Just saying the words ‘Game Boy Color’ brings a whirlwind of nostalgia for a lot of gamers today. With the handheld console’s games sporting retro graphics and simple but effective gameplay, the GBC holds a dear spot in a lot of gamers’ hearts. So is it really surprising that some of us would pay thousands of dollars to get our hands on some of these legendary titles?
Yeah, okay, that still may be shocking, but it doesn’t change the fact that classic Game Boy Color games that would originally sell for tens of dollars are now selling for 100 times their original prices.
Curious to learn more? Below is our list of the 10 rarest and most valuable Game Boy Color games available today.
Top 10 rarest and most expensive Game Boy Color games
Note that all prices for the games have been sourced from the Price Charting website, and that these values are accurate at the time of writing.
10) Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX ($534.20)
The price of Link’s Awakening DX continues to increase, despite being remade for the Nintendo Switch just a couple of years ago. While this upgraded version of the classic Game Boy release is not particularly rare, the GBC game is highly sought after. It can sometimes be difficult to find a loose cartridge for cheap, and mint complete copies are always a prized addition to a collection, no matter how expensive they can get.
Even though one would attribute the high prices of Link’s Awakening DX to the Switch remake that brought a lot of interest back to the game, the cost of the original remained pretty much the same even after the remake was released, only gradually rising in recent years due to the increasing rarity.
9) Space Marauder ($562.50)
Scrolling shoot-em-ups have increasingly become more common in the gaming market, which is probably why Space Marauder has seen its rise in value. Known as Burai Senshi Color in Japan, the game is essentially a colorized version of the Game Boy’s Burai Fighter (a port of an NES game) with different level layouts. It was developed by KID, the creators of the classic shoot-em-up Summer Carnival ’92: Recca, a beloved title for the Famicom.
Space Marauder, while not the most expensive game on this list, is definitely very rare to find a seller for. Funnily enough, the incredibly hard-to-find mint copies of Space Marauder would go for as cheap as $10 until 2016, which was when collectors began noticing how rare the game actually is.
8) Survival Kids ($660)
Survival Kids was first released in 1999 for the Game Boy Color. It is a survival game with an open-ended structure that allows players to progress at their own pace, with each of their decisions affecting the course of their playthrough. Offering engaging gameplay, the player must survive on a deserted island after a shipwreck using whatever they can to build shelter, look for food, and craft tools. The game’s ending and the events leading up to it are completely dependent on how the player chooses to overcome the hurdles before them.
Survival Kids was a distinct game for its time as survival games on the Game Boy Color weren’t actually a thing. The game garnered a cult following over the years, and combined with how few copies are present out there at the moment, Survival Kids has soared tremendously in price.
7) Wendy: Every Witch Way ($980)
Wendy: Every Witch Way is a 2001 platforming game released exclusively for the Game Boy Color. The game is based on the comic book and movie character Wendy, who appears in Casper the Friendly Ghost and Wendy the Good Little Witch.
This lighthearted side-scrolling puzzle platformer is a joy to play, as players take control of Wendy and navigate through many unique levels solving puzzles while taking care of all the dangerous enemies in their way.
Although Every Witch Way was underappreciated when it was released, it offered players a fun experience and featured the popular Harvey Comics character. As the years went by and the retro game collecting trend gained popularity, this charming game became one of the rarest Game Boy Color games—and by extension, one of the most expensive GBC titles today as well.
6) Resident Evil Gaiden ($1,050)
Resident Evil Gaiden follows Leon S. Kennedy and Barry Burton as they investigate a mysterious virus that broke out on a passenger ship. While the fact that a Resident Evil game was available for the Game Boy Color is odd enough, the gameplay also majorly featured a top-down view for all of the exploration bits.
This view only changes into a first-person perspective when the player is being attacked, reverting when the battle ends.
Resident Evil Gaiden was a departure from the traditional Resident Evil gameplay and received mixed reviews for this reason. However, it was praised for its innovative take on the survival horror genre for the Game Boy Color. It is now considered a cult classic by collectors and retro gamers.
5) Pokémon Gold ($1,103.42) & Pokémon Silver ($1,199.51)
The Game Boy Color had some pretty iconic Pokémon titles, so it’s about time that not one, but two of these legendary monster-catching titles land together on this list. We’ve decided to clump both Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver together, because not only are they practically the same game, but their prices are also almost identical.
Despite selling considerably more copies than any other title on this list, the years following these games’ releases have driven the price of Pokémon Silver and Gold up to exorbitant heights. Quite obviously, the popularity and legacy of the Pokémon franchise has a lot to do with these classics turning this valuable.
4) Bomberman Quest ($1,389.58)
Bomberman Quest is a 1998 action-adventure game released for the Game Boy Color. It acts as a deviation from the traditional Bomberman formula, featuring a more adventure-oriented gameplay style in which players control Bomberman as he travels through a top-down world in classic JRPG style. Solve head-scratching puzzles and defeat daunting enemies to rescue Princess Millian and defeat the evil Garaden Empire.
The Bomberman series has been around for a long time and has been released on almost every console imaginable. The second game in the series on the Game Boy Color deviated significantly from the franchise’s tried-and-true formula, making it one of the most unique and rare Bomberman games ever created.
One of the things that sets this game apart from other classic Bomberman games is the use of bombs as a tool, as players will need to use bombs to clear paths to new areas and uncover hidden routes. This approach provided a nice branching experience for fans of the series and helped to improve the franchise.
While the game was pretty popular with critics, the actual sales were a little underwhelming, which meant that copies of Bomberman Quest are somewhat rare today, increasing its price manyfold.
3) Pokémon Crystal ($2,393.55)
With Gold and Silver already making their appearances on this list, Pokémon Crystal now completes the trio of Generation Two Pokémon games that are surprisingly expensive today.
Pokémon Crystal was released for the Game Boy Color in Japan in 2000 and in the rest of the world in 2001, turning into an instant hit. Even after being released on the Nintendo 3DS’s Virtual Console in 2018, the physical Game Boy Color version has continued to keep its luxury price tag.
The game is not rare to obtain in any way, and Crystal’s exceedingly high price in the market is precisely due to the brand name and legacy of the Pokémon franchise.
2) Zelda: Oracle Of Ages & Seasons Limited Edition ($3,971.39)
The limited-edition version of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, released in 2001, is a bundle of both games, which is partly the reason why this limited edition goes for such astronomically high prices.
In addition to the games, the limited edition bundle includes pins, skins for the Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance, a t-shirt, a poster, and other elusive collector’s items. This rare limited edition bundle is very expensive nowadays, and aspiring buyers can expect to pay nearly $4,000 for it; that is if they can even find one.
1) Shantae ($4,000)
Published in 2002, Shantae was one of the final games released for the Game Boy Color. Capcom managed to produce a quality title at the end of the GBC’s lifespan which was eventually considered a hidden gem by the console’s loyal fanbase.
In this lighthearted 2D platformer adventure game, players control Shantae, our half-genie protagonist, as she embarks on a journey to stop the infamous pirate Risky Boots from unjustly conquering Sequin Land.
Despite the game being overlooked at the time of its release—mainly due to it being launched for the GBC a year after the Game Boy Advance hit the markets—Shantae became quite popular with Game Boy Color fanatics. The combination of a fantastic gaming experience along with its rarity earned Shantae an astounding $4,000 price tag today, letting it snag the No. 1 spot on our list.
