines.

The Document sold separately in the USA and was made for a niche audience that wanted to pay extra to learn more about MGS 2. Because of this it was produced in limited quanities. The game is very rare in new condition and sells for more than $90.

See Current Document of Metal Gear Solid 2 Prices

Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2

New Price: $90 | Used Price: $32
Baldur's Game Dark Alliance II is an action RPG based upon the third edition of Dungeons and Dragons. The game was originally set to be published by Universal in December 2003, but in September of 2003 Interplay canceled the deal and decided to self-publish and release in January 2004. In November 2003 they announced Universal would publish, but again changed course soon after. In December 2003 the developer was shutdown and the game came out the next month.

All the production and publishing problems limited sales of the game. Interplay said if it sold well they would port a Gamecube version. The game never came out on Gamecube which indicates it sold less than Interplay had expected.

See Current Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance 2 Prices

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3

New Price: $89 | Used Price: $32
Tenkaichi 3 was released on PS2 and Wii and is a fighting game with the Dragon Ball Z anime characters. The Wii version is more expensive but both versions are rare.

Tenkaichi 3 was published by Atari. Bandai now has the license to all Dragon Ball Z games which makes a re-release of the game much less likely. Prices more than doubled for the game in 2010, which is the same year the Dragon Ball Z boxsets started releasing on DVD.

See Current Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 Prices

Digimon Rumble Arena 2

New Price: $88 | Used Price: $26
Digimon Rumble Arena 2 is a fighting game similar to Super Smash Bros. You fight as some of the popular Digimon characters and they can digivolve into stronger ones similar to Pokemon evolutions.

The game was the last Digimon fighting game released and is quite hard to find in the wild. The Playstation 2 version is the least valuable of the three versions released for PS2, Gamecube, and Xbox.

See Current Digimon Rumble Arena 2 Prices

Wild ARMs Alter Code: F

New Price: $84 | Used Price: $34
Wild Arms Alter Code F is an enhanced remake of the original Wild Arms released on Playstation 1. The remake has added characters, new scenarios, a remastered soundtrack, and a bonus anime DVD. Alter Code F was the last Wild Arms game released on the PS2.

The game came out in November 2005, after the Xbox 360 had launched, near the end of the Playstation 2's lifecycle, and it was published by Agetech instead of Sony. These factors helped limited the production and sales for the game.

See Current Wild ARMs Alter Code: F Prices

.hack Quarantine

New Price: $84 | Used Price: $63
.hack Quarantine is the last game released in the original .hack RPG series. Gameplay is similar to the fake MMO style in .hack/GU but the plot takes place 7 years before the events in .hack/GU.

The three previous games released in the .hack series are Infection, Mutation, and Outbreak. All three can be found brand new for less than $45. Quarantine is the only rare .hack game from the original series.

See Current .hack Quarantine Prices

Other Expensive Playstation 2 Games

• Battle Assault 3 Featuring Mobile Suit Gundam SEED - New Price: $100
• Monster Rancher 4 - New Price: $81
• Magna Carta Deluxe Box - New Price: $80
• Rule of Rose - New Price: $79
• Mana Khemia Deluxe Box - New Price: $79
• Dukes of Hazzard Return of the General Lee - New Price: $77
• Grandia Xtreme - New Price: $71
• Sniper Elite - New Price: $70

See What Your Games Are Worth

Click to see Prices For All Playstation 2 Games
Do you know what the 12 most expensive video games are?

See our complete PS2 Game Price List. The list is ranked by the highest average new price and then highest average used price in the event of a tie.

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Marvel Vs Capcom 2 On XBL & PSN Lowers Resale Prices

Marvel announced that the classic fighting game Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will be released on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. Marvel Vs Capcom 2 is one of the most expensive games on the Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Xbox and is sought after by collectors and considered one of the best 2D fighters of all time. The question for collectors who own the original game or want to buy it is; will the downloadable games affect the price of originals?

The initial results look like Marvel vs Capcom 2 for Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox are all losing value after the announcement. The charts below show the prices during the past couple years for all three original games plus the prices during the last 24 hours.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 for Xbox

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 for Playstation 2

Marvel Vs Capcom 2 for Sega Dreamcast

The used prices for all three original versions dropped since the announcement. The PS2 version dropped 14%, Xbox version 3.9%, and Dreamcast version 11%. Yesterday the prices for the PS2 were the lowest they have been since December 2006! The Xbox and Dreamcast games are only $1 or $2 more than the lowest prices seen in two years.

Will the prices continue to decline or is this only temporary?

There are lots of collectors who want the original versions of the game, but most gamers will probably choose the downloadable versions on XBL and PSN because they will have online play, HD upscaling, and widescreen support. Gamers can play one of the best 2D fighters of all time, with more options, and less money if they download it. So fewer people will be buying the original game on Dreamcast, PS2, and Xbox.

Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga Not So Collectible Anymore

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga have been two of the most sought after Playstation 2 games for RPG fans and video game collectors. Atlus quietly reprinted these two games and made them available to a few retailers this April. The prices quickly plummeted almost 50% for both games in the resale market.

Digital Devil Saga Price Before and After Reprint
Retailers started selling DDS reprints at the very end of April, around the 26th. The prices quickly dropped 43% from a $75 average price in April to $44 in May.

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne Price Before and After Reprint
Nocturne was reprinted earlier in April than DDS (around the 17th) so the average prices started dropping in April and continued into May. In March Nocturne was selling for $97 on average and now in May the average price is $46, a drop of 53%.


This reprint is great news for gamers who want to play these fantastic JRPG's but didn't want to pay $70-100 for a used game. Unfortunately it looks like Amazon has already sold out of the re-released DDS, but if you hurry you can still buy Nocturne on Amazon while it is still available for $40.

There are probably quite a few gamers who are upset that they bought one of these games two months ago for almost $100. That is a risk video game collectors make especially if you are buying games for a console that is still supported. Collectors and gamers are now wondering if the prices will stay at these lower prices or will they increase again in a few months?

Thanks to our reader Alex for this article idea.

GTA IV Raises Classic GTA Prices on Xbox & PS2

Most of the world has heard by now that Grand Theft Auto IV came out April 29th and it was just announced that in the first week the game sold 6 million copies worldwide. The number of games sold for the 360 and PS3 hasn't been announced yet but so far Xbox 360 owners have been buying more of the classic GTA games than Playstation 3 owners. Prices for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, GTA Double Pak, and GTA Trilogy have increased more on Xbox than Playstation 2.


Buying all three older Grand Theft Auto games released on Xbox would cost $76 now instead of $64 in March, an 18% increase. Buying the same Playstation 2 GTA games would cost $33 now and were $30 in March, which is an 10% increase. If you look at all the PS2 GTA games, including the ones that were not released on the Xbox, you see only a 3% increase from March to May. During this time of year video game prices usually go down.

This difference is either caused by increased demand, limited supply, or a combination of the two.

On the supply side the Xbox game supply is limited while the PS2 supply can increase. The Playstation 2 is still around and retailers are continuing to sell new games. You could find many of these PS2 GTA games brand new at stores. This stops the used prices from increasing very much because the supply can increase too. Xbox games on the other hand are not as easy to find new. Many retailers stopped selling them so the supply of these games is static.

In terms of demand, the Xbox 360 has sold more consoles than the Playstation 3. Assuming the game sells the same proportionally on both systems there are more GTA IV 360 owners. Which means there are more 360 owners who are looking to play the classic GTA games.

Below are the side by side price comparisons for each Grand Theft Auto game on Xbox and PS2. Click the charts to see the most recent prices.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Comparison

Grand Theft Auto Double Pak Comparison

Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Comparison

The Xbox prices are more expensive than the PS2 for every Grand Theft Auto game. And Xbox Trilogy for Xbox is somewhat of a rare game now, selling for more than the initial retail price.

Playstation 2 Grand Theft Auto Games Not Released on Xbox

Wii Game Prices | Xbox 360 Game Prices | PS3 Game Prices

How To Make Money Collecting PS2 Games

The Playstation 2 will have been on the market for 8 years this October. Two of those years the PS2 has shared the market with the Playstation 3 and though the Playstation 2 is selling fairly well now, it is approaching its final years. Developer support is already drying up. In 2007, 153 games were released and so far about 90 games are announced or rumored to be released in 2008. So now is the time to buy Playstation 2 games and potentially make some money.

Let me explain what I mean. The later in a console's life cycle a game is released, the more likely it is to become rare and very expensive. Of the 60 most expensive NES, SNES, and N64 games, 32 of them were released in the last two years of the console, 53%. This is even more amazing when you consider there are not many games published in the last two years of a console. The NES, SNES, and N64 had a total of 1,947 games. 20% of them, 388 games, came out in the last two years. So the last two years of a console represent 20% of the total games, but 53% of the most expensive games.

System	Total Games	Last 2 Years	% of Games
NES	810	139	17.2%
SNES	750	173	23.1%
N64	387	76	19.6%

You see the trend and now you want to know how much some of those expensive games are actually worth. Many of them sell for about $30-40 used which is less than the original price. But when kept sealed some of the games are worth a ton. Chrono Trigger recently sold for $1,217, Zelda II for NES (not a rare game) sold for $799, and Super Mario RPG sold for $315. Even easy to find NES games are expensive if they are sealed. This ad shows a company is willing to pay $250 for Zelda and $200 for Excitebike.

So which Playstation 2 Games should you buy if you want to increase the chance they will be collector's items? RPG and Fighting games keep their value longer than other genres' so buying RPG and Fighting games gives you the best odds of buying the next Chrono Trigger. Here are my recommendations for some games that I think might be good choices:

Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis

This is a niche RPG published by NIS America. They are also the developers of Disgaea Hour of Darkness, one of the more expensive PS2 games already released.

Arcana Heart

A 2D Fighter developed by Atlus. 2D Fighting games are not as popular as they used to be back in the Street Fighter heyday so don't look for this one to sell many copies. Plus, Atlus is notorious for small printings of their games.

Baroque

Baroque is another Atlus game, this time an RPG though. As a publisher, Atlus games keep their value better than any other publisher. Buying their games is just another way of increasing the odds a game becomes valuable.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES

The last Atlus game on the list. I hope I'm not putting too many of my eggs in one basket but Atlus is the publisher of the Ogre Battle series which places a game in the most expensive list for N64, SNES, and PS1. And the other games in the Persona series are expensive too.

Chaos Wars

Chaos Wars is a fantasy, turn based strategy game. That is about as niche as you can get. The game is developed by Idea Factory who has released games only in Japan up to this point. They are virtually an unknown in the US.

King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga

A collection of the SNK King of Fighters games. It is a 2D fighting series with a decent following, but will probably not sell that well. Compilation games can be worth quite a bit too. The Spyro and GTA Trilogy collections prove this.

Samurai Shodown Anthology

Another collection of 2D fighting games, this time from the Samurai Shodown series. Not as popular as the King of Fighters series, but some of the games so far have kept their value well.

Keep in mind many of the PS2 games coming out in the next two years have not even been announced so this list is in no way conclusive. And I could be completely wrong about them too. The above games might be worthless in a couple of years but based upon this information; I'm going to pre-order a few of these, set them aside, and wait.

Below is the table of the most expensive games on each console and the year they were released. The bolded titles are the ones released in the last two years.

Expensive Nintendo NES Games	Release Year
Bubble Bobble Part 2	1993
Little Samson	1992
Dragon Warrior IV	1992
Snow Brothers	1991
Fire 'N Ice	1993
Dusty Diamond All-Star Softball	1990
California Raisins	1991
Bandit Kings of Ancient China	1989
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters	1993
Duck Tales 2	1993
Bonk's Adventure	1993
Contra Force	1992
RC Pro-AM II	1992
Mario Time Machine	1993
L'Empereur	1991
Ultima Warriors of Destiny	1993
Bomberman II	1991
Faria	1989
Dragon Warrior III	1988
Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom	1988
Expensive Super Nintendo Games	Release Year
Earthbound	1994
Ogre Battle The March of the Black Queen	1994
Ninja Gaiden Trilogy	1995
Castlevania Dracula X	1995
Harvest Moon	1996
EVO the Search for Eden	1993
Chrono Trigger	1995
Mega Man X	1993
Aero Fighters	1993
Super Mario RPG	1996
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom	1993
Lufia and The Rise of Sinistrals	1996
Secret of Mana	1993
Metal Marines	1993
Final Fantasy III	1994
Final Fight 3	1995
Metal Warriors	1995
Mega Man 7	1995
Uncharted Waters: New Horizons	1994
Boogerman A Pick and Flick Adventure	1995
Expensive Nintendo 64 Games	Release Year
Worms Armageddon	2000
Clay Fighter 63 1/3 Sculptor's Cut	1998
Ogre Battle	1999
Harvest Moon	1999
Mario Party 3	2000
Bomberman 64 The Second Attack	2000
Conker's Bad Fur Day	2001
Super Smash Bros.	1999
Starcraft	2000
Super Bowling	2000
Castlevania Legacy of Darkness	1999
Mario Kart 64	1996
Mario Party 2	1999
Mario Party	1998
Space Station Silicon Valley	1998
Ms. PacMan Maze Madness	2000
Dr. Mario	2001
Paper Mario	2000
Tom and Jerry	2000
Beast Wars	2000

All release dates information provided by digitpress and mobygames

Nintendo 64 Prices | Xbox 360 Game Prices | PS3 Game Prices

Madden Prices Fall Fast on Playstation 2

Every every EA Sports releases their Madden football franchise to coincide with the new NFL season starting and every year it consistently sells millions of copies. The only thing more consistent is the price drop for the Madden games after their release. From the first day the game goes on sale, the prices start dropping every single month. Its very evident with the price chart for Madden 2008 above. The video game was released in August at $49.99 and by the end of the month was selling for $36, and for $29 by November. Will this price drop continue you ask?

Madden 2007 dropped in price every single month in 2007 except for a small increase in August when people wanted to get their football fix for cheap by buying Madden 07 instead of 08. This same pattern is seen with Madden 2006, and Madden 2005 to a lesser extent because it is almost worthless, selling for $0.39.

Madden football is very consistent in its sales every year, but also consistent in the fact that it will go on sale. Wait a couple of months or even until playoffs start and you can buy the game for half the original price and still enjoy the game in the height of the current football season.

Video game price data provided by VideoGamePriceCharts.com

Playstation 2 vs Gamecube vs Xbox - Used Game Prices

Fanboys love to debate the merits of their favorite systems. Everything from graphics, online play, total sales, third-party game selection, and overall game selection are argued about. I’m adding another coal to the fire: Which games keep their value better? PS2, Gamecube, or Xbox?

Below is a table of the average release price and today’s price for each system.

System	# of Games	Avg. Release Price	Avg. Used Price	% of Original Price
PS2	855	$41.21	$9.23	22.4%
Gamecube	455	$41.71	$10.72	25.7%
Xbox	565	$41.29	$5.83	14.1%

The average release price is pretty much the exact same for each system, but the average used game price today is much different. Gamecube games have kept 26 percent of their value, slightly ahead of the Playstation 2 at 22 percent. The Xbox is substantially lower at 14 percent.

I don’t know for sure why these differences exist, but I imagine the Xbox prices are lower partially because bootlegging games on the system is easier (and more popular) on the Xbox than the PS2 or Cube. If a person can copy their friend’s games to their modded system they have no need to pay for the used games.

Below is a graph of the average prices for each system’s games on a daily basis through 2007.

Playstation 2 prices have stayed much higher in the past seven months than the other two systems. PS2 games lost about 17 percent of their value from Jan 1 to July 13, while Gamecube and Xbox games both lost about 30 percent.

This is because the Playstation 2 is still alive and ticking and hasn’t been completely kicked to the curb by Sony, like Nintendo and Microsoft did with their systems. The buyers of those nearly 200,000 PS2's that sold last month have to buy something to play on it. And some of them inevitably buy used games, keeping the prices quite a bit higher.

For now, the Gamecube fanboys can rejoice. The Cube reigns supreme as the system with the games that keep their value the best. But I think the trends in the graph will continue and PS2 prices will eventually pass the Cube's and PS2 fanboys will have the last laugh. Sorry Xbots, your system doesn’t win this round.

(Side Note: I only used games released before 2007 for this analysis so the PS2 doesn't get any unfair advantage by having more newer games in the data)

Video game price data provided by VideoGamePriceCharts.com